20 Easy Updos for Medium Hair to Inspire New Looks
Finding perfect updos for medium hair can sometimes feel like being in the "Goldilocks zone" you have too much hair for short-bob styles, but not quite enough for those massiv
In this article · 27
- Low Bun Updo
- Knotted Updo
- Simple Chignon
- Colorful Pins
- Classy Pony
- Braided Bun Updo
- Tied With A Scarf
- Braided French Twist
- Tied With A Bow
- Quick Curly Updo
- Easy Double Braid Updo
- Knotted With A Turban
- Curly Topknot
- Voluminous Updo
- Wrapped With A Braid
- Dressed Up Low Pony
- Bubble Ponytail
- Braided Topknot
- Messy Bun With A Wrap Around Braid
- Low Bun With A Headband
- Face Shapes
- Styling Tips
- FAQs (Updos for Medium Hair)
- How do I keep my updo from falling out?
- Can I do these styles with layers?
- What is best tool for medium hair updos?
- Conclusion
Medium hair sits in the trickiest zone for updos. Too short for elaborate braided crowns, too long to leave down without a plan. Shoulder-to-collarbone length is prime real estate for half-updos, low buns built on texturizing spray, twisted knots, and tucked styles that don't beg for extra inches. Longer than a short bob for fine hair, shorter than a mermaid mane. This guide walks through 20 updos for medium hair that actually hold.
Low Bun Updo
Medium hair was built for a low bun. The length sits naturally at the nape without straining, and you never need extension pieces. That makes it the fastest polished look in your kit.
Wear it for job interviews, business dinners, courthouse weddings, or any day the top of your head needs to look neat but your neck needs breathing room.
Start on second-day hair. Mist texturizing spray from mid-lengths to ends before you gather. Sweep everything to the nape, twist once, and coil into a doughnut. Secure with an elastic, then anchor with three bobby pins pushed in from the north, south, and east points of the bun.
Stylist tip: bobby pins go in with the wavy side down. That grooved side grips your hair; the flat side slides straight back out. For more shapes at this height, see our full guide to low updo hairstyles.
Knotted Updo
The knot works on medium hair because you tie the length against itself. Nothing has to wrap around anything, so short-hair frustrations disappear.
Reach for it when you want texture and edge. Art openings. Dinners with your best-dressed friend. Weddings where the dress is doing the loud work.
Split your hair into two thick sections at the nape. Cross the right over the left and pull it through like the first move in tying a shoelace. Tuck the tails under the knot and pin them out of sight.
Stylist tip: if your ends slip, twist each section before you knot them. The tension holds the shape and gives the finish a rope-like texture that reads intentional.
Simple Chignon
A chignon is the low bun with better posture. Medium length is ideal here. You have just enough hair to loop and wrap without ending up with a nub.
Wear it to boardroom meetings, weddings, or anywhere quiet luxury is the assignment.
Build a low ponytail an inch above the nape. Loop the tail up and through the elastic halfway, so it hangs like a folded ribbon. Wrap the remaining tail around the base and pin it flush against your scalp with two U-pins.
Stylist tip: smooth the crown with a small boar-bristle brush before you gather. A single stray flyaway pulls the whole look from polished into rushed. Finish with a light-hold spray held twelve inches away.
Colorful Pins
Pins carry the visual weight when length cannot. Medium hair leans on accessories for personality since you can't rely on floor-sweeping drama.
Best for concerts, gallery openings, brunches, and any day your outfit is neutral and needs a hit of color.
Twist the front third of your hair back into a low, loose gather. Grab five or six colored bobby pins in a matching palette or a color gradient. Slide them in parallel lines above the ear, or crossed into X shapes behind it.
Stylist tip: match the pin metal or paint to a small detail in your outfit. An earring. A button. A shoe. That's the trick that makes pins look styled instead of stuck on.
Classy Pony
A ponytail earns updo status when you raise it above the ear and finish the base. Medium hair takes to this beautifully. The tail drapes without tugging your head backward.
Wear it to work, first dates, cocktail hours, and any event where your face is doing the talking.
Backcomb the crown for lift. Gather everything to a spot in line with the top of your ear, secure with an elastic, and wrap a pencil-thin section of hair around the base. Pin the ends underneath the wrap.
