This is the bun that eats the topknot for breakfast and then has the ballerina bun for lunch. It's HUGE. Fortunately, you don't have to have a crazy amount of hair to get the look. You can beef up your bun with clip-in hair extensions (like Scunci Faux Ponytail, $14.49), or a donut (a stretchy, round piece of foam), which is what I used. All I did was wrap sections of hair around the donut and pin them down with bobby pins.
If you don't have either of these accessories, you can go the old-fashioned route and tease your hair. Just spritz one-inch sections of your pony with a product like Redken Quick Tease 15, $18, then go at it with a teasing comb. It'll triple your hair's volume.
Photo 3/9
Double braided headband
This tutorial may look straightforward, but this hairstyle took me the longest out of all the Pinterest hair pictures I tried to recreate. While I always complain about having too much hair, I was surprised to find that I didn't have enough hair for this look. Creating the double braided headband is easy enough (just braid two sections on either side of your part, flip to the other side and pin down). However, the key to making it look polished is covering up the ends of the braids with the rest of your hair, which is difficult if you don't have much hair left. After my first failed attempt, I had to redo my braids to make them smaller so that I had more hair to work with.
Photo 4/9
Scarf headband with updo
This literally took me all of 5 seconds to do, which means it scores bonus points for ease. The key to making this style cute is to find a cute scarf. (I cut up an old Free People shopping bag, which made me feel like a bonafide DIY-er.) Make sure the fabric is thin enough to not look bulky -- it should look like a headband, not a turban.
First, tie your hair up into a messy topknot, then wrap your head with the scarf, tying it in the center, and tucking in the ends.
Photo 5/9
The bow
This was the antithesis to the scarf headband look because it was so difficult to pull off. And the worst part about trying to recreate this look was how the Pinterest hair tutorial made it seem so simple. After troubleshooting for 20 minutes, I realized the main problems were: 1. My hair is too long, so the middle of the bow was too big, and 2. My hair is too fine, so the bow looked floppy.
To make my hair stiffer, I sprayed some Redken Quick Tease 15, $18, onto the first couple inches of my hair and teased it. Then, after making the bow, I looped the rest of my hair around the base of the elastic and pinned it in the back. It's not perfect, but this was the best I could do.
Photo 6/9
Headband tuck
This headband hairstyle is super chic and easy to do when your hair is dirty, messy, or unkempt. Just place the headband over your head, and tuck your hair up and over the lower part of the headband, securing with bobby pins. My hair is a bit long for this look, which is why my version has so much volume. The best part of this hairstyle? The messier it is, the better it looks.
Pinterest is my SimCity.
It's my fantasyland where I can pin all the DIY décor of my dreams onto my "home sweet home" board -- then pretend I actually live in a house with hammocks hanging on my non-existent patio.
I also pin countless pretty pictures of shockingly pink lips, dramatically winged eyes, and gorgeous braided hairstyles, giving all of my followers the illusion that I'm a DIY beauty chameleon -- which isn't exactly my reality.
The same way pinning a fabulous chaise lounge doesn't make it magically appear in my living room, pinning a pretty hairstyle doesn't warp my go-to pony into a Gaga-esque hair bow. But I don't defer to my pony because of a lack of skill -- it's a lack of time (or at least that's what I tell myself, anyway).
When my editor challenged me to turn my Pinterest hair pictures into reality, I accepted the assignment eagerly. After all, if I were late to work, I could always blame "research." Right?
I'm not a hair guru by any means, but after being a beauty editor for all these years, I was fairly confident some tricks I've picked up along the way would make this road test a piece of cake. Keep reading to see my attempts at copying the biggest Pinterest hair trends right now -- and get my hints that'll help you recreate your favorite looks, too.
