Playful Styles: Space Buns, Braided Crowns, and More

Tripping over cords, losing my brush, running late—somehow, a little creativity with braids and buns makes it look like I meant to be this put-together. The real secret? Mixing up textures, shapes, and whatever “cheats” stylists whispered to me when I was an intern. Suddenly, the hardest styles are doable before the coffee’s even ready.

Creating Cute Space Buns

Okay, space buns. You see them all over Instagram, but the only real trick is a center part and precise sectioning. My layers stick out, don’t care. High pigtails, twist, pin, done. Any dry shampoo works—Batiste, Klorane, whatever’s on sale. Borrow glitter or flower clips from your cousin (don’t ask, just do it), and it’s suddenly a festival look.

Salon time? Overrated. Tessa, my stylist, swears space buns hide greasy roots better than any hat. Last summer, I tried the crown braid version (ideas here)—the glitter lasted until lunch.

Braided Crown for a Polished Finish

Running on no sleep, I can still manage a braided crown if I’ve got serum—MOROCCANOIL, or coconut oil if I’m broke. I start at my left ear, braid up and over, pin, then repeat the other side. My arms always give out, but uneven tension just makes it look more “lived-in,” or so every editorial stylist claims.

Face-framing pieces = magic. Dry texture spray (Oribe is fancy, Kristen Ess is fine) locks it down, and frizz just turns into a “halo.” I wore this under a baseball cap last Friday and my neighbor wanted my stylist’s number. “It’s just a crown braid,” I muttered. She didn’t buy it.

Braided Headband for a Boho Vibe

Endless tutorials, but honestly, section width is all that matters. Too thick, you look like you’ve got a rope on your head. Thin, delicate, braid, pin behind the ear (stab yourself, pretend it doesn’t hurt), done. Boho vibe achieved, mostly by accident.

I usually start near my temple, braid down, stretch it out, pin. Bangs fall out—when does anyone’s headband braid stay perfect? If I remember to crimp the section first (thanks Sasha, for the tip), it lasts longer. The messier it is, the more it looks like I meant it. Monday mornings, right?

Effortless Texture: Beach Waves and Loose Waves

Nothing’s ever as fast as the tutorials promise. Most days, I skip steps and hope for the best. Those times I want my hair to look like I spent the night on a California beach? I grab whatever makes it look “lived-in” without turning into a greasy disaster. Stylists act like it’s magic, but if you get the texture right, suddenly you’re the one people ask for advice.

Using Sea Salt Spray for Beach Waves

I’ll spritz some sea salt spray—Ouai, Bumble and Bumble, doesn’t matter. Tried a bunch, most dry my scalp out except two. I avoid the roots, just hit the mid-lengths and ends, scrunch with my hands, never a comb. Watched a Miami stylist palm her hair while scrunching, talking about “randomness is authenticity.” Her hair was flat-ironed. Go figure.

Air dry if you can, but if it’s humid, don’t trust it. Sometimes I twist big sections, pin them, blast with a diffuser for two minutes. Damp hair takes product better than soaking wet. People ask if my hair’s naturally wavy—nope. Also, good salt sprays don’t smell like a chemistry lab. Loose, tousled waves are for the lazy. I’m lazy.

Quick Techniques for Loose Waves

Curling wands are chaos, but I still use my 1.25-inch barrel, wrap sections away from my face, six seconds max (burned myself too many times). I pull each curl straight while it cools—stylist trick, supposedly gives movement, not spirals. Never saw that on YouTube.

No time? Two damp braids, 10 minutes, blast with a blow dryer, done. Texturizing spray (this one works), and the waves hold unless the weather hates me. Tried flat-ironing “S” shapes into big sections—looked better than expected, honestly.

One day I’ll get a system, but for now it’s heat protectant, dry shampoo, old paddle brush, and no perfect sections. Imperfection wins.

Short and Chic: Styling Pixie Cuts and Bobs

Some mornings, my coffee’s cold and my hair’s a disaster. That’s why I keep going back to messy, easy tricks for pixie cuts, bobs, whatever’s happening with my bangs. The right product, a couple of quick moves, maybe a round brush if I can find it, someone yelling at me from the hallway—somehow, it works. Or at least, it’s close enough.

Easy Ways to Style a Pixie Cut

Dry shampoo. Not kidding, it takes my pixie from sad to, well, actually presentable in a minute—assuming I haven’t hit snooze three times. Some stylist once mumbled that matte clay (just a dab, post-wash) is the way to go, scrunching up the top, ignoring the sides, and pretending cowlicks are a personality trait.

On mornings when I’m already late, it’s always side-swept. Fingers only—who even knows where their comb is?—with a bit of soft wax, trying to fake volume at the crown because apparently “lived-in texture” is a thing now. I see those pixie-bob hybrids everywhere and wonder if anyone else’s part is as crooked as mine.

Heat styling? Honestly, twice a month if I remember. If I bother, it’s a mini flat iron on the bangs and I’m out, still fighting my jacket zipper, hair probably half-stuck in my collar.

Classic Bob in Minutes

Here’s what bugs me: people act like bobs need a PhD in blow-drying. My reality? Wide-tooth comb, a squirt of mousse, root lift, done. If it’s still damp, I pinch the ends under for that fake “roundness”—looks pro, but trust me, I’m still wearing mismatched socks.

No round brush? Who cares. Flat paddle brush, drag the ends under, stops it from flipping out. Spritz with shine spray and somehow, “day three hair” looks like I meant it. That bob everyone posts about? Usually just a messy finger-twist and a minute with the blow-dryer on cool. Not high maintenance. Seriously.

Too much volume? Flip your part for a minute, then flip it back. I learned that from a stylist who also said my bobby pins would never match my hair, so at least she was honest.

Adding Curtain Bangs to Short Hairstyles

Cutting curtain bangs: 50% of my friends regret it, the rest claim it hides everything from pimples to existential dread. Texture spray is my go-to. I blast bangs apart, pinch and fan them out, and act like the mess was intentional. My hair flips left when it rains, doesn’t when it’s sunny—nobody’s tracking this but me.

Tip: The tiniest curling iron, just the edge of the bang, two seconds or you’re in disco territory. Tried argan oil once—greasy disaster. Now it’s just a tiny drop of serum, if that. Feels like I’m stuck in an early-2000s rerun, but stylists keep pushing “face-framing movement” as youthful. I’m not arguing with their paychecks.

Those curtain bangs with short bobs get all the Pinterest glory, but no one warns you about the mid-morning separation or how they hide behind your glasses. I’d still do it again, mostly for the drama of flipping them aside during pointless Zoom calls.