Stylist tip: bend the tail downward as you wrap it for a mid-century, silky finish. Learn the full technique in our guide to sleek high ponytail hairstyles.
Braided Bun Updo
The braid solves medium hair's biggest bun problem: layers poking out. When you braid first, every short piece gets locked into the plait before it reaches the coil.
Great for outdoor weddings, festivals, and long days when you can't reset your hair every two hours.
Rough-comb your hair back into a low ponytail. Weave a standard three-strand braid down to the ends and secure with a clear elastic. Wrap the braid around the base like a cinnamon roll and pin every rotation.
Stylist tip: rub a pea-sized amount of styling cream between your palms before you braid. It smooths the surface just enough to keep the plait glossy without turning greasy.
Tied With A Scarf
Silk gives medium hair the volume it sometimes lacks and covers messy edges from a rushed morning.
Reach for it on picnic days, road trips, brunches, and any morning you skipped the wash.
Pile your hair into a loose messy bun at the crown or nape. Fold a thirty-inch silk scarf into a two-inch strip, wrap it around the base once, and tie a small bow with the ends left long.
Stylist tip: choose silk over cotton. Cotton scarves cinch too tight and dent the hair. Silk sits on the surface and slides out at the end of the day without leaving a kink.
Braided French Twist
A classic French twist wants long, dense hair. Medium hair fights it. The fix is a braid running down the temple that gives your pins something structural to bite into.
Perfect for black-tie weddings, gala dinners, and any invitation reading cocktail attire.
Start with a small three-strand braid at the temple, feeding it back toward the crown. Sweep the rest of your hair across the back of your head, roll it inward, and pin along the vertical seam. Tuck the tail of the braid inside the fold.
Stylist tip: French pins (the U-shaped ones) work far better than flat bobby pins here. They straddle two layers of hair at once and don't back out under the weight of the roll.
Tied With A Bow
Bows read young without reading juvenile when they're placed with intention. Medium hair is the length where a bow feels proportional. Not tiny. Not overwhelming.
Ideal for date nights, ballet performances, holiday parties, and any romantic-adjacent event.
Pull the top half of your hair back into a half-up section, secure with a small clear elastic, and clip a velvet or satin bow over the elastic. Or build a low bun first and place the bow directly above it.
Stylist tip: choose a bow with a spring clip rather than one sewn onto a barrette. The clip grips a smaller section of hair and won't sag through the night as the base loosens.
Quick Curly Updo
Second- or third-day curls have the built-in structure medium hair updos need. Fresh curls slip. Aged curls stack.
Wear it to brunches, showers, casual weddings, and any event where the vibe is soft-focus rather than sharp.
Skip the brush. Section your hair into three loose zones at the back and pin each cluster of curls upward with U-pins, leaving ringlets to spill where they want.
Stylist tip: refresh dented ringlets with a spritz of water plus a dime of leave-in conditioner scrunched into the ends, then diffuse for thirty seconds before you start pinning. Pair this look with our soft blowout waves hairstyle tutorial when your curls need reviving from the roots.
Easy Double Braid Updo
Two braids give medium hair a crown effect without needing enough length to braid all the way around your head.
Ideal for garden weddings, boho photo shoots, or any Sunday where you want to look styled but not stiff.
Center-part your hair. Braid each side down to the ends into two low three-strand plaits. Cross them at the nape, drape each across the back of your head, and tuck the tails under the opposite braid. Pin every three inches.
Stylist tip: pancake the braids by pulling gently at each loop after you plait. This adds visual width and disguises how much or how little hair you're working with.
Knotted With A Turban
Turbans do the heavy lifting when your hair refuses to cooperate. Medium hair fits neatly under a wide band without bulging out the sides.
Reach for it on greasy-hair days, cold mornings, sick days you still have to leave the house for, and any 90s-inspired outfit.
Wrap a two-to-three-inch stretchy fabric band around your head, resting an inch back from your hairline. Twist the loose length of your hair, coil it against the nape, and tuck the ends up under the back of the band.
Stylist tip: mist dry shampoo at the roots before you wrap, then let it sit for a full minute. When you remove the turban later, your roots come out lifted instead of flattened.
