Military Bun Tutorial

Not much of a fan of the ever-popular "sock bun" trend, when I joined the Air National Guard, I told myself, "I will never be caught DEAD wearing a sock bun!" You know, because it seems like every photo you ever see of anyone in the military shows them wearing a sock bun—and I was not going to do it!

Let me tell you what, after being at Basic Military Training for about two weeks with short hair that would just not stay up in any kind of bun and having an MTI come up to me and say, "Get it together, Rowe! Your hair looks like a hot mess!" it was then that I decided to embrace the dreaded sock bun. And I decided to call it the "donut bun" instead, because that just sounds better—I suppose. After about three successful buns created with my small, brown mesh donut, I was sold. I don't care what anyone has to say about the donut bun, it's quick, it's easy, it works for almost any hair length that can be put up, and it's the only way to put your hair up in less than a minute as Reveille is going off and 46 girls are scrambling around you to get their beds made.

So whether you're researching how best to wear your hair while at BMT or just wanting to try a new updo, here's my tutorial for the military version of the sock bun.



Basic Steps:

1. Pull hair up into low ponytail (it has to be low enough to put your ABU cap on)
2. String ponytail through mesh donut, bringing donut all the way up to base of hair tie
3. Fan ponytail over mesh donut, making sure to evenly cover mesh with hair
4. Wrap second hair tie around mesh donut
5. Secure loose ends with bobby pins
6. (Optional) Pull & tug hair around mesh donut to create a fuller, more voluminous bun
7. Finish with a light (or heavy—if you're at BMT) mist of hairspray

My favorite step and trick to the whole process is Step 6, where you give your bun that added bit of volume. I know the slicked-down look is so popular in the military, but I think a nice, full bun (especially if your hair is fine like mine) looks so much better and really elevates the whole look.

Also, if your hair is longer—at Step 5, you can either braid or twist the loose ends (try making 3-4 small braids/twists) before pinning them to give your bun a really chic, polished look. Unfortunately, my hair is still far too short to attempt any of those neat tricks, but the other girls at Basic Training looked so nice when they added little braided accents to their buns.

Below, I've included the exact products that I bought and used while down at BMT to achieve this style.

Do you rock the donut bun? I know several women who wear it out and about and I think it looks really nice—especially when it's not totally slicked down!

The little details: Eyes: Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes c/o my cousin & Younique Presenter Lindsay, Sterling Silver Wrap Ring: c/o The Vintage Pearl

Messy Bun for Shoulder Length Hair

I recently posted a tutorial for a messy bun that is meant for longer hair but can be adapted for shorter hair. Within the video, I included written instructions for how to modify it for those with shorter hair styles. Sometimes seeing it written isn't quite as simple as seeing it being done, so today I'm showing you how I do the shorter-haired version.

This video is how I do my messy bun when it's anywhere from just below chin-length to just below my shoulders. Once it's long enough, I add back in the double bun featured in the other tutorial.

Basic Steps:

1. Pull hair up into low, small bun
2. Tug loose ends up and around ponytail holder, making the bun bigger and adding fun, messy spikes
3. Twist & tuck shorter pieces that fall out of bun into hair tie
4. Pull & tug crown to add volume

Is that a quick and easy messy bun or what? This is typically how I wear my hair to work during the week (because it's so fast and I get ready at the gym) and for a low-key style on the weekends. In fact, my hair is almost always up in one of these funky buns.

Style tip: This updo works best for me if my hair has some curl/wave/kink to it. Try curling your hair with this heat-free curling method or sleep in a French braid the night before—it makes a big difference and when you pull and tug to add volume, having either face-framing soft curls or waves really takes this style up a notch (as seen from a distance here—see the face-framing curls?)!

The little details: Eyes & Lips: Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes and Younique Lucrative Lip Gloss c/o my cousin & Younique Presenter Lindsay, Sterling Silver Wrap Ring: c/o The Vintage Pearl

Messy Bun Tutorial for Long or Short Hair

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I filmed this tutorial last year—the day before I whacked off 12-inches and donated my hair to charity. Looking back, I don't regret my decision to opt for a shorter 'do one bit, though this does make me miss my longer hair.

