Your Definitive Guide to Getting a Flawless Slicked-Back Bun

21.08.2026, 03:32 allure.com

A slicked-back bun looks simple. In theory, you create one by just pulling your hair back and twisting it into a knot. Voilà: instant model-off-duty elegance, right?

In reality, you’re standing in front of a mirror a half hour after you were supposed to be out the door with a mysterious bump and countless flyaways. The entire point of the style is for every strand to look intentionally (and impossibly) in place, which can make achieving it feel like a test of both patience and upper-body strength.

Despite the frustrations that come with creating one, a truly sleek bun doesn't require growing a third arm and relentless yanking of your strands. The right styling products and tools from prep to finish will do most of the work. We spoke with hairstylists and Allure editors who regularly wear their hair in the updo about what makes the difference between a smooth, polished bun and a messy, uncooperative lump. Ahead, they break down exactly which products to use at each step, with tips tailored to different hair types.

To get the best results, you can’t just jump into yoinking back your strands. If you prioritize the prep process and tailor it to your hair type, you can help ensure a smoother experience with less damage. Hairstylist Chris Russell recommends first spritzing your strands with a heat-protectant spray, then rough-drying your hair. (The Bumble and Bumble Heat Shield Thermal Protection Hair Mist is one of our favorites for reducing frizz and defending against breakage.) Then he suggests running a thermal brush (like the Sutra IR Infrared Thermal Brush) through your hair, saying it helps ensure “even texture, controlled shine, and a seamless finish before pulling your hair back.”

Our resident slicked-back-bun pros and Allure editors don’t all reach for a hot tool after drying their hair. Allure content director Sophie Panych, whose hair is naturally fine and straight, will occasionally touch things up with a flat iron. Social media manager Bianca Richards, who blew out her thick, naturally wavy hair before creating her slicked-back bun, says she reaches for the Wavytalk Thermal Brush for added sleekness. Commerce production assistant Hailey Roy, who has 3C curls, actually skips a hot tool altogether. “I’ve always done slicked-back buns with my natural hair,” she says, adding that she tries her best to keep her strands away from heat.

Content director Sophie Panych creates her middle part

Social media manager Bianca Richards smooths her hair with a thermal brush

Commerce production assistant Hailey Roy massages hair oil into her curls

If your hair is feeling dry, hairstylist Kee Taylor recommends smoothing a lightweight oil through the midlengths and ends to improve manageability and shine. “A little goes a long way, especially on finer hair,” she says. (Roy likes to go in with Rōz Santa Lucia Heat Protectant Styling Hair Oil to lock out humidity and add shine.) Hairstylist Justine Marjan also suggests keeping curly-coily hair slightly wet with water to help with detangling and pulling it back with a wide-tooth comb.

Panych uses two types of brushes to pull back her hair

Richards uses a comb and brush to pull back her hair

Roy separates her hair into two sections with a comb before pulling it back

Ask any of the stylists for the biggest mistake people make when creating a slicked-back bun, and you’ll hear the same answer: trying to brush everything back in one pass. Instead, they recommend building the style section by section. How you do so is up to you, but hairstylist Mandee Tauber has a few tips: She suggests starting by creating a radial part from the crown of your head to the tops of the ears, dividing the hair into a top and bottom section, before styling the bottom first while the top remains clipped up. Roy finds that the pointed end of the Donna Professional Parting Pin Tail Comb makes it easy to create even sections.

On straight or straightened hair, Tauber applies a pomade stick (we love BondiBoost Strawberry Gum Grip Styling Stick for its ability to create hold without flakiness) directly along the hairline before using a boar bristle brush (like the Denman D81M Style & Shine Hair Brush), focusing on “condensing and refining” the hair with long, controlled strokes. “Boar bristles create the tension needed to stretch and smooth the strands,” Taylor explains.

Richards uses a comb and a brush—the Cécred Parting Tail Comb and La Bonne Brosse N.01 The Universal Brush—to ensure nothing pokes out. Once the first section is smooth, she secures it into a small ponytail with an elastic before releasing the top section and repeating the process.

For curly and coily hair, Taylor advises working in even smaller sections, “smoothing each one individually before gathering everything together. This helps preserve control without overworking the hair.” Instead of a pomade stick, Tauber recommends using Oribe Gel Sérum on coils, applying a generous amount around the hairline before smoothing it back with a boar bristle brush. If additional hold is needed, Marjan recommends spraying Paul Mitchell Firm Hold Super Clean Extra Hairspray on the roots and brushing back before wrapping a second elastic around everything.