Curly Topknot
The pineapple technique, gathering curls at the top of the head, protects your curl pattern and creates a big, spilling silhouette. Medium curls hit the sweet spot. Enough length to stack. Not so much that the topknot topples forward.
Wear it to yoga, coffee dates, workouts, and hot days.
Flip your head upside down. Gather all your curls at the highest point of your crown. Secure with a soft scrunchie, not a rubber elastic, which snaps curl bonds. Let the curls fall forward and out.
Stylist tip: sleep on it. This style looks best on curls that have had a full night on a silk pillowcase, followed by a light water refresh at the ends in the morning.
Voluminous Updo
Volume is the shortcut that makes medium hair read longer and richer than it actually is. Once you build height at the crown, the eye reads the whole style as bigger.
Right for weddings, milestone birthdays, black-tie events, and any occasion where photos matter.
Section a two-inch-wide panel at the crown and backcomb from underneath in short, controlled strokes. Smooth the top layer over the teased base with a boar-bristle brush. Twist the rest of your hair into a loose low bun and pin.
Stylist tip: hold your hairspray a full arm's length away and mist in short passes. Close-range spray weighs down the tease and kills the volume you just built.
Wrapped With A Braid
Braid-wrapped buns solve two medium-hair problems at once. They hide the elastic and add a detail that reads elevated without requiring more length.
Wear it to bridesmaid duties, prom, engagement dinners, and any event where you want a wedding-shoot finish.
Set aside a one-inch section at each temple. Build a low bun with the rest of the hair. Braid each front section into a slim three-strand plait, wrap them around the base of the bun in opposite directions, and pin the tails underneath.
Stylist tip: for prom season, work through our low bun prom hairstyles for brown hair guide before you commit to a wrap direction. Small placement changes read completely differently in event photos.
Dressed Up Low Pony
The topsy-tail turns a low ponytail into an updo without needing bobby pins or braiding skills. Medium hair takes to it especially well. The tail is short enough to sit clean against your neck.
Wear it to office meetings, business dinners, courthouse weddings, and any day when one style has to survive from morning to evening.
Build a low ponytail an inch above the elastic. Divide the hair above the elastic with your finger to create a channel. Flip the tail up, through the channel, and let it fall. The elastic pulls itself into a neat inverted twist.
Stylist tip: repeat the flip a second time on the tail itself, six inches down, for a chained effect. See our choppy ponytail walkthrough if you want the tail itself to look textured rather than blunt.
Bubble Ponytail
Bubbles turn a shoulder-length ponytail into an updo by giving the tail its own architecture. Medium hair is the ideal length. Long enough for two or three bubbles. Short enough that the tail doesn't drag past your shoulder blades.
Wear it to casual weddings, weekend brunches, first days of school, and anywhere you want a Y2K reference without a full costume.
Secure a low or mid ponytail with a clear elastic. Add another elastic two inches down. Repeat until you run out of tail. Pull each section outward gently between the elastics to inflate the bubbles.
Stylist tip: hide the elastics by wrapping a strand of hair around each one, or by clipping a small pearl on top. The finished detail is what separates this from looking like a gym pony.
Braided Topknot
The upside-down Dutch braid into a topknot is a workhorse style. It's tidy, it lasts, and it works whether you're headed to the gym or the office.
Ideal for school pickups, workouts, long travel days, and any morning that started five minutes late.
Flip your head forward. Dutch-braid, three strands, weaving under, from the nape up to the crown. Sit back up, gather everything with the tail into a topknot, twist, and secure with a bun-shaped elastic or U-pins.
Stylist tip: this is one of the best all-day looks for teens and busy mornings. Steal more ideas from our cute hairstyles for school collection. Finish with a mist of texturizing spray held twelve inches above the crown.
Messy Bun With A Wrap Around Braid
A messy bun is what medium hair does naturally when you stop fighting it. The wrap-around braid is the touch that says you meant to leave it loose.
Wear it to garden parties, farmers' markets, casual weddings, and any event with the word vibe in the description.
Build a loose bun at the crown or nape with a soft elastic. Don't smooth it. You want texture. Braid a one-inch section from behind your ear and wrap it over the top of the bun. Tuck the tail underneath and pin.
Stylist tip: pull three or four tendrils loose around the face after you finish. Pull them from underneath the bun, not from the front, so they fall in the direction your hair naturally grows.
Low Bun With A Headband
A thin headband turns any low bun into something wedding-ready. Medium hair provides just enough surface to hold the band without it sliding forward.
Wear it to weddings, christenings, engagement photos, and any daytime event with a dress code.
Build a low bun at the nape. Slide a thin metallic or pearl headband over your head, resting it two inches back from your hairline. Push it forward or back until it lands in the flattest section of your head to keep it stable.
Stylist tip: press a dab of styling cream along the underside of the band before you set it. The tackiness stops the band from slipping backward as your scalp muscles relax through the day.
Face Shapes
The right updo balances your face's proportions. Medium hair gives you enough flexibility to tweak the same style four different ways.
- Oval: Almost any updo works. A high topknot or voluminous twist plays up your natural symmetry.
- Square: Leave two soft tendrils down at the temples to soften the jawline. Avoid pulling everything back tight.
- Round: Build height at the crown with a teased topknot or a raised chignon. Vertical volume elongates the face.
- Heart: Anchor the style low. A nape bun with a side part balances a wider forehead. Add a side-swept fringe if you already wear one.
- Long: Keep the silhouette wide. A low, spread chignon or a scarf-wrapped bun adds horizontal weight instead of stacking upward. This is also the face shape where the shorter bob haircut shines when you're ready to cut length instead of pin it up.
Styling Tips
The difference between an updo that survives eight hours and one that collapses at hour three is almost always product and prep.
- Skip the wash. Second-day hair grips pins. Freshly clean hair slides. If you must style on wash day, mist texturizing spray at the roots and mid-lengths first.
- Prime with texture. A dry texturizing spray or a light dry shampoo gives medium hair the friction it needs to hold a coil. Mist, wait sixty seconds, then rake through with your fingers.
- Choose the right pin. Flat bobby pins for surface work. U-pins for anchoring buns. French pins for twists. The wavy side always faces your scalp.
- Cross your pins. For high-stress zones (the base of a bun, the seam of a French twist, the anchor of a topknot), always cross two bobby pins into an X. One pin locks the other in place.
- Finish with flexible hold. A brushable, working-hold hairspray holds without turning crunchy. Mist twelve inches away in short passes.
- Two mirrors. Set a hand mirror in front of you and use the bathroom mirror behind. You cannot fix what you can't see.
FAQs (Updos for Medium Hair)
How do I keep my updo from falling out?
Prep for grip and pin with intention. Start with second-day hair or misted texturizing spray. Cross two bobby pins into an X at every pressure point (the base of a bun, the seam of a French twist, the anchor of a topknot). The wavy side of the pin faces your scalp so it bites in. Finish with a flexible-hold hairspray twelve inches away, not close-range where it turns the style stiff and brittle. If a section still slips, backcomb the root underneath before you re-pin. That extra friction usually solves it.
Can I do these styles with layers?
Yes, and layers actually help most of them. Braided styles, messy buns, and topknots incorporate shorter pieces naturally. The layers add texture where you'd otherwise have to add teasing. For sleeker styles like the chignon or French twist, mist your front layers with a light-hold spray and press them into the shape with your palm before you pin. Save the sleekest looks for shoulder-plus length. Very short layered pixies belong in a different guide.
What is best tool for medium hair updos?
Build a small kit: a boar-bristle brush for smoothing, a fine-tooth comb for backcombing, U-shaped hairpins, standard bobby pins in your hair color, clear elastics in two sizes, a soft scrunchie, and a can of texturizing spray. Skip the metal rat-tail comb. The pointed end tears medium-length ends. If you build a bun daily, one bun-shaped elastic (a wide fabric band the size of a bagel) makes the finish faster and cleaner.
Conclusion
Medium hair rewards the stylist who works with the length instead of against it. Low buns, tucked twists, wrapped chignons, and half-updos are what the shoulder-to-collarbone zone was built for. Keep texturizing spray in your kit. Cross your pins. Finish with flexible-hold hairspray held at arm's length. The 20 updos for medium hair above cover work, weddings, weekends, and everything in between. Pick two or three to master and you'll never be stuck for a look again.
