The chignon bun is a low bun style made famous as it is a traditional go-to wedding hairstyle for brides. But weddings aren’t the only time a chignon bun works. And unlike a traditional hair bun, the chignon does not need a hair tie or band.
The chignon bun is unique in that it can be wrapped around itself, a hair pin, or other hair accessories without relying on a hair tie. That's what makes it different from the standard low bun. The only requirement is that your hair is roughly shoulder length.
Longer or shorter hair will make it difficult to style and hold, and that is where the hair ties normally come into play. The chignon bun is a slightly advanced hairstyle to master, but with a bit of practice you’ll get the hang of it.
Now that you know what a chignon hairstyle is, and if your hair is the right length, here’s the steps to do a chignon bun:
- Start by brushing your hair to remove any tangles and make sure it's smooth.
- Gather your hair as if you're making a low ponytail at the nape of your neck.
- This is normally where you’d use a hair tie. You can add one if you’d like extra stability, but it is optional.
- Begin twisting your gathered hair into a tight rope.
- Coil this twisted rope around itself to form a bun at the nape of your neck.
- Using several bobby pins, secure the bun by inserting them through the outer layer of the bun and into the base of it. Make sure to tuck in any loose ends.
- If you have a spiral hair tie, ribbon, or a scrunchie, you could add it for a pop of color over the chignon and to secure it.
Pro-tip: For extra stability, criss-cross your bobby pins to hold the bun in place.
Now that you know how to do a chignon bun, here’s some unique ways to style it for special occasions and events.
- Instead of doing traditional pearl hair pins and clips in your chignon, add seasonal themes for your wedding hair. Use clam shells with the pearls for a beach wedding, or add sparkling snowflakes to the pearls for winter formal wear. The silver snowflakes and pearlescent seashells add to the theme and stand out completing your dressy look.
- Doing Christmas hair? The chignon works for a party, fancy family meal, and being a hostess. You cannot go wrong with mistle and red berry adornments, and why not find a poinsettia topped hair pin to stand out of the middle? It’ll be festively fabulous and complete your Christmas holiday ensemble. As you get more advanced, try adding braided locks in for additional texture, or weave in a holiday patterned ribbon.
- If you want a sleek and neat style, with a pop of color and texture, add a colorful scrunchie over the chignon’s base. This keeps the color theme of your outfit flowing from head to toe.
- There’s no wrong way to do a French braid start at the top of your hair and wrap the bottom in a Chignon for a sophisticated and formal look. And if you’re using this for a summer party outdoors, add in some ribbon for a pop of color that weaves throughout the French braid. Last, wrap the chignon’s base with the same color ribbon to carry the pattern through and secure it.
- A final style for longer hair is creating two side braids that connect over the chignon and fold in. The look adds patterns and flow for a fun-but-formal fashion.
Now you’re ready to do a chignon bun for any and every occasion. If you found this style guide helpful, subscribe to the TELETIMES blog below.
