Here’s How To Get The Perfect Top-Knot…

It's the go-to hair-style for mums across the world, a combination of the fact that the top knot (or ballerina bun) is somewhat always in vogue – and more importantly; perfect for hiding the fact that it has been DAYS since we last washed our hair. Much as it can be tempting to just scrape everything back into a messy hair-ball at the back of your head, the fact is that if you just spend an extra couple of minutes (it's super-quick, we swear!), you can make your top-knot look far more intentionally messy and flat out pretty chic too. Here is how you do it – in four easy peasy steps: 1. Backcomb your ponytail to create a bigger, more secure bun. If your hair is slippery straight or on the fine side, this is especially helpful. A little bit of teasing not only creates the illusion of more hair, it gives it enough grip to stay up all day or night. 2. Jackknife the bobby pins into your hair to keep it in place. If you’re using bobby pins to create the bun, here’s how to make it super secure: Push the feet of the bobby pin up through the edge of the bun and then jackknife the bobby pin back down, towards the center of the bun. 3. Wrap or tuck the bun tightly and then loosen it a bit with your fingers. A little bit of fuzz or messiness in an updo is great, but if you start messy, your topknot (or whatever type of bun you’re creating) will get really messy by the end of the day (or night!). So try this: Start with a tighter, more secure bun and then loosen strands lightly with your fingers to make it look less perfect. 4. Give a fine spray of hairspray. Once that is done, move the hair a little with your fingers –  this gives a little more  texture + staying power. Images via Acupofjo.com