The perfect ballet bun...

[FullContretemps]

OK, I have a bun question. Everybody seems to prefer the big pins with a wider gap between the two sides. I just can't get them to work for my hair. Don't know if I'm doing it completely wrong or missing something, but they don't seem to secure anything or even stay in properly.

 

I've always used the Boots nets that go over my hair 3 times and last a variable amount of time before I destroy them, and just spiral the hair down, put the net over, squash it flat and pin net to bun hair and the underneath hair, keeping the net as stretched as possible without destroying to keep it secure. It stays fine even through vigorous turns and I only use about 6 pins (though that does leave the edges looking a bit bobbly if that makes any sense - like a cloud instead of a smooth circle, but probably if I could be bothered to use more it would look more even).

 

But I do envy those people with perfectly smooth edges and they all seem to use the big pins, but these just seem to slide for me. Any ideas or am I best just sticking with what works even if it's not perfect? I do have really fine hair, a nightmare to get it to stay in any style as it just slips. Not that it matters - I'm only a recreational old person, but nosey to find out what I'm missing!

[Anna C]

The big pins - dd uses the bunheads ones - are fantastic for thick, long hair. They're probably not necessary for very fine hair though. When helping with exam hair for little ones or even older girls with scarce, shorter, or very fine hair, I always used "ordinary" thin hair pins, which were fine.

[munchkin16]

For the big bun pins there's a skill in putting them in so they stay. The thicker ones are better and don't slide out as much but you also need to angle them away from the head before tucking under. That way they catch the hair properly and stay!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cHi3NICopjE

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RwxxR6Jwlfk

 

These both show a perfect bun and the second one you can see what I'm talking about with the angle of the pins although she's using the closed type.

[FullContretemps]

Thanks munchkin - obviously got some homework to do... Think I've been putting them in upside down all these years! And although I do angle it before I put it in, I don't turn it right over like she does. *off to find some big pins tomorrow and try out...*

[drdance]

I have fine and thin hair, and always had difficulty with hair pins. The long strong ones were too long for my hair and stuck out the other side of the bun, and the thinner ones used to bend all the time. Eventually I found some shorter ones and it was like finding the holy grail!

 

There's a couple of videos I found quite quickly on youtube last year for my little dancers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urVPCuuEYj8 and 

[Annemarie]

I agree the big boots ones are the best so far

[Lucinda]

My DD has very thick slightly wavy hair which she has 'thinned' regularly at the hairdresser. She has most success with a ballet bun if she has just washed her hair and it is still damp. Otherwise she dampens her hair with a water spray. She also uses a very fine comb (sometimes a nit comb for the wispy bits around her hair line) and lots of gel. She can only use the longest strong hair pins which she ordered from her hairdresser. She bends one side of the pin halfway back on itself, sort of like the tail on a lower case u so that the pin doesn't fall out.

[PrincessandtheFrog]

My DD has very thick slightly wavy hair which she has 'thinned' regularly at the hairdresser. She has most success with a ballet bun if she has just washed her hair and it is still damp. Otherwise she dampens her hair with a water spray. She also uses a very fine comb (sometimes a nit comb for the wispy bits around her hair line) and lots of gel. She can only use the longest strong hair pins which she ordered from her hairdresser. She bends one side of the pin halfway back on itself, sort of like the tail on a lower case u so that the pin doesn't fall out.

Thanks I shall try this as I have really thick heavy hair and its unmanageable even when it is cut short

[Huddsballetmum]

If you have fine hair you might find a bun maker a better idea.  These are available from Claires Accessories and other similar stores and are two bendy sticks, joined by a piece of cloth.  You place your hair in a ponytail.  Place the bottom of the tail between the two sticks and then wind up the length of the ponytail.  Once you are at the top then you snap the sticks around and it makes the perfect bum.  It stays in without the need for loads of clips and bun nets.  An absolute godsend if your hair is really long.  

 

http://www.claires.co.uk/black-fold,--wrap-&-snap-by-hairagami/shop/fcp-product/16156

[TabbyCool]

I find that the best way to keep the hair pins in securely is to make sure that when they're pushed in, they actually push into the hair band holding my ponytail, that way they're gripped by the hairband and don't fall out. My hair really likes to misbehave, but this does the trick!

 

My hair is really thick, and when it was also really long (down to my bum), I would put it into a ponytail, then split the ponytail into 3 sections, or 2 if I was in a hurry, then plait each section. Then I'd just wrap the plaits around in a spiral and pin them in place, I found that the plaits kept the bun a lot more secure than just twisting and pinning the hair, and it was much more manageable to actually do the bun in the first place as there weren't loose hairs escaping. A couple of times when I had time to kill, I actually split my hair into 6 plaits, when they were wrapped around in a spiral my bun was really wide and flat and looked pretty impressive, though doing 6 plaits is a bit too time-consuming for me, my standard bun only takes a minute or 2!