This messy bun is my go-to look for 2nd (or 3rd or 4th!) day hair. Though my hair is currently shoulder-length, I can still do a bun like this—I just have to modify the steps a little. My favorite part about this look? That it's a messy bun—it doesn't have to be perfect and will look different each time you do it.



Here are the basic steps:

1. Make a little bun
2. Double the bun
3. Twist and tuck loose ends into hair tie
4. Pull & tug bun to add volume
5. Secure loose & floppy bun pieces with bobby pins
6. Pull & tug crown to add volume

If you're trying this look on shorter hair, that's no problem! When you make your bun, skip step 2. Instead, twist and tuck the loose ends into your hair tie above your bun, creating what looks like a mini bun on top. It will give that "double bun" effect. And then, just like in the tutorial, pull & tug to add volume and secure loose pieces in place. I used this same method to create this bun and this bun on my much shorter hair.

Enjoy!

Short & Straight Hair

Quilted Jacket: c/o Joules USA

This hairstyle is so easy with my short hair! I washed it in the evening and let it air-dry while I slept. When I woke up, added a spritz of dry shampoo, straightened it, teased the crown and sprayed a light mist of hairspray. So easy!

Products & tools used for this hairstyle:

Disclosure: The Mitch Stone Session spray is a c/o product.

Straight and Flipped Hairstyle for Short Hair

Shirt: Macy's (similar), Bracelet: Thrifted, Nails: OPI I Ate Berries in the Canaries and China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise

This is my go-to short hairstyle. It's so easy, and literally takes less than 5-minutes.

1. Blow dry your hair, curling the front under with a round brush, but leave it slightly damp (if only just in the back).
• I prepped my hair before blow drying with Aveda Volumizing Tonic and Style Prep.
2. Add a bit of Pure Abundance Hair Potion to volumize your crown.
3. Tease your crown (I use a steel pin brush).
4. Smooth a penny-sized amount of wax through your fingers and flip/spike the back of your hair. Mine does it naturally, you may have to flip yours out with a round brush. 
5. Finish with a quick shot of hairspray (I love Mitch Stone's Session Spray—it doesn't make my hair stiff but gives a great hold).

Products & tools used for this hairstyle:

Disclosure: the Aveda Products & Mitch Stone Session Spray are c/o products, though I use them daily and love them regardless of the fact that they are c/o.

I CUT THE BEEHIVE!

Today is my twenty-seventh birthday. It's my Golden Birthday... 27 on the 27th. I'm not sure why, but for my whole life, I've always told myself that 27 would be my favorite year... and now that 27 is finally here, I can't wait to see what it brings.

Also, I kicked my birthday off with a "why not" of all why-nots:

I've always been a fan of change, and for this new year of mine, I'm embracing it fully. I ended up having 12 inches cut, and I'm donating my hair to Children With Hair Loss—they accept all kinds of hair and since the tips of my hair were bleached a few years ago, I picked their charity because some of the others have requirements against bleached & highlighted hair. I went to Kendall of Roots Salon in Boise (208-514-5895) and can't recommend her enough. This new cut is spunky, sporty, and of course—extra saucy. Why not, right?

Last year as I blew out my candles, I made sure that I didn't wish for "babies or anything crazy like that." This year, let's just say I can't promise the same, though I'm in no rush to make any changes that big (or small) quite yet. Oh, 27, I can't wait to see what joy you'll bring.

Here's to new short hairstyles and a brand new year!!

Messy Bun Updo

Since my hair has gotten longer, it's harder for me to get it into (and keep it in) a messy bun. My messy bun go-to these days is a triple-bun of sorts that—after adding a fancy hair clip c/o Lilla Rose by Rachel (win one here!)—turns into a pretty little updo.

I do this hairstyle by creating a ponytail at the nape of my neck. I then pull my ponytail through the hair-tie, stopping halfway down my ponytail to create a simple "poof" of hair. I then create another "poof" of hair with the rest of my ponytail. Then I tug and tug until it looks nice and a couple pieces fall out of the bottom poof, those of which I then tuck back into the hair-tie at the middle of the bun, hiding the hair-tie and creating a third "poof." Since that probably makes no sense at all, I plan on doing a video tutorial for this look so stay tuned for that to come soon.

