French Twist Meets Sock Bun

I'm always looking for new fun ways to style my hair into a creative updo.

Similar to my recipe requirements, I have specific criteria a hairstyle must meet before it can become a go-to for me. 

A hairstyle that becomes a standard in my repetiore must:

•not be hard to learn (sometimes the first time takes a few tries, though)

•not require me to curl/wave/straighten BEFORE turning into an updo (takes WAY too much time and effort - if I'm going to style it down, I'm not going to put it up!)

•take not more than 10-15 minutes (after blow drying - I have a life!)

I especially love hairstyles that work well for second-day hair. 

Which is why this style is perfect. 

Now unfortunately I do not have fancy photos of me doing each step of this updo since I don't have a tripod or a self-timer, or someone else to take my photos. 

But this is what it will look like when you're done:

Bangs pinned in front, bun on top, and twist in the back!

It's actually very simple. I occasionally do this style with a French braid up the back instead, and I was thinking the other morning, what can I do to make this style faster to do? I sometimes twist my bangs back, so I applied the same idea here. 

French twist meets sock bun!

Step 1:

Start with your hair down. Second day hair is preferable to give it a nice messy texture. 

This is a messy/quick looking style, so you don't want it to look too perfect. 

Start by pinning your bangs back. I have given mine a little pouf. Spray a little hairspray on it as you will want it to stay in place. You will be flipping your head upside down to complete the twist in the back. 

Step 2:

Placing your index fingers right above each ear in your hairline, section off the front section of your hair from the back. 

*How you draw this "line" will determine the height of your bun. The higher the line is on the top of your head, the higher the bun will be. A high bun is ideal so the twist in the back can be seen and can be the focal point. So the line should be drawn by connecting your fingers high above your ears, not back behind your head. 

Leaving the back section of hair down, put the front section in a clip or a ponytail to keep it out of your way. The twist part comes next. 

Make sense? I know a photo would be helpful...

Step 3:

Flip your head upside down. 

Take a small section of your hair above your neck and begin twisting it. Twist it fairly tight a few times around. 

Just like in French braiding, you will gradually add hair. 

So add some more hair and twist tightly a few times.

Continue moving up your head, adding hair and twisting until you have added all the hair you have sectioned off. 

It should look something like this:

See how it's not all perfectly tucked?

That's what you want. Don't worry if it's not all uniform. 

Step 4:

Twist a few more times and release the top section of hair and combine into a ponytail. 

It might look a little goofy where the ponytail is, but your bun will cover that up. So don't worry about that. 

Step 5:

Now you make your bun! There are many  techniques for making a bun. If you have a way that works well for your hair type/texture, then you should do it that way. 

It will look best if this bun has lots of volume, so at this point you can add hairspray and tease your hair if your hair needs some help in the volume department. 

I simply twist the hair and then wrap it around itself and secure it with these babies:

You can tell I use them a lot!

Everybody should own these. They are about $5 and it's the only way I can keep my hair secured in a bun without using a million bobby pins/hair pins that may or may not stay in. These things DO NOT MOVE and I don't need a single other pin!

I twist one into my hair right where the end of my hair needs to be tucked in the bun. Twist it with one hand, and press down on the bun with your palm to help the coil catch as much hair as possible. The second coil will be inserted to make an "X", just like using bobby pins to keep hair pinned back. 

Step 6:

Hairspray all over. And might I recommend this awesome hairspray!

You're done!