 

Now that my hair is a fair bit shorter it's not long enough to do a plaited bun because of how thick it is, so I just split the ponytail in 2, twist each section and pin them around in a spiral. I use the long hair grips rather than Bobby pins, and never use bun nets.

[Jan McNulty]

I've just come across this feature in the Telegraph:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/tips-tutorials/how-to-style-an-elegant-ballet-bun/

[Cara in NZ]

I've just come across this feature in the Telegraph:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/tips-tutorials/how-to-style-an-elegant-ballet-bun/

That's a good video for a fashion look, but I doubt it would last more than a couple of pirouettes! No pins, no nets, no clouds of hairspray???!!!

[Peccopa]

Another good tip for all dancers with thick and unruly hair (My own hair tends to push my bun pins right 'out' of the bun again, believe it or not :/ Such a hassle...) is to spray a little bit of hair spray on all your bobby pins/bun pins and then put them in as you normally would. I've found that, for me, it gives a little bit of extra hold!

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Peccopa and welcome to the Forum!  Thanks for that useful tip.

[Huddsballetmum]

My daughter has very long thick hair and a bun is a nightmare.  We have however discovered the perfect bun solution and if you get it tight enough then you don't even need grips.  See link - they come in different colours by the way, my daughter has a blonde one

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/322153377390?lpid=122&chn=ps&googleloc=1007027&poi=&campaignid=620794543&device=c&adgroupid=27377119746&rlsatarget=pla-181479799506&adtype=pla&crdt=0

[ponklemum]

I've watched the videos on here and I'm really glad I watched them. I've been practicing on my older dd, her hair is really really long and really thick. I did the split in into 3 then separately twirl them around. It worked really well and I manage a flat (albeit untidy) bun. With a bit more practice I think I'll get it.

[annaliesey]

For the perfect cinnamon bun: put the hair in a nice high, right smooth ponytail. Split the hair in the ponytail into two. Twist one piece and as you twist, start wrapping it round the hair elastic holding your ponytail. As you wrap, pin it down tight and flat. Keep going until that piece is all pinned in. Repeat with the second piece of hair but obviously now wrapping around the first. It should create a flat, spiral effect bun. Add a bun net and hopefully it should look good!

!

I'm laughing at this because my DD does a version of this but calls it a "dog poo bun"

[Cara in NZ]

I'm laughing at this because my DD does a version of this but calls it a "dog poo bun"

 

At DD's 2-week RAD Summer School, for the performance they were seriously told they needed a 'cowpat bun'

[Confuddled]

I've been practicing a cinna-bun on DD, she has waist length (but she's only 8, so it's all relative), thick, very straight hair. I can get the bun to look quite good, but the two bits which come out of the pony-tail always stick up a bit as the hair is thick and the hairband I use to get a decent hold is also thick. Is there any way to stop the middle being lumpy? She prefers it flat, as she says it moves less when she dances.

 

I usually do a plaited bun as I find that easier, but she likes the cinna-bun so much I do it when we have a bit more time if it goes wrong.

 

I am using Bunheads bun net and long, V-shaped pins. She hates hairspray, so I don't use that except for exams / shows, though she will tolerate a bit of spray-in conditioner which makes it a bit less wispy.

[Anon2]

My dd makes her pony tail having smoothed her hair to within an inch of it's life with a bit comb. She then twists it into bun, puts bun net on and squashes it as flat as possible to her head before pinning it. Pins have to go into bun pointing away from bun then turned to go into hair to hold secure.

Bunheads nets her preference and mine as last longest. Recently started buying the split pins in Tesco and evidently they are 'very good'. Can't remember the brand.

[MumToTu]

We find a lots of gel helps probably 3 applications, for very long thick flyaway hair, stops all the wispy bits escaping at the front. And about 15 strong hair pins plus 2 wide brown hair bands.

 

The gel is s nuisance because she has to wash it out the next day, but we have tried to get away with just hair spray or mouse which brushes out and it can't hold her hair.

[Peccopa]

The girl in the video is called Naomi and I've never seen her with a messy or bumpy bun in the entire time we've known/have been talking to each other. Her hair isn't very thick, but the way she flattens her ponytail down is so thorough, maybe it works with thick hair, too? I haven't tried it yet but I can't see why it wouldn't.