Would you like to see a tutorial of this hairstyle? What's your messy-bun go-to?

My Hair Identity Crisis

Top: very, very old (like, wore it to my high school senior Honor Society banquet in 2005 old), Skirt: Thrifted F21, Belt: old, Shoes: Mossimo, Bracelet: Premier Design, Photos: Taylor Love Studios

Despite taking a year off from using heat or styling tools, an excess of hair products, teasing often, and "doing" my hair—and even though I knew my hair was growing—it never seemed to get any longer... until I saw these photos! I looked at them and thought, "That's me?"

Here's where I get frank with you... I feel like I've been having a bit of a physical identity crisis lately.

• First, I'm still not used to myself with brunette hair (I've been brunette now for over 3-months... my longest brown-haired record yet!). After being a blonde for 26-years of my life, this change—though one that I like—still catches me off guard. 
• Second, my hair has almost always been a mid to short length. Never did it ever come down to my bra straps in the back. And now that it does... it's just different. I'm not used to myself, the way my hair feels (it's getting thicker due to my lack of highlighting & damaging habits), and how it looks. 
• Third, I haven't dyed my hair since early April, and I'm very surprised at my lack of roots. I had thought they would grow in ashy blonde like before... but I really haven't noticed them and it's throwing me for a loop. Am I a brunette now? A real brunette? 

Anyway, I think that all of this, coupled with a recent bit of weight loss (more on that later) has had me asking, "Who is that person in the mirror?" To be honest, I'm not always sure... but I like her!

What's your preference? Blonde or brunette?

Diagonal Dutch Braid

Ring: c/o rosieMADE (use coupon SAUCYrosie for $15 off a $50 order)

These days, braids are my favorite hairstyle. They take me just a minute or two to do, and then I'm usually able to sleep in them overnight and get to rock some killer crimped hair the next day.

I did this style the other day while sitting at my desk at work. It's a Dutch braid that begins on the right side of my head and crosses diagonally in the back so it hangs down like a side left braid in the front.

It's easy. It's effortless. It's chic. To see the style post that went with this braid, click here. 

No-Heat Curls with the Friar Tuck

About a year ago, I made a post called Curl Your Hair Without Heat about how to curl your hair with a headband after watching a video on YouTube. It has since turned into my most-viewed post and has generated a ton of emails from readers who want to know exactly how to do it.

Today, I bring you my very own video tutorial for what I like to call the "Friar Tuck."

More details:

• I have fine hair—and a lot of it. It holds curl well. 
• This curling method does not work if your hair is wet. It must be completely dry.
• If your hair falls out of this easily, try wrapping your hair in a silk scarf before going to sleep.
• If you have long hair, try using two headbands to reduce tangles & make it easier to tuck! 
• Dry shampoo used: Suave
• Sea salt spray used: Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Spray
• Songs in the video: (1) 1234 by Feist (2) New Soul by Yael Naim
• The photos below show my hair after an entire day. Some days the curls don't last quite as long.

Products used in this video:

/ / Like this video? Subscribe to my channel on YouTube! If you try the Friar Tuck, tweet or instagram me a photo with the hashtag #auniefriartuck. Love love love

Simple Twists

Tease your crown for subtle volume. Twist the front pieces of your hair back & pin. Add a flower or bow clip & you're set!

My Daily Hair Styling Routine

 Glasses: c/o Firmoo

Lately, I've gotten quite a few emails from ladies who want to know how I style my hair on a daily basis. Frequently asked questions include:

• What do I do with it when I sleep? 
• What dry shampoo do I use? 
• Do I tease it?
• Do I use hairspray?
• How do I get natural-looking waves?
• How do I style my bangs? 

Today, I'm answering your questions. Here's a short video of exactly how I style my hair when I wear it down.



