As a girl with bob-length hair, I deeply relate to the struggle of waking up late and wanting nothing more than to throw your hair up in a messy bun, only not being able to do so simply because you don’t have enough of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love having short hair. But the messy-bun life is a life I sometimes miss.
The bad news is that creating buns with short hair isn’t quite as effortless as it is for those with 12 inches to work with.
The good news is that it is possible. In fact, it’s more than possible.
As long as you have an arsenal of dry shampoo, elastics, and bobby pins (the short-hair updo’s best friend), your options for buns are wide open.
My fellow short-haired sisters, this one’s for you. We put together a roundup of super-easy tutorials that will give you an adorable bun in five minutes or less, no matter your hair skill set. On the days when you don’t feel like whipping out your curling iron or straightener, just turn to this list. Keep scrolling for your guide to pulling off buns for short hair once and for all!
I love messy top knot and braids – why not put them together? There are so many great inspirations out there today for this type of hairstyle.
- Evenly apply a dry texture spray, like this one from Oribe ($44), throughout hair to add extra grip.
- Gather your hair into a super-high ponytail, and secure with an elastic. Don’t worry about making it neat!
- Braid the ponytail all the way down, and tie it off with a clear elastic.
- Starting at the base, coil the braid around itself, stopping every so often to secure with a bobby pin.
- Once the braid is coiled all the way into a bun, secure with a few last bobby pins.
- Pull out a couple of stray hairs to enhance the relaxed vibe.
- Mist with a flexible-hold hair spray ($26).
- Throw on a cute knotted head wrap, like this Urban Outfitters pick ($18), and prepare for all-day compliments.
These buns for short hair are easy to execute and so cute for summer.
- All the cool girls are rocking space buns this summer, and now it’s your turn. Part your hair down the middle, and spritz Rusk’s Texture Dry Finishing Spray ($18) all over.
- Gather the hair from each side into a high, tight ponytail.
- Coil each ponytail around itself, and secure with a few bobby pins.
- The messier the better! Yank each bun outward for volume, and pull out a few loose strands to frame your face.
- Mist all over with a flexible-hold hair spray, like this one from DevaCurl ($25).
I really love wearing my hair like this especially with second or third day hair or if I just don’t feel like having my hair in my face all day.
This works great when I am wearing a larger scarf or I know I will be running errands and getting my daughter in and out of the car all day long!
I hope that you guys find this tutorial easy to do with whatever type of hair you have, I think it works great with long or short hair and curly or straight!

Create two parts in your hair on either side of the crown. Try to keep the parts straight, since they’ll be visible in the final look.
Pull the hair between the two parts into a high ponytail right on top of your head. Don’t pull the ponytail through the elastic on the final loop; this way, you’re left with a loose bun.