Instead of gel she just uses a water spray bottle (and a lot of patience!) do get everything flat and to eliminate any flyaways. Only after that she uses hair spray to fixate everything. If that combination is enough to hold her hair down it certainly would get your DD around having to wash out her hair after every class, Snowflake. Maybe it can even work for Confuddled, together with the conditioner instead of hairspray?

 

<-- It is a little bit lengthy but she's done with the ponytail around the nine minute mark. She also uses a lot of bobby pins that she hides under the bun in the end, that should help with smoothing out your DDs' hair, too. After that, she just does a two-strand cinnabun and puts in a hair net. So unless you want to watch someone else doing that kind of bun, you're not missing much.

[MumToTu]

Thank you Peppoca, we will try this later, and then send her out on the trampoline and see if holds ???? She likes to use a tail comb to get rid of bumps. We've not tried pinning the bun as its twisted or twisting 2 strands round, we usually twist one strand round cover with gel, then bun net then flatten, not tried the hairbrush method her, then pin last.

 

She's going to secondary school in September, so she won't want to have gel in her hair in the morning for school, she didn't mind as much previously but she now likes a smart French plait.

 

She does have thick red hair though, so it has a lot Thicker texture than most hair it literally and loads of it too x

[Cara in NZ]

DD has quite a lot of fine hair and 'just' uses (lots of) hairspray at the ponytail stage to get it smooth. I often think that if anyone lit a match in our car, the fumes would quite possibly ignite. Still looking for a brand of hairspray with a nice smell too!

[Confuddled]

The girl in the video is called Naomi and I've never seen her with a messy or bumpy bun in the entire time we've known/have been talking to each other. Her hair isn't very thick, but the way she flattens her ponytail down is so thorough, maybe it works with thick hair, too? I haven't tried it yet but I can't see why it wouldn't.

Instead of gel she just uses a water spray bottle (and a lot of patience!) do get everything flat and to eliminate any flyaways. Only after that she uses hair spray to fixate everything. If that combination is enough to hold her hair down it certainly would get your DD around having to wash out her hair after every class, Snowflake. Maybe it can even work for Confuddled, together with the conditioner instead of hairspray?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_F-ppHz79w  <-- It is a little bit lengthy but she's done with the ponytail around the nine minute mark. She also uses a lot of bobby pins that she hides under the bun in the end, that should help with smoothing out your DDs' hair, too. After that, she just does a two-strand cinnabun and puts in a hair net. So unless you want to watch someone else doing that kind of bun, you're not missing much.

Thanks, but her hair is so much thinner she doesn't get the lumpy bit at all. I was wondering whether doing three (or four!) strands would work better, it's just sheer volume of hair combined with the thick hairband that's needed to hold it. I must have a couple of tries before she goes off to her summer school, where apparently 'immaculate' hair is required. I need to perfect a bun that doesn't disintegrate half way through the day (or get caught on the regulation hoody), as she can barely manage a messy pony tail by herself.

[annaliesey]

 

..... She hates hairspray, so I don't use that except for exams / shows, though she will tolerate a bit of spray-in conditioner which makes it a bit less wispy.

DD not too keen on hairspray for ballet buns as it just makes her hair go hard but somehow bits still escape.

 

She prefers hair wax and wets her hands then rubs a dollop into her hands and smoothes it in and it does seem to work better than hairspray

 

She also sprays deodorant around her forehead and neck to stop her sweating in those areas

[MAK]

We are fans of the "dog poo" bun in our house. It does get quite large when using more than two strands but can be very pretty! ????

[Jan McNulty]

Not necessarily the perfect ballet bun but Olivia Cowley's "Ballet Style" website has published a short video of some of the Royal Ballet ladies doing their buns:

 

http://www.ballet.style/video/2016/11/17/ballerina-bun

[Dreamy11]

Interesting!

[junedancer]

Not necessarily the perfect ballet bun but Olivia Cowley's "Ballet Style" website has published a short video of some of the Royal Ballet ladies doing their buns:

 

http://www.ballet.style/video/2016/11/17/ballerina-bun

 

Thank you Janet, as you say not a perfect bun - not sure it was pass as need for an exam but some of the ways might be worth trying to see if you could get a neat result.

[munchkin16]

If lots of hair is a problem try a Balanchine bun, it's sort of like two buns above and below each other but will create a long line down the head rather than one big lumpy bun!

[ScottishDancerMum]

New to this...

Why would the buns need to be flat for classes?   

[dancefanatic]

My DD's JA teacher told me a couple of years ago that the bun needed to be high on the head and flat so that I'd didn't distort her neck when lying flat on her back on the floor when doing the stretching exercises, if that helps?