Here's how to get a full-looking messy bun that doesn't involve cutting up your socks (because ew). Gather your hair into a high ponytail and secure with an elastic. Tease the hair on the underside of the tail with a brush; if you have fine hair, spray on a generous amount of dry shampoo to fluff it up. Then, loosely wind the hair into a knot, twisting slightly. Use bobby pins to hold the bun in place, pulling out a few pieces to make it look undone. A few hairs pulled out at the hairline, just in front of the ears, looks chic, too.
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Style With a Scarf
Mix up your hair routine using something you probably already have in your closet. (No, it's not a sock. Stop it.) Put your hair up any way you like. (The previous instructions for a topknot with volume are perfect for this.) Take your scarf and fold it lengthwise; you want the scarf to be long enough to tie securely around your head, with only a few inches of width. Tie the scarf headband-style with the knot at the top of your head. You can leave the ends of the knot out or tuck them underneath the band. Use a silk or cotton scarf or one designed expressly for hair; we like Ban.do Twist Scarf, $20, which has a built-in wire to keep your look securely in place.
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Side Braided Bun
Collect hair in a loose side ponytail and tie with an elastic. Make a loose braid with the tail and secure the braid with a small clear elastic. You can give your braid a fuller, more casual look by tugging slightly on either side of the braid. Loosely wind the braid into a bun and pin in place or add a cute fabric accessory like Emi-Jay's Blue Opal band.
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Side Braid With Bobbies
The trick to this look: Don't get too liberal with a brush before styling; wear it too smooth, and you'll look like you're selling Girl Scout Cookies. Make a deep side part and create a loose side braid. (Bonus points for a fishtail!) Pull out a few strands at the hairline and pin them back with a set of cute colored bobby pins (like these cuh-yooot Birchbox Bobby Pins, $5) or barrettes (we're obsessed with these little investment pieces, Gabriel Artigas Triple Shooting Star Barrettes, $270).
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Headband Roll
This is the ultimate no-effort, holy-s&@!-amazing hairstyle, and on textured, unwashed hair, it looks even better. Put on an elastic headband like the Kitsch Bow Headband, $24 for a pack of five; if you want to get even fancier, you can wear a bedazzled one like Henri Bendel Madison Headwrap, $98. You can position it hippie-style over your forehead or at the top of your head. The back of the headband should be level with the center of your ears. Working in medium-size sections, take the ends of your hair and pull them over the bottom of your headband, tucking them in; your hair should look as if it's rolled up to your scalp.
It takes a special kind of gal to wake up in the morning, give her hair a quick fluff or twist and head out the door looking genuinely hot. Most of us would get a sympathetic look, an inquiry about our general health or possibly a request to undergo a drug test. That's because that just-rolled-out-of-bed hair usually translates to just-rolled-off-a-garbage-truck hair in real life. But what if you could make bedhead work for, not against you? What if you could take that natural-texture, cool-fuzziness thing you've got going on in the A.M. and make it look chic -- without a lot of fuss? Try these quick styles and little tweaks for making the most of your slept-in locks.
