There are several ways to create the perfect ballerina bun. Some buns are high on the top of the head, others are mid-crown level, and some are even at the nape of the neck, it all depends on the look you wish to achieve. There are also two different styles when it comes to buns, the tight twisted look, or the round slightly puffy look. Both are used by ballerinas, but the later is usually used on stage since it has a more professional look to it.
*CLASSIC TWIST BUN*
The classic twist bun, worn higher or lower on the head, is a simple type of bun that works best with hair that is longer than shoulder length, ideally over 14 inches from the nape of the neck. Longer hair can go either higher or lower on the head, as there is plenty of hair to twist, but hair that is 14-18 inches long from the nape of the neck goes better in a bun placed at the crown or mid way between the crown and the base of the hair line.
The hair can be put up either wet or dry and a spray shine product can be used to give hair that glossy look. Ponytail holders that are non slip and anti-tangling work best for buns. You will also want a fine tooth comb to use once the hair is up in the ponytail.
Start by brushing your hair upside-down, bending at the waist to gather hair high on the head, or farther back on the head. Gather the hair where you wish the bun to be, and begin brushing the hair into your hand starting at the nape of the neck working forward to the front of the hair line.
Once you have the ponytail made, secure it with your hair tie. Use the fine tooth come to smooth the hair up to the ponytail. Do not worry if there is a little bunching around the base of the ponytail as this will be hidden by the bun.
Holding the hair above the hair tie, begin twisting it, in either direction, from the base to the tip. As you twist, the hair naturally begins to curl over itself. This will be your bun.
Continue to twist tightly, until the tip is beginning to wrap around the bun. Hold the tip in place and secure it with a bobby pin. The large bobby pins if you have hair longer than 18" from the nape of the neck, or smaller bobby pins if you have shorter hair. Once you have secured the tip, begin to place bobby pins every quarter inch around the bun. It is best to place the bobby pins going slightly in the opposite direction of the bun's twist.
Once you have finished, spray with a firm hold hair spray, then with a shine enhancing spray. This will give you lasting hold, and high gloss hair.
* THE ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE BUN*
This bun takes just a bit more skill with bobby pins than the classic bun, but is exquisite when it is finished. This bun results in a larger puffy bun that does not have the same flattened twisty quality as the classic bun.
For this bun it is necessary to have many small bobby pins and firm holding hair spray. This bun is also great for those with shorter hair, 8"-14" from the nape of the neck, and also those with super fine hair. *Note: If you do have super fine hair, use volumizing moose on your towel dried hair before blow-drying. This will give you more hold while attempting this style.
Once you have your hair in place in the ponytail (see instructions above) you will begin by dividing the ponytail in half. With the top half in hand, divide this section into thirds. Take hold the middle section of the three, this will be the starting point. Let the other two sections fall to the side.
With the center section in your hand, place two fingers of your non-dominate hand against the base of the section along the ponytail holder. Wrap the section starting at the base under towards the ponytail holder. Wrap the ends around your finger as many times as needed, but after you have wrapped around your finger completely, tuck the ends under the initial wrap around.
At this point you should have a curl of hair wrapped around your non-dominate hand's two fingers. With your dominate hand bobby pin the section with at least a bobby pin on either side of the curl. If you have thicker hair or longer hair, it may require more than two bobby pins per each section. Don't worry if any ends are hanging outside the first curl, as subsequent curls will hide these.
You will now repeat the curl and pin process with the next half inch section of hair on either side of the first curl. Once you have the top half of the ponytail done, you will repeat the same process on the bottom half, parting into three sections, taking the middle section and curling first. Then continue to either side and curl and pin. The bottom half side sections will be a little harder to pin, but it is better to do them last, as you can hide the ends from all the pieces uniformly.
Once you have all sections pinned, check in the mirror that all ends are secured inside the roll. If there are any loose or hanging pieces, tuck them into the roll carefully.
The last thing to do is hair spray (preferably with an aerosol kind of extra firm hold hair spray) your hair until it no longer moves. This is what all professional hair stylists do when attempting a gravity defying hair style. You can also spray a few squirts of high shine hair gloss to your hair to really make it shine.
A variation on the ultimate bun can be done with curly hair or messy thick hair. Instead of combing out smooth root to tip, comb only from the root to where you will put in the ponytail holder, leave the tips messy or curly. Proceed with the parting and curling and pinning, only make the curls larger (three or four fingers round) and spray well. Add a few flowers or jeweled bobby pins and you will have a high glam bun.