Style Hair Messy Buns That'll Still Have You Looking Polished By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on May 19, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Pinterest/Dani Marie Blog Whether we're talking busy weekdays or lazy weekends, our hair can quickly become the very bane of our beauty routine. Spending time on styling or—let's be honest—just taming our locks to look presentable is touch-and-go at best. That's when easy, low-maintenance hairstyles and dry shampoo come in. For us, messy buns are the savior of all days we're running late or skipping showers. The trick is perfecting the "undone done" look without going too disheveled or slipshod. But unlike the paradoxical reality of beachy waves, which actually require a laundry list of products and hot styling tools (and no beaches in sight), messy buns don't have to be a 12-step process. You can master the messy, yet polished bun in steps you can count on just one hand and with just a few elastics or pins. Cute hair accessories—bun cuffs, pins, and headbands—are the quickest way to ramp up the style of a basic messy bun in seconds. Find inspiration in these gorgeous and doable messy bun hairstyles that keep you looking pretty and polished on any day. 01 of 22 Two-Minute Braided Bun Pinterest/Express-O This hairstyle looks as ready for a wedding reception as a workday, which is seriously impressive considering it takes about two minutes, two hair elastics, and maybe two pins. Simply put your hair in a low ponytail, braid it, tuck it through (wrapping and tucking a second time for longer hair), and pin in place. 02 of 22 Double Dutch Braided Topknot Pinterest We love the way the braid sits so prettily on top of a Dutch braid. The reverse of a French braid, with Dutch braids the sections of hair are crossed underneath each other as you braid. These double Dutch braids will make any messy bun, topknot, or low bun look awesome. You can secure the two braids with clear elastics before pulling hair into a bun to make sure they don't fall apart in the process. 03 of 22 Half Bun Pinterest This chic half bun works well for second-day hair with some dry shampoo to hold up the bun all day long. We recommend using pins to secure this to ensure it doesn't lose volume or height. 04 of 22 Looped Ponytail Bun Pinterest This easy style looks effortless without looking drab, and it works great for ladies with naturally straight hair who can't hold a high bun in place as well those with coarser, curlier hair. Simply secure hair in a low ponytail, loop the ends through the elastic once more (but only halfway), and then wrap a single section of the excess around the base, securing with a pin. Leaving some of the excess ponytail hanging out adds to the laidback feel of this look. 05 of 22 Silk-Wrapped Topknot Pinterest A pop of color is perfect for any last-minute topknot in the spring or summer, and a small silk scarf looks both poised and stylish. After securing the bun, wrap the scarf around it and tie. 06 of 22 Low Bun for Short Hair Pinterest/Bloglovin’ This tutorial works on lob-length hair by using a technique that starts with just a low pony. A few pins later, and you're set. This look is very similar to the messy bun that Meghan Markle has been wearing for royal public appearances. Get the tutorial here at Bloglovin'. 07 of 22 French Braid Twist Bun Pinterest/Dani Marie Blog If you have a knack for French braiding, this stylish bun is the easiest way to look polished on any day. This style doesn't even require any pins. Get the tutorial from Dani Marie. 08 of 22 Bow Bun Pinterest/Impressions This ultimate big bun looks put-together and preppy with its adorably bow-like style. You'll look ready to take on the day in literally two minutes! Get the tutorial from Impressions. 09 of 22 Cuffed Twist Instagram/@chloeandisabel This best-selling bun cuff looks stunning on a low, messy French twist-esque bun. A bun cuff allows you play around with how you cinch and hold your hair, and this cuff works amazingly well for buns, ponytails, and half-up styles. This style gathers hair into a loose twisted bun before securing. 10 of 22 The Perfectly Loose Low Bun Pinterest/Camille Styles This style looks polished but un-fussy. It's loose in a way that looks effortless, but won't fall out on you! Get the tutorial from Camille Styles. 11 of 22 Reverse Braided Topknot Pinterest/Lulus A reverse braid is a little harder to master, but it sure comes in handy once you learn it! This messy topknot gets instantly more polished thanks to the upside-down Dutch braid. Get the tutorial from Lulus. 12 of 22 Double Headband Bun Pinterest/Lauren Perlstein for Refinery29 The easiest way to make a second-day hair messy bun look completely intentional is by accessorizing with fun headbands! Ladies are doubling up two skinny headbands to put some extra volume and playfulness into an everyday hairstyle. Find cute skinny tortoiseshell headbands for this look at Shopbop. 13 of 22 Pinned with Pearls Pinterest/Chloe + Isabel by Nancy Nicol Any messy bun looks stylish and pre-planned when using a fun accessory, and nothing is classier than these pearl-like pins and ponytail holders from Chloe + Isabel. This bun uses a basic low twisting style, but secures with the ponytail duo in a pretty rose gold color. 14 of 22 Fanned-Out Bun Pinterest This bun is perfect for busy weekdays or lazy weekends. After adding some texturizing spray, secure hair in a low ponytail. Then, pull the ponytail through the elastic one last time, stopping a little short to create a loop. Twist the extra hair around the base and secure with pins. Finally, pull apart the gathered loop to create the loose, messy texture and fanned look. 15 of 22 Criss-Cross Braid Bun Pinterest Update your easy twisted low bun with two crossing braids. Start by separating two small sections of hair around the face, by the ears. Pull the rest of the hair back into a bun, then secure with an elastic. Braid both sections, moving back towards the bun. Secure each with bobby pins in the center, weaving them together to look uniform. 16 of 22 Silk Turban Topknot Pinterest/Kerrently Dallas-based style blogger Courtney Kerr dubs this look her "good, bad hair day." If even dry shampoo won't cut it anymore, this easy topknot sealed with a pretty silk turban is her answer to looking stylish against all odds. 17 of 22 The Undone Bun The Beauty Department For this look, you secure a clear elastic towards the end of your hair to make sure disaster doesn't strike and hair doesn't fall out from all directions! After that step, twist into your usual bun and secure with pins, letting that bit fall out. Get the tutorial from The Beauty Department. 18 of 22 Double Buns The Beauty Department Get two adorably messy buns for one price with this look! This simple two-step process gives you playful and stylish buns that use texturizing spray and a little teasing to add volume. Get the tutorial from The Beauty Department. 19 of 22 Dutch Braid Into a Messy Bun Pinterest/Barefoot Blonde This beautiful bun is romantic with a touch of glam, and we're thinking we've seen this look on the likes of Blake Lively, perhaps? Get the tutorial from Amber Fillerup Clark. 20 of 22 Side-Swept Chignon Pinterest/Paper & Stitch We love a classic hairstyle like this timeless chignon, but dressed down with a fun accessory and loose pieces. This tutorial even includes instructions for making this DIY copper hair piece. Get the tutorial for the chignon and the hair accessory from Paper & Stitch. 21 of 22 Elegant Messy Bun Robbie Caponetto A relaxed French twist can be both elegant and easygoing. Grab your hair from one side, roll and tuck into the center, and clip in place. 22 of 22 Messy Bun Baseball Cap Three Bird Nest We just discovered that there are baseball caps made specifically for messy buns—ladies, rejoice! There's an added cutout farther up that will fit your messy bun perfectly, letting you look casual chic any dirty-hair day. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit