20 Clever Bun Ideas for Short Hair
Twenty bun ideas for short hair, and the change in thinking that makes them work — the hair does not have to reach the bun. Put the bun where the hair already reaches, and pins do the rest.
In this article · 27
- What Makes a Short-Hair Bun Work
- How to Choose Yours
- The 20 Short-Hair Bun Ideas
- 1. Low Nape Bun on a Bob
- 2. Partial Bun with the Rest Down
- 3. Half-Up Short Bun
- 4. Pinned Tuck
- 5. Rolled and Pinned Nape
- 6. Two Small Buns
- 7. Claw Clip Short Bun
- 8. Short Bun with a Headband
- 9. Short Bun with Twisted Sides
- 10. Short Bun with Braided Sides
- 11. Sectioned Short Bun
- 12. Short Bun on a Lob
- 13. Short Bun on a Chin-Length Bob
- 14. Mini Bun on a Growing-Out Pixie
- 15. Short Bun with Texture Added
- 16. Sleek Short Bun
- 17. Short Bun with Slicked Sides
- 18. Short Bun for the Gym
- 19. Short Bun on Curly Hair
- 20. A Full Bun Forced from Short Hair
- Styling and Upkeep
- Mistakes to Avoid
- FAQ
- Final Thoughts
Short-hair bun tutorials usually start by asking you to gather hair that will not go where it is being asked.
The hair does not have to reach the bun. The bun has to go where the hair reaches. On short hair that is almost always low, at the nape, because that is the shortest journey from every part of your head.
And pins do what length cannot. A section too short to be tied can still be pinned, which is the whole substitution.
What Makes a Short-Hair Bun Work
Low position, always. It is the shortest distance from the crown, the sides and the nape at once.
Pins replace length. Anything that will not tie can be pinned, section by section.
A partial bun is a finished style. Not a failure. On short hair it is usually the better-looking result.
Work in sections, not one gather. Short hair rarely cooperates as a single bundle.
How to Choose Yours
Go low before anything else. It converts a great many impossible buns into easy ones.
Keep a dozen grips to hand. Short-hair buns are a pinning job.
Decide what stays down. Choosing which pieces are out beats discovering it later.
Add grip first. Short hair with no texture slips out of pins as readily as out of ties.
The 20 Short-Hair Bun Ideas
1. Low Nape Bun on a Bob
The shortest journey for every section. The default. From the crown, the sides and the nape, the nape is the nearest point, which is why almost every short bun ends up there.
2. Partial Bun with the Rest Down
What reaches goes up; what does not stays down, deliberately. Deciding this in advance is the difference between a style and a bun that is visibly failing.
3. Half-Up Short Bun
The top section only. Easiest short-hair updo there is. The top layers are the longest ones on most short cuts, so they are the sections most likely to reach anything.
4. Pinned Tuck
The ends tucked under and pinned. No tie at all. Tucking hides ends too short to gather, which is the specific problem a tie cannot solve at this length.
5. Rolled and Pinned Nape
Rolled upward against the neck and secured along the roll. Pinning along the roll rather than at one point means no single pin is holding much, which matters when each has little to grip.
6. Two Small Buns
Split, which shortens the journey for each side. Each side only has to reach its own gathering point, so sections that could not make it to the centre now reach easily.
7. Claw Clip Short Bun
A small claw holding what reaches, the rest pinned. A small clip suits short hair better than a large one, because a large clip needs a volume of hair to close against.
8. Short Bun with a Headband
The band controlling the front layers that will never reach. Those front layers are the ones that escape and undo the look, and a band solves them without a single pin.
9. Short Bun with Twisted Sides
The sides twisted back and pinned into the bun. Twisting shortens each side section as it travels, so it reaches the gather with length to spare.
10. Short Bun with Braided Sides
Plaits taking the short front sections to the back. A plait grips itself along its length, which is how a section too short to pin securely still ends up held.
11. Sectioned Short Bun
Built in three parts rather than gathered as one. Placing each section where it will go beats gathering everything and discovering which parts did not make it.
12. Short Bun on a Lob
Collarbone length, and the easiest of the short lengths. A lob has enough length to coil properly, so it behaves like long hair rather than like short hair.
13. Short Bun on a Chin-Length Bob
The shortest length that gives a full bun. Below the chin there is not enough to wrap around itself, which is where partial buns take over.
14. Mini Bun on a Growing-Out Pixie
Whatever reaches, pinned small at the back. A mini bun at the nape is often the only thing a growing-out cut can do, and it looks intentional.
15. Short Bun with Texture Added
Grip first, then gather. Short hair without it slides out of pins. Short sections have very little length in contact with each pin, so friction has to make up the difference.
16. Sleek Short Bun
Smoothed and pinned flat. Very neat at this length. Short hair has less surface to keep smooth, which makes a sleek finish easier here than on long hair.
17. Short Bun with Slicked Sides
Gel at the perimeter doing what length cannot. The short hairs at the hairline were never going to reach the bun, so flattening them is the only way to include them.
18. Short Bun for the Gym
Low, pinned in sections, nothing left to fall. Sectioned pinning survives movement better than a single gather, because there is no one fastening for movement to work on.
19. Short Bun on Curly Hair
Curl gives grip, so pins hold far more easily. Curly short hair is the easiest combination for this — the pattern supplies exactly the friction the length does not.
20. A Full Bun Forced from Short Hair
Sections escaping everywhere. The result of gathering rather than placing. Forcing everything to one point asks the shortest layers to travel further than they can, and they come straight back out.
Styling and Upkeep
Cross every pin. On short hair a parallel pin has almost nothing to grip.
Add texture before you start. Short hair with no grip slides out of pins as easily as out of ties.
Pin the escaping layers separately. Do not try to include them in the gather.
Choose which pieces stay out. A decision beats an accident.
Refresh by re-pinning, not by redoing. One pin usually restores it.
Mistakes to Avoid
Gathering everything to a high point. The journey is too long for the short layers.
Treating a partial bun as a failure. It is usually the better style.
Parallel pins. They have nothing to hold on to at this length.
Skipping texture. Short and slippery is the hardest combination.
Fighting the layers that will not reach. Pin them instead.
FAQ
How short can it be? Chin length for a full bun; shorter still works as a partial one.
Why does it fall out? The shortest layers cannot reach the gathering point. Pin them separately.
Is a half bun legitimate? On short hair it is usually the better result, not a compromise.
Final Thoughts
Move the bun down and stop asking your hair to travel. Almost every short-hair bun that will not work is a low bun being attempted in a high position — and pins cover the rest of the gap that length would otherwise have to.
For the messy version on short hair see 15 messy bun looks I tried on short hair, and for the opposite problem see 15 pretty bun ideas for long hair. More in Updos & Clips.
