Bun Help!

[fuddyduddy]

I have tried searching for threads, as I'm sure this has been discussed before, but since "bun" is a three letter word it can't be used as a search term.

 

My daughter is 6 and a bun is required in her class. I've been doing the best I can, but her teacher mentioned she is unhappy with the look of her hair and wants it to be tighter and have no fly-aways. Hmmm.

 

Does anyone have any great tips for making a bun for class? Obviously in the recital I use a lot of Bobby pins, hair gel, and hairspray, but I don't want to subject that to my six year old for every class.

 

I tie her hair in a tight ponytail, braid the ponytail and wrap it around, but then what? How do I keep the thing flat to her head AND how to best secure the sides without hairspray. Her hair is shoulder length, but very fine so the little bun maker things don't work for her.

[buzzandmoo]

My two cents here.....try a tight ponytail, then instead of braiding, start loosely twisting the ponytail, as it twists it will want to go towards the head in a circular manner, get yourself some of the pins from bunheads (they come in a variety of hair colors) they are like large hairpins. You will only need about four pins to secure even the finest hair. I find that spraying the ponytail with spray gel before twisting prevents flyaways. Think tight ponytail and a more relaxed bun; it means a smoother flatter bun. Also hairnets (also by bunheads) will be your best friend, even the sloppiest bun will look neat. The hairnet gets looped just over the bun.

 

I hope that helps!

[Cuckoomamma]

I'm sure you'll probably get lots of responses to your question! There are lots of video clips of how to make a proper ballet bun that you can pull up with a google search. From what you've said, it sounds as if you have the basics down :-)

 

If you're making the bun right before class, you can spray your dd's hair with water from a misting bottle to keep the side fly-aways down. I'm guessing that you don't want to use gel. I've found that the ballet hair pins are key to us achieving a ballet bun, but our girls have waist-length hair and so may have different issues from you. Some people use a hairnet over the bun once it is pinned, to keep the bun looking sleek. That hasn't been necessary for us, but again, I'm not sure if fly-aways in the bun part of the style is an issue for you.

 

The hair pins come in different lengths and colors. I would suggest using the ones that are made for ballet buns, as many of the others just won't do the job! We use the Bunheads brand, but I've seen others that work, as well. We use a couple of bobby pins to secure the end.

 

I also usually don't braid the girls' hair, just twist. Again, this is just a difference in what is easiest for us and a matter of taste.

 

Have you asked your dd's teacher for specifics in what she's looking for? I'll try to look up a few video links for you.

[SewRibbons]

If your DD has thin hair, you may find the Bunheads hair pins too bulky. My DD has thick hair and I still generally prefer the smaller hair pins if I've made the bun too tight. To get the bun flat, you'll need to have your DD push her head back against your hand so that you can "squish" it against her head before putting in the pins. Be sure that you use the "open" hair pins (elongated U shape) and not bobby pins. Bobby pins can be used to pin down flyaways - put the bumpy side against her head with the flat side out and you can even bend them to match the curve of her head so that they don't stick up. For flyaways, I like the snap hair clips much better than bobby pins, though. I agree that tight ponytail and loose bun is key. A loose bun lets you get it flat (no door knob look). I typically put a few pins in so that I can let go, then wrap the hair net, then I go back and pull out the pins I put in and then re-insert them through the hair net, flattening the bun, as well as add more pins.

[Cuckoomamma]

I just thought of something else. I pin as I go. Some people make the bun and then pin it. I coil the pony tail and begin to wrap it around the elastic and put a couple of the hair pins in, continue to wrap and put in a few more. I also don't pin to the head, but pin through the bun. At the end I use the bobby pin to anchor the end pieces of the pony tail. I've seen others who do pin more of the outside of the coil to the head. I can't figure out why mine stay in, but they do!

[fuddyduddy]

Oh, this is all such great advise!

 

I have tried just wrapping the ponytail but it seems it sticks out from her head too much. Do you all wrap sort of like a princess leia bun (forgive my geek for a moment, it's the best I could come up with!).

 

Do you pin towards the head or parallel to it?

 

Her hair is very fine, so her bun is about the size of an eggs, or even a little smaller. There isn't much to work with!