That may seem like a lot of product, but it’s actually the healthier approach, according to Taylor. “The key is to let the brush and styling product do most of the work rather than pulling excessively tight,” she says. That way, you avoid unnecessary stress on the scalp.

Russell likes to position the ponytail at the crown with the direction of the hair running parallel to the cheekbones. He says the higher placement creates a natural lifting effect and gives the face “a more sculpted, snatched appearance.” That said, a slicked-back bun works both high and low, so placement is a matter of personal preference.

Richards uses hair oil to smooth her ponytail

Before turning the ponytail into a bun, hairstylist Taylor Carter recommends preparing it for volume. She dusts texturizing powder (we’re fans of IGK Beach Club Texture Powder because it disappears into hair while encouraging oomph) throughout the ponytail before teasing small sections individually. Once the interior has enough fullness, she lightly smooths only the outside layer and finishes with Color Wow Pop & Lock Serum. Richards loves E.L.F. Gloss Mode Treatment Oil for giving hair that extra-gleaming look. The technique creates extra grip while maintaining a shiny exterior and preventing the bun from looking flat.

If you’re after a more compact bun, Tauber suggests that those of you with straighter hair brush your chosen wax or gel stick through the length of the ponytail. On curly or coily hair, she says to lightly mist the ponytail with water before applying a hair gel. (We like Odele Flex Hair Gel for its ability to keep hair sculpted without getting rock-hard.)

This is the time to make tweaks. “Detailing the hairline is what takes a sleek bun from good to great,” he says. Before twisting your ponytail into a bun, he says to use a flat iron to refine the hairline before perfecting baby hairs with a toothbrush-like detailing tool. The Tymo Flaight Holo iron and the DAE Dual-Edge Styling Brush make a winning team for this—the iron fights frizz without tugging, while the synthetic boar-like bristles of the teensy-tiny brush erase flyaways.

Richards secures her bun with an elastic

Roy twists her ponytail into a bun and secures it with an elastic

Although every stylist we spoke with twists the ponytail before wrapping it into a bun, the way they build and secure that bun varies depending on hair texture and the end result they’re after.

Tauber twists the entire ponytail into one tight rope before wrapping it around the base. On straighter hair, she tucks the ends underneath and secures the bun with a large U-pin, weaving it through the outer edge of the bun, into the base, and back through the bun so it provides support while remaining virtually invisible. For curly and coily hair, she skips the U-pin, wrapping a large elastic around the completed bun instead.

Panych, who has a background in dance and years of creating ballerina buns under her belt, takes what she considers a more streamlined approach to creating the bun: Instead of separating her hair into two ponytails, she splits a single ponytail into two parts. "In ballet, you don't want this big, knob-like donut thing on your head," she says. "Separating the ponytail helps it lie flatter." After dividing her ponytail and clipping up one section to keep it out of the way, she starts twisting the other section and wraps it around the elastic, doing almost a full loop. She then unclips the other section and begins twisting it into the first, continuing the wrapping process and pinning with U-pins as she goes. “I find that it keeps it more secure because you've got both internal and external pins.”

Panych separates her ponytail into two sections, twists them into a bun, and secures her style with U-pins

Russell intentionally leaves the last inch or two of the ponytail exposed after wrapping the bun. “I like giving it a little personality,” he says. “It keeps the look modern.”

The final step is about adding hold and refining the details that make a slicked-back bun look professionally styled. Taylor applies a few drops of Cécred Restoring Hair & Edge Drops to smooth frizz and add shine without stiffness, while Carter finishes with Davines This Is a Dry Wax Finishing Spray, which locks the bun itself into place while preserving a soft texture. Richards likes to touch up her hairline with the Rizos Curls Sleek Styling Cream + Taming Wand, and Roy gives the base of her hair a final slick-down with Got2B Glued Styling Spiking Glue.

For coily hair, Marjan offers one extra tip: “After styling, sometimes I like to wrap the hairline in a silk scarf for at least 20 minutes to set the style and prevent any frizz or flyaways.”

These hairstylist- and editor-approved methods take the guesswork out of a slicke