The Idiotically Simple Way To Create A 1 Minute Messy Bun (With Photos)

by Audie Metcalf

A couple of things inspired this article:

  1. I feel very confident about my bun making skills. 

  2. When I searched “easy fast messy bun” on YouTube for the purposes of sharing a video with someone who I thought could benefit from knowing the secrets of crafting a messy bun, I was aghast to find multiple bun tutorials proffering “easy fast messy bun” in the titles, but clocking in at around 60 minutes. 

There is no bun on planet earth or any other unknown planets which should take 60 minutes to create, nor 60 minutes to explain. 

So I made a gif for you. Actually Steffi Victorioso, our site photographer, made a gif for you. I merely was in it, hoping and praying that on that day I would be able to capture the twist and twirl that is a PIVOTAL step in the messy-bun crafting business. The bun gods were smiling on us on this day. Because I was. 

Here’s a visual:

 
 

THE STEPS:

  1. Scrape your hair back as if making a ponytail, using your nails to get a more textured, imperfect look. I have deep and passionate feelings about the woeful lack of acceptable ponytail holders available for purchase in this world, but for now I will store up my venom on that subject for another article. 

  2. Pull your hair into the ponytail holder once, as if actually making a ponytail. 

  3. On the second twirl, and this is where everything important happens, don’t bring your hair all the way through and let it sort of half hang out of the ponytail holder. If this step doesn’t come together, scratch everything and start over. 

  4. With half of your hair hanging out, continue on to the third twirl of the ponytail holder. 

  5. You’re left with an imperfect messy pile that you can now shift around to make look cute. Pull some pieces from the sides, near your ears, and twist around the bun until it’s delivering the correct effortless messiness you require

THE PRODUCTS:

  1. THIS BANDANA is essential to sort of fancy up your bun, OR to use if you can’t make it look cute that day. I have like 14 of these. One for every lewk.

  2. I’m also very sorry to tell you that using THIS SCRUNCHIE will make all of your bun-making so much easier. Plus, scrunchies are “back,” whatever that means.

  3. And of course, for the days when you’ve not washed your hair for the last 13 days, THIS DRY SHAMPOO will refresh the bejesus out of your roots.

 
 

So now, the whole thing looks like a full blown hair-outfit, and everyone in your life will be copying your lewk, which will be annoying slash flattering slash stop.

Here’s what the bun/bandana combo looks like on a dirty hair day...vs. the gif above where my hair had been professionally styled the day before so everything is essentially a lie:

 
 

Even though I thought I could write this profoundly easy tutorial with far fewer words, I think we can all agree a 60 minute video on an easy, messy bun is ludicrous. So, we won. And winning is what matters. 

 
 
 
 

Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.