More details:

•  Fave overnight keep-it-out-of-your-face methods: ballerina bun, French braid, or Friar Tuck (video tutorial coming soon)
• Fave dry shampoo: Suave 
• Fave hairspray: Lamaur Sprayage (I used Big Sexy Hair in this video)
• If I shower in the morning, I just let my hair air-dry naturally. It ends up with this same wavy texture. Once it's dry, I follow the same process.
• To keep my hair healthy, I avoid heat styling tools and I haven't colored/highlighted my hair since May, 2011.
• My bangs are longer here than usual--I'm growing them out!
• Song in the video: White Sky by Vampire Weekend 

Products used in this video:

/ / Like this video? Subscribe to my channel on YouTube!

Holiday Hair-spiration

I have two brand new holiday hair tutorials posted over at Yes To Carrots: a low side ponytail and a fun holiday updo. Go check them out... click HERE!

PS>> Love the red bow in the updo? Snag one here!

Wedding Hair

Wedding Week is going on over at Aunie Sauce. To read the post all about wedding day hair, CLICK HERE. It's my very first Yes To Stylista post with Yes To Carrots... and yes, it covers all the details about the hair. Thank you for helping me decide which 'do to pick!

Wedding Week posts:
THE GUESTBOOK │ THE HAIR │ THE FLOWERS │ THE DRESS │ THE WEDDING │ THE HONEYMOON

Wedding Hair Styles

With our wedding just three days away (oh my—three days), I have been asked questions about my hair almost more than anything. "How are you going to wear your hair?" seems to come up every time the wedding does.

And guess what? I have no idea how I'm going to do my hair on the wedding day. NO IDEA.*

Recently, I had my hair curled for my bridal shower, and afterward, I went home to play around with some styles. I took some photos to help make a note about what I liked and didn't like. I have a little archive of wedding hair ideas on Bye Bye Beehive, so I adapted some of those styles to make new ones.
Here are a couple of my ideas for wedding hair styles.

THE TWISTED HALF-UP STYLE. This one is so easy. It's the base hairstyle for most of the other ones featured here. It's really similar to this style, but instead of just pinning it back, I twisted the hair as I pulled it back & before I pinned it, creating a pretty and soft design in the back. It would be great to add a little pearl or flower hair clip to hide the bobby pins or gap between the twists.

THE PINNED UPDO. I took the Twisted Half-Up pictured above and simply pinned my bottom half all up to make this easy updo. It took about 10-15 extra bobby pins. I would just grab a strand of hair, twist it and then pin it into place, creating a little "poof" (best word I could come up with) of hair with each pin. In the end, I had about 10 poofs that came together to create the definition in this updo. I pulled and tugged at each one to make this style look nice and full.

THE TWISTED PONYTAIL. You've seen this one before. This time, I didn't pin the last couple pieces up so high, so instead of creating a waterfall look, they simply cascaded down the ponytail. To create this look, all you do is just twist & pin (going under the curls to hide the pins). It's so simple and stays in place all day if you add a little hairspray.

THE TWISTED LOW CHIGNON. I started again with the Twisted Half-Up style, and instead of pinning smaller pieces of hair all over the place and higher up like the Pinned Updo, I took a couple large sections of hair, pinned them in a low bun, and then tugged on them to make the chignon just a bit bigger. I think this style would be really pretty with a couple loose curly strands falling down from the bun.

THE SIMPLE TWIST & PIN. As the name implies, this one is simple. You tease the hair at the crown of your head, twist back the front pieces & pin them under your hair, and you're set. This style is perfect for the easy-going-hair-all-down kind of bride.

And there are 5-easy wedding hair styles. Each of these took me less than 10-minutes, with some of them taking much, much less.

*FYI: in case you're wondering, I will not be wearing a veil, and my dress is not strapless.

Which is your favorite?

Dutch Halo Braid

Hairclip: c/o Lilla Rose // Glasses: c/o Firmoo (use code 44378b2c8d for 15% off any order) //  
Boots & Leg Warmers: Runway Fashion Exchange // Photos: Taylor Love Studios

The halo braid has made a couple appearances here before. My first attempt can be found here, and my second here.

