- Good to know
- To bun or not to bun
- What signifies a man bun & top bun
- How to style a man bun
- Must haves
- Man bun inspiration and lookbook
- Origin of the man bun
Good to know
- The man bun style works well with oval, rectangular, square and triangular face shapes.
- Of course you can wear a man bun regardless of your age. However, we see this hairstyle less popular with teens and men over 40.
- To wear the man bun you need two things: patience and rubber bands. The minimum hair length you will need is 20 centimeters.
- The man bun is a hairstyle that is super flexible, so you can style your sides however you like with this look.
- Both Curly and straight hair types work well.
- If you decide to grow your hair for this hairstyle, tell your hairdresser. He can then cut your hair evenly so that it still looks good during the growth phase.
- To ensure that your hair does not become too greasy, we recommend washing your hair 2-3 times a week. Be careful with using too much shampoo, because your hair can dry out. Tip: use dry shampoo.
To bun or not to bun
The popularity of the man bun has increased enormously in recent years. It’s strange, because the opinions of both women and men about this hairstyle are divided.
Unlike the ‘safe’ hairstyles that we often see, such as the buzz cut, slick back, pompadour or other classic men’s hairstyles, the man bun breaks all the rules and makes a strong statement.
The man bun is a collective name for different variations of the bun. Besides the famous man bun, there is also a top bun (man bun with undercut), pony bun (half man bun, half ponytail), the low and high man bun and the shaving man bun.
And then, of course, there are the range of personal twists that men can add to their man bun. Think of the braided or disconnected variants.
→ Read more: The man bun is mentioned in the men’s hairstyles trends of this year.
With its many forms and names, the man bun is a popular and striking hairstyle. Do you think the man bun is for you? And if you let your hair grow long enough, how do you best style your man bun?
We have compiled this article to answer these questions. If you are thinking of rocking a man bun hairstyle then this guide is for you.
What signifies a man bun & top bun
A (long) hairstyle in which the hair is tied into a bun at the crown of the head. The man bun is a simple hairstyle with only one requirement: that your hair is at least 20 centimeters long. If your hair is shorter, you will find it difficult to make the bun.
Regardless of the style you choose, a man bun is unique from other hairstyles because of the bun on the top or back of the head.
How to style a man bun
It’s quite simple to create this look. All you need to do is gather all the hair you want to tie into a bun and secure it with a band.
Start by combing your hair back with your fingers or a comb. Next, gather your hair at the back of your head.
Then hold your hair with one hand and, with the other, place an elastic band at the back of your head.
Pull your hair through the band, then twist the elastic into a loop and pull your hair through again to get your hair tighter. Repeat this until the elastic cannot be looped any further (probably about three times in total).
For the final step, gather your hair at the bottom and fold it over to the point where you tied the first elastic.
You should now have your hair in a bun on the back of your head. Then grab a second elastic and tie the bun together in the same way as the first elastic.
Ultimately, your bun should be level with the first elastic. But you can vary the height of the bun based on where you gather your hair.
This can be at the nape of your neck or more towards the top of your head.
As a finishing touch, you can make the bun bigger by pulling it out a little with your thumbs.
- Gathering
- Elastic loops
- Secure the elastic
- The bun.
If there are any loose hairs left, it is best to gather them together and work them into the style as you’re tying the second elastic.
Below is a short video showing the process.
Must haves
The man bun is a hairstyle that should look as natural as possible. Therefore it’s best to use as few products as possible.
But what you can use is a hair texturizing spray, which keeps your hair in place a little better and gives it a natural look (because of the sea salt).
Furthermore, hair bands such as the non-slip hair bands are very handy to have with you.
Man bun inspiration and lookbook
As we mentioned before, there are so many ways to style the typical man bun. This makes it a versatile hairstyle, allowing you to create multiple looks with one hair length.
The original look: the full man bun
Semi-man bun or “top knot” or “Samurai knot”
Origin of the man bun
Vikings
This is probably one of the few hairstyles that was not worn until the last century. If we are to go by film and TV, Vikings were very proud of their longer hair and fierce beards.
So they probably wore this hairstyle from the 8th century. It could’ve even been worn before that, but we’ve not found anything to confirm it.
We can assume that in recent centuries, long hair was often worn in a tail for practical reasons. So maybe a bun was added for a personal touch.
2013 to now
A big leap forward to 2013 where the man bun became very popular. This is thanks to the hipster culture and celebrities such as Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Jared Leto.
Originally, the man bun was mainly worn by hipsters and styled out with their choppy beards (read: the hipster beard). Now, it’s been adopted by non-hipsters and seen as an everyday hairstyle.
In conclusion
You should now have all the information and inspiration you need to decide if this look is for you. It’s easy to achieve this simple hairstyle as long as you let your hair grow longer. The in-between period you will have to deal with is annoying, but the end result is a cool and casual hairstyle.
Regardless of the man bun style you choose, it’s easy to change between different looks if you don’t love your first attempt. It’s certainly a hairstyle that you will not regret.
