20 Simple Hair Up Hairstyles 2027

Updos have a reputation for being complicated, but the simple versions are often the most flattering. The current shift favors soft face-framing layers and lived-in color, which give even a basic bun a modern, glossy finish.

These 20 Simple Hair Up Hairstyles span the range from sleek and polished to loose and textured, with options for every hair density and lifestyle. Whether you have fine hair that struggles to hold a twist or thick hair that needs extra pinning, there’s a style here that works. No more wrestling with a fringe that won’t sit or a bun that falls flat by noon.

1. Sleek Twisted Low Bun With Root Shadow

The design here is almost architectural: a low bun twisted tight enough that the spiral reads clearly from every angle. This one requires mid-back length hair that is naturally straight and thick, because the polish comes from the surface, not from fillers. Ask your stylist for: sleek low twisted bun, subtle root shadow. Apply smoothing serum to damp hair before blow-drying to kill flyaways at the source, then twist and pin section by section. The root shadow buys you about six weeks before the blonde needs a refresh, and a trim every eight weeks keeps the ends dense enough to hold the shape.

2. Wavy Low Twisted Bun With Face Tendrils

Can you get a low twisted bun that looks intentional without looking stiff? Yes, and the secret is the texture you bring into it. This version works on wavy, medium-density hair at medium-long length, with soft face-framing tendrils that keep the overall shape from feeling too severe. Ask your stylist for: low twisted bun with soft face-framing pieces. A texturizing spray on damp waves gives the grip that straight hair lacks, so the twist holds without a dozen pins. This is a DIY-level style: five minutes of twisting, two pins, and you are done. Highlights need a toning visit roughly every ten weeks.

3. Voluminous Updo With Wispy Bangs

This updo banks on height, and that kind of volume needs thick, wavy hair with enough natural grip to hold a tease. Medium-long length is the minimum here; anything shorter and the twist pulls the crown flat. The wispy bangs are the key softening element for square and round face shapes. Ask your stylist for: soft voluminous updo with wispy face-framing bangs. Gently back-comb the crown section before wrapping it into the updo, then set with a flexible hold hairspray so the shape stays bouncy. This is a salon-level construction. Re-creating the same height at home takes practice, and the bangs need a trim every three weeks to stay wispy and light.

4. Elegant Gray Chignon With Soft Waves

Not every elegant chignon has to read as severe. This one is built on fine, wavy hair at mid-back length, with soft waves that prevent the low nape placement from looking matronly. The subtle blonde highlights add a little dimension without fighting the gray base. Ask your stylist for: elegant chignon, soft waves. A fine-tooth comb and a light-hold spray are enough to keep the surface smooth and the pins secure. This style lands naturally at formal events, where a chignon that stays put for hours is worth more than a complicated braid that does not.

5. High Voluminous Updo With Soft Curls

Height at the top, softness at the edges: this updo works because the volume sits high on the crown while the curls stay loose and rounded. It demands thick, wavy hair of long length, because you need enough weight to build a substantial shape without it looking sparse. Ask your stylist for: high voluminous updo with soft curls. Curl each section around a large barrel wand and pin it into the bun while the curl is still warm; letting it cool in place locks the bend. The volume deflates faster on fine hair, and the pins need to be placed strategically or the whole thing lists to one side after an hour. This is a salon-level construction for a reason.

6. Sleek High Ponytail With Wispy Strands

A high ponytail secured at the crown pulls hair up immediately. Mid-back length, thick straight dark brown hair with subtle highlights works best for this finish; the hair helps the sleek shape hold. Ask your stylist for: sleek high ponytail with wispy face-framing strands.

A smoothing serum is essential for this ultra-sleek finish, especially on thicker hair types. Wrap a strand of hair around the base of the ponytail to hide the elastic, giving it a polished look. This style needs a trim every six to eight weeks to keep the ends clean and the line sharp.

7. Braided Updo With Side Swept Bangs

Multiple braids look woven together when placed strategically. Mid-back length blonde balayage hair with wavy texture holds the sections in place naturally, and the side swept bangs soften the forehead. Ask your stylist for: intricate braided updo with side swept bangs. For a DIY attempt, braid damp hair for defined texture, then loosen each braid slightly before pinning it into the updo. A salon visit is the safer route for the intricate structure, but the finishing looseness you can do at home.

8. Elegant Twisted Updo With Wispy Bangs

A twisted bun sits between a smooth ballerina knot and a messy chignon on the effort spectrum. Long, thick wavy blonde hair is twisted into an elegant updo with wispy bangs and soft tendrils left out to soften the silhouette. Ask your stylist for: elegant twisted updo, wispy bangs. Compared to a tight topknot, this style needs less tension and allows the natural wave to show through. The twist can loosen faster on very slippery, fine hair, so using a texturizing spray on waves before twisting is the best grip strategy.

Wispy bangs here do the work of framing without requiring the rest of the hair to be perfectly placed. The side view shows how the twisted sections stack, creating volume at the crown without backcombing. This style favors those with thick hair who want an updo that does not look constructed.

9. Low Chignon With Loose Tendrils and Pins

A low chignon at the nape keeps the bulk of medium-long, thick wavy dark brown hair contained while loose tendrils soften the neckline. Decorative floral and leaf pins are threaded through the twist after it is secured, adding a romantic detail without extra styling effort. Ask your stylist for: low chignon with decorative floral pins. To get close at home, gather the hair at the nape, twist it into a coil, and pin it flat against the head. Add the pins after the shape is set so they do not slide out. A flexible hold hairspray keeps tendrils in place without stiffening them.

10. High Bun With Dramatic Side-Swept Bang

Medium-long, thick straight black hair is pulled into a high, voluminous bun, and a dramatic side-swept bang is swept across the forehead. The height of the bun elongates the face, while the swept bang balances a larger forehead or softens a square jawline. Ask your stylist for: high voluminous bun, dramatic swept side bang.

This style requires strong hold on the bang or it will separate within an hour. A strong hold gel or pomade slicked through the bang keeps the line clean and defined. The bang needs a trim every four to six weeks to maintain the precise sweep. Straight, thick hair carries this shape best because it does not buckle under the product weight.

11. Double Braided Buns With Middle Part

This is not the single low bun you have done a hundred times. Two braided buns sit at the nape, built from a precise middle part that runs from crown to hairline. The symmetry demands careful sectioning: one side a millimeter wider and the whole thing reads crooked. Thick, wavy, mid-back length hair in a blonde base with lighter highlights gives the braids enough weight to hold their shape without constant pinning. Ask your stylist for: double braided buns with a middle part. The braids need to be tight before they are coiled into buns, or the whole structure loosens within an hour. A shine spray over the finished set keeps flyaways in check. The real drawback is the takedown: each braid has to be unwoven, not pulled apart, and that takes patience.

Oval and long faces carry the center part well. Round faces may find it adds width at the crown, so ask your stylist to shift the part a half inch off-center. The look reads formal, but the construction is not complicated for a stylist who knows their way around a braid.

12. Twisted Low Bun With Floral Accents

How do you make a low bun feel like an event? Add flowers. Thick, wavy, mid-back length blonde hair with subtle highlights is twisted into an intricate low bun, then dotted with pink blooms and green sprigs. The flowers do the work the hair cannot: they give the updo a reason to exist beyond holding strands off the neck. Ask your stylist for: intricate twisted low bun with floral accents. This is a spring or summer wedding look, or a garden-party situation where real flowers make sense. Fresh stems need to be wired into the bun a few hours before the event, or they wilt before the first dance. A flexible hold hairspray locks the twists in place without making the petals sticky.

13. Intricate Braided Updo With Highlights

An intricate braided updo is a series of small decisions: which section to braid first, how tight to pull each pass, where to pin the finished rope so it lies flat. The back view of this style shows blonde hair with highlights, layered and thick, woven into a shape that extends to mid-back. Wavy texture helps the braids grip each other; straight hair would need a texture spray to keep the strands from sliding apart.

Ask your stylist for: intricate braided updo. The hold depends on the tension of each braid and the number of pins used. A light mist of hairspray over the finished style keeps wispy ends from escaping. Upkeep is minimal: the updo stays intact through a full evening, but sleeping in it is not recommended. Undo the braids before bed or you wake up with a crimp pattern that takes a wash to reset.