 

I love the idea od misting with water before class. I'm hoping to avoid anything more permananent as she doesn't have time to wash it (or even comb it) between dance and bed.

Edited January 18, 2012 by fuddyduddy

[SewRibbons]

This is so funny because people have such specific techniques, which are polar opposites of each other!

 

Princess Leia bun is called "cinnamon bun" here! Its popular with a lot of girls in DD's class, but they are not in my repertoire. I find those buns work best for DD's with very, very long hair, which my DD does not have.

 

I never pin into the head, but pin parallel; one leg of the pin along the head. I also do a little motion to pull back on the pin before sliding it forward so that it hooks some of the hair net (sorry, that is hard to explain). If your DD's bun is sticking out too much, then that is the door knob version. When I get that, I put my palm over the entire bun, tell DD to push against my hand, and then pin the bun flat. Don't keep adding more pins, pull out some that you've already used and fix them. Too many pins starts to hurt dancers' heads. Since your DD's bun is so small, I'd definitely use the smaller pins; at least for me I like them when there is less hair.

[fuddyduddy]

 

 

Yes! A door knob, that's what it looks like (and I hate it!). I will have to get some open hair pins.

 

One more question....what do you use for the ponytail? I feel like the ties I'm using for that are too thick. Do you use the little plastic disposable ones?

[SewRibbons]

I use the ones that have a rubber core, but have the nylon (?) wound around. Before DD's hair got so thick, I used the thinner ones, but now we use the heavy duty ones. They stretch and sometimes I use two ponytail holders. A tight pony is key. The ones I use are by Goody. I buy the ones without the crimped piece of metal that some elastics have to hold the two ends into a circle.

[MamatoMary]

My DD uses these things called "Spin Pins" that are made by Goody. They are spiral shaped and you just twist them into the bun like you're screwing in a lightbulb. A couple of those, 4-5 hairpins, and a hairnet make her bun quite tidy. She uses gel for auditions and performances, but rarely for class. There's a suggestion in another thread about using pump-style hairspray diluted with water. Maybe if you did the opposite - add just a wee bit of hairspray to a bottle of water - that it would tame those flyaways a bit more than just water.

[fuddyduddy]

My DD uses these things called "Spin Pins" that are made by Goody. They are spiral shaped and you just twist them into the bun like you're screwing in a lightbulb. A couple of those, 4-5 hairpins, and a hairnet make her bun quite tidy. She uses gel for auditions and performances, but rarely for class. There's a suggestion in another thread about using pump-style hairspray diluted with water. Maybe if you did the opposite - add just a wee bit of hairspray to a bottle of water - that it would tame those flyaways a bit more than just water.

 

Awesome, thanks! I'll have to look for those pins. I am not a hair person...I was a huge tomboy growing up and this whole thing is very new to me!

 

I like the idea of hairspray in water. It seems like that would be easy to comb out.

[Cuckoomamma]

We also pin parallel to the head and use the elastics that are coated without a metal clip. I think the ones we use are by scunci and come in either colors or black. We've never had very good luck using the see-through plastic ones.

[Clara 76]

I'm getting confused about the different directions bobby pins are being put in.

 

Basically, when you make a bun you are trying to anchor it to the hair that has been pulled flat against the head so if you're just putting pins in the bun, it's not secure. The pins have to go into the hair underneath the bun.

[fuddyduddy]

I'm getting confused about the different directions bobby pins are being put in.

 

Basically, when you make a bun you are trying to anchor it to the hair that has been pulled flat against the head so if you're just putting pins in the bun, it's not secure. The pins have to go into the hair underneath the bun.

 

Yes, this makes sense. I think my trouble comes because DDs "door knob" bun is really so small it's difficult to get it to lie flat against her head. I will try the push against my hand technique described above after I pick up some open pins this weekend.

[Albini]

Also, when you first approach the bun with the pin, hold it so the end of the 2 prongs are just touching the outer rim of the pin horizontal to the floor

 

=== O

 

Then when you catch the hair at the rim of the bun with the two prongs, turn the pin so it is vertical to the floor and then slide it downwards into the bun.

 

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A bit of hair will be behind the pin, but that is how you get it flat. You can put in a scrunchie to cover the pins.