#hairoftheweek: Variety Bun

Last summer I told myself I'd use my free time to come up with some cool hairstyles so I would have plenty to choose from when I started college and another season of #hairoftheweek. That's not really how it ended up happening. I only ended up with one hairstyle but seeing that it was the most popular of the season gives me confidence that Fall 2015 is going to be a good one. I'm excited to be kicking off this school year with one of my originals.

The Process:

Since I cut my hair in June, I've had to switch up my hairstyles. Gone (for now) are the days of side braids and we've entered an era of hairstyles positioned at the top of my head. I've never had much luck with buns because there was always too much hair. Now my locks are the perfect length to whip up into a bun and it's opened up a world of hairstyles for me. Another point of inspiration for this hairstyle was the fact that, while I was on vacation, I was always pulling my hair into a ponytail with a braided accent on one or both sides to spice things up. It never occurred to me until I got back that I could put two accents on one side. Personally, I love using Dutch braids as accents because they literally pop but I wanted to mix it up and use two different braids in this hairstyle. Ideally, I would've done a Dutch fishtail as well but if those are physically possible, I haven't figured it out yet.

The Tutorial:

There are three components to this hairstyle but before you begin, you have to choose what those components will be. I went with a French fishtail, Dutch braid, and a top knot. (1) I usually part my hair from mid-eyebrow but to give yourself enough hair to work with, I'd suggest parting deeper. (2) Then I sectioned my hair from my new part to where my part would be if I had worn my hair on the other side. Does that make sense? (3) I tied back whatever wasn't in that section at the top of my head to keep it out of the way and divided the top section in half adjacent to my part. Through trial and error, I found that it's actually easier to work with the second (back) section first. This results in cleaner, straighter lines. It also might partially be because a Dutch braid is much simpler than a French fishtail. (4) Dutch braid! Be careful not to pick up pieces of hair from the front section and I tied it off when I got past my ear. Also note that you want to angle your braid slightly towards the back of your head so you don't end up with a bump when it starts to curve towards the future bun. (5) Take the remaining hair in the front and French fishtail. Again, angle it towards the back of your head when it starts to make that turn. Since fishtails are a lot more delicate, I made sure to get it to the length where the elastic would end up at the base of the ponytail when it came to making the bun. I stopped at my chin and that was the perfect length. Of course it'll be different for everyone based on your hair texture and the shape and length of your face. Practice definitely doesn't hurt. (6) Now would be a good time to muss up your braids a little if you don't want a prim and proper look. It also gives it some extra texture. Pulling on the Dutch braid really makes it pop and that helps it from getting lost between the fishtail and the bun. (7) Pull everything up into a ponytail pretty close to your braids. You don't want them right on top of all your hair work but you also don't want it hidden. Make sure to position your braids the way you want them! I personally didn't like having my two braids touching on the side of my head so I gently tugged the fishtail down to create a gap between it and the Dutch braid. You can bobby pin it in place if necessary. (8) Once everything's where you want it, untie the Dutch braid and tease your ponytail. I prefer using my hands because it's faster and the tease is more efficient while being neater. (9) Twist all that hair into a top knot and you've got yourself a Variety Bun! You can pull out little pieces to frame your face if you wish but I always skip this step because I know my baby hairs will fall out on their own throughout the day.

The Result:

9.30.15 variety bun (x)

I'm so glad everybody was excited for #hairofthweek's return! It means a lot to me that you all love it as much as I do. Don't forget to give it a like on Instagram if you haven't already!

The Verdict:

I'm really proud of this hairstyle and I'm very pleased with the result. I named this one the Variety Bun because you can pick and choose what you want to go into it. Kinda like a variety box of donuts at the grocery store. The definition of this hairstyle is so flexible that you could even leave it as a ponytail if you so desire. I've actually worn the Variety Bun on various occasions and it pairs well with any outfit. As with all braided hairstyles, it works best if your hair has a little bit of grip from the hair oils. This is also a good one to disguise dirty hair. Can hair and a hairstyle have a symbiotic relationship? I like that it's a pretty sturdy hairstyle. Pretty hairstyles are often the flimsiest. I think you could even get away with wearing this to work out, permitting you keep it in a ponytail and have the time to look this cute to exercise. Actually, if you had somewhere to be afterwards and didn't have time to wash your hair immediately... I'm getting ahead of myself. Basically, it's versatile, it's gorgeous, it's interesting, and it's not that hard. Just give yourself a little time to get it right.


I would really love it if you guys recreated this hairstyle and let me know how it goes! Heck, I'll do it on you! Just let me know when and where. ;) Really though, tell me what you think in the comments below and make sure I'm the first to know if you try it. Is that too much to ask? I'm rather fond of this one.

We're back to school and xo, Yvette is back on a her regular posting schedule! Keep an eye out for posts coming on both Wednesdays and Sundays! Also, if you haven't already noticed, I tried linking this blog to Google+. They would not stop nagging me about it so I thought I'd give it a shot. What better time than at the start of a new school year? It's like a fresh start. I'm still learning how everything works and I'm trying to figure out what goes where so bear with me but in the meantime, you can follow me in the sidebar right above the "follow by email" gadget.


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette