The Perfectly Messy Top Knot

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Attention long haired ladies: do you ever find yourself eying that girl with the chic pixie cut and thinking “I wish I was that cool.” Over the years I’ve realized that truly nothing brings a cool factor to an outfit more than daring hair. For those of us who are attached to our length this can pose a bit of a problem. But, as senior stylist Erica Rae of ROAR Salon shows us, long hair doesn’t have to mean basic. “One of my favorite trends right now is that ‘effortless, I just woke up like this’ look,” she explains. “From beach waves to sun kissed color… this messy bun is exactly that but with a little more glam. It can dress up any casual outfit or be the look you wear for your best friend’s wedding.” A big part of pulling off daring hair is making it look like you’re not trying too hard, and Erica has the perfect technique to give this top knot bun a devil-may-care texture. Follow Erica’s steps below to transform your long hair from everyday to edgy.

SUPPLIES:

• Texturing spray
• A 1″ or 1.5″ curling iron
• Bobby pins
• Elastic hair tie

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Prep the hair by lightly spritzing with a texturizing product.
2. Curl the hair using a 1″ or 1.5″ curling iron.
3. Gently pull hair into a high ponytail and secure with elastic — make sure that the pony tail is loose and that the hair isn’t flattened out from being pulled too tightly.
4. Split the ponytail into two sections.
5. Take one of the two sections and lightly twist the entire section.
6. To create fullness and texture, grab the end of a fine strand of hair from the twisted section. While holding onto the strand, gently push the rest of the twisted section down toward the base of the ponytail.
7. Pull the twisted section back up to create a “messy” look. I call this my push/pull routine.
8. Take this first section, wrap it around the base of the ponytail and secure with bobby pins.
9. Repeat the twisting and push/pull routine on the second section of the ponytail. Wrap and secure that piece with bobby pins as well.
10. Once you’ve created your messy top knot you can then use your curling iron to smooth out any unwanted fly-aways. This last step is optional.

Erica’s Pro Tip: “This look is very easy and very versatile. If you’re worried about it falling, just carry a few extra bobby pins in your handbag. And if you get tired of having your hair up, you can easily take it all down, add a bit more texture spray or smoothing agent, and sport a messy “down” look.  Remember — you already prepped the hair and added curls so no need to fuss with it any more. Less ‘effort’ is more!”

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