How to Put Hair in a Hair Bun

Whether you’re running errands, going to class, or just need a quick and fashionable style, hair buns look great and are easy to create. This guide teaches you how to put your hair in a bun whether you have short, medium or long hair. 

And once you mastered learning how to put your hair in a bun, scroll to the bottom of this post to find popular hair bun hairstyles from famous sci-fi styles to messy, top knots and more!

To style a hair bun you will need:

• A hairbrush
• Bobby pins (long hair only)
• Hair ties 
• Hairspray (optional)

Click the links below to drop to the section that matches your hair length:

• Short and medium hair
• Long hair

How to put hair in a hair bun

Tying a hair bun with short or medium hair is easy, and only takes six steps.

1. Brush through your hair to remove all tangles.
2. Place your hair into a ponytail at the height where you want your bun to be. 
   1. Pro-tip: For shorter hair, style a low bun as it’s more likely to stay in place without falling out of place. 
3. Twist your ponytail in a clockwise direction. 
4. Take your twisted ponytail and wrap in a counterclockwise direction to make a bun. 
5. Using your hair tie, secure your bun in place at the base of your hair bun. 
   1. Be sure to wrap the hair tie around at least twice so that your bun is steady.
   2. For a looser look, lightly pull pieces of your hair from your bun to make it larger.
6. Secure any short hairs or flyaways with bobby pins and light hairspray. 

How to put long hair in a hair bun

Got long hair? Great!  There are multiple hair bun styles you can create.  Here’s how to put your long hair in a traditional hair bun, and then we’ll go into some modifications to enhance your look!

1. Brush through your hair to remove all tangles.
2. Gather your hair and place it into a ponytail at the height where you want your bun: 
   1. Low, mid, and high all work for long hair buns.
3. Twist your ponytail in a clockwise direction. 
4. Take your twisted ponytail and wrap in a counterclockwise direction to make a bun. 
5. Using your hair tie, secure your bun in place at the base of your hair bun. 
   1. Be sure to wrap the hair tie around at least twice so that your bun is steady.
   2. For a looser look, lightly pull the pieces of your hair from your bun to make it larger.
6. Secure any flyaways with bobby pins and light hairspray. 

Now that you know how to put hair in a bun, it’s time to have some fun! 

Here are some hair bun variations you can try:

• Side buns
  • Single or Princess style on both sides
• Messy buns
• Top knots
• Low buns
• Braided buns (advanced)
• Chignon buns
• Ballerina
• Sleek mid bun
• Sock buns
• Curly buns
• Coil bun

If you’d like more tips on styling hair, subscribe to our blog by joining our newsletter below.  And feel free to share your own favorite way to tie and style a hair bun in the comments below.