My hair is quite a bit longer now than the last time I did it in February, so it was a little harder to get my hair to all fit under the opposite side's braid. For a numbered tutorial for this style, see either of the posts linked above.

You basically do two French or Dutch braids and then tuck the braids up and under the other side's braids, pinning as you go. When you do a regular French halo braid, it's not a problem, since there is extra space under the plaits to hide your tucked-up braid. However, when you do a Dutch halo braid, you have to be tricky with how you get your braid to hide under there. Maybe a video tutorial for this would be good, and that's something I'll consider posting.

I think my favorite recent twist to this braid is the little Flexi Clip I added that I received from Lilla Rose. You can see a really cool shot of it in the second photo. It adds a little bit of sparkle, a little bit of class, and an unexpected little pop to this fun hairstyle.

I'd love to see your version of the halo braid! Tweet me and tag @auniesauce and #halobraid. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Ombre, Braids & A Contest

Photo: c/o Matt Martin Photography

Ombre.

Waterfall braid.

Curls.

Perfect.

Granted, this was one of the two occasions this year
where I had my hair done for a wedding (in May), but the girl who did it is amazing.

And... the photography? 

Amazing.

The photo was done by my friend, Matt.

I got to meet him when I went to said wedding down in Oklahoma.

And... something cool?

ATTENTION, ATTENTION! Calling all 2013 Brides! Matt Martin Photography is giving away a complete wedding photography package to anyone living outside Oklahoma. He loves to travel and will come to YOU! 

How does it work? Enter HERE by October 31. Three finalists will be chosen, and a voting period will be held from November 15 thru December 15th. The couple with the most votes at the end wins!

What comes with this prize package?

• full wedding day coverage by Matt 
• complimentary engagement session
• handcrafted box of 4x6 curated prints from your wedding day
• online proofing and ordering gallery for 3 months

So, what's the catch? None. The one thing you must do if you win is pay his travel expenses. And honestly? Just Expedia.com that little trip... you will save thousands. If I were getting married in 2013, I wouldn't even let him open up this contest. I would automatically declare myself a winner by default.

For all the details, click here. There's even a little contest of my own if you read to the bottom. To be honest... you'd be silly not to enter Matt's contest. Want more proof he's awesome?

Told you. Now go enter and win the package from the best photographer ever for yourself.

Twists to a Bun

Bye Bye Beehive, is over in 

6 days.

Six days.

6-days until I can use a blow dryer.

6-days until I don't have to go to work with a wet mop of hair everyday.

6-days until I probably won't go back to the crazy teasing, hair spraying, and highlighting

I was so attached to before.

I think the coolest part about this year-long project

is all that I've learned about myself.

You'll hear more about it in... 6 days.

Anyway—one of my favorite things to add a little spunk to a 2nd-day hair style

is to create a couple of twists or braids and secure your hair into a messy bun.

It's adds texture, it catches the eye, and it totally hides the fact 

that your hair is dirty major (with some dry shampoo, of course).

Because sometimes, just sometimes, that extra 10 (or 40) minutes of sleep

is just oh-so worth-it.

Twisted Pony

Recently, I tried out a new kind of ponytail, similar to this twisted side pony that I did. As soon as I finished it, I knew I needed to share it!

Ready for the steps?

1. I was going on second-day hair that day, so I bobby pinned my front pieces up into a bump.
2. Just like in the twisted side pony, I gathered a small section of hair at the nape of my neck and secured it in a low ponytail with a clear elastic band.
3. Working from the bottom to the top with the loose hair, I gathered small sections and began twisting them backwards and pinning them around the clear elastic band.
4. I would twist and pin a small section from the right, and then switch it and twist and pin a section from the left.
5. You don't have to twist the pieces back, but as you can see in the top right photo, it gives the hair some cool definition.
6. Try to hide the bobby pins. If you can't, it's OK!
7. Once it was all pinned, I separated and tugged on a couple pieces to give my hair a bit more volume and texture.
8. Finish with a light veil of hairspray!

I'd love to see you try this look!
If you do, make sure to tweet or instagram me a photo with the hashtag #twistedpony!