14. Elegant Intricate Low Bun With Highlights

Notice the construction: this low bun is not a simple twist-and-pin. Thick, wavy shoulder-length hair in a blonde base with dimensional highlights is sectioned and woven into an intricate bun that sits at the nape. Ask your stylist for: elegant intricate low bun. The word intricate is the one that matters. A neat bun is a five-minute job. An intricate bun involves multiple sections, each twisted separately and pinned in a sequence that creates visible texture. This is a salon-only request: the hand positioning and pin placement take practice to get right without the whole thing collapsing. The payoff is a shape that holds through a ceremony, a meal and a dance floor without needing a touch-up.

15. Braided Updo With Flowers and Loose Tendrils

Can you get close to this at home? Sort of. Long, thick, wavy brown hair with balayage highlights is braided into an intricate updo, with small white flowers tucked into the twists and loose tendrils left out around the nape. The tendrils are the trick: they soften the whole shape so it does not look like a medieval helmet. Ask your stylist for: intricate braided updo with flowers and loose tendrils. At home, you can braid the base and pin it into a bun, then weave in a few small flowers or decorative pins. The tendrils should be pulled out deliberately, not left as strays. Fresh flowers need to be secured with small pins or wire, and even then, they may tilt sideways after an hour of movement. Fake flowers last longer but read less natural.

16. Braided Updo With Auburn and Blonde Highlights

An intricate braided updo at the nape makes every strand of auburn and blonde highlights visible, which a smooth twisted bun simply cannot do. Thick, wavy hair of medium-long length holds the braid pattern best; finer textures risk the detail getting lost. Ask your stylist for: intricate braided updo with auburn and blonde highlights. Apply a texturizing spray before braiding to keep each twist distinct and not fuzzy. The braid itself holds well for a full day, but the real work is in the highlights: a toning gloss every six to eight weeks stops the blonde from pulling brassy against the auburn base.

17. Sleek Low Bun For Fine Hair

Ask your stylist for: sleek low bun, smooth finish. Work a smoothing cream through damp hair, then comb it back with a fine-tooth comb before securing the bun. A light layer of hairspray keeps flyaways in check for the day. A trim every six weeks keeps the ends neat enough to pull back without split ends fraying the silhouette.

18. Textured Updo With Loose Strands

A twisted bun at the back leaves soft strands falling around the nape, turning a formal updo into a romantic style. Long, thick, wavy hair with blonde highlights has enough weight to hold the twist and enough texture to make the loose pieces look deliberate. Ask your stylist for: textured updo with soft loose strands. The loose ends need to be placed, not just left: tuck a few, let a few fall, or the effect looks messy instead of softened. A flexible hold hairspray keeps everything in place for an evening.

19. Large Intricate Textured Updo

A large, textured bun sitting at the back of the head uses a middle part and loose face-framing pieces to balance its size. Thick, wavy hair with a blonde and brown balayage has enough density to build that scale without collapsing. Ask your stylist for: large intricate textured updo with loose face-framing pieces. Start with a strong-hold mousse on damp hair to give each section grip before pinning. The balayage helps: lighter ends against a darker root create depth that keeps a big bun from looking like a single blob. Plan on about twenty minutes of pinning, because every section needs to be anchored individually.

20. Voluminous Updo With Soft Curls and Bangs, Long

How do you describe that crown volume to a stylist without sounding vague? Start with the shape: dramatic height at the crown, soft curls cascading down, wispy bangs left out to frame the face. Thick, wavy hair of long length with blonde highlights has the texture to hold that lift and the weight to keep it from falling flat. Ask your stylist for: dramatic voluminous updo with soft curls and wispy bangs. This is a salon style rather than a DIY job: the volume requires sectioning and pinning that is hard to replicate on yourself, and the wispy bangs need a precise cut to land softly rather than bluntly.

Final Thoughts

Choose your updo based on your hair’s natural behavior. Fine hair needs added texture and volume, so reach for a texturizing spray before twisting. Thick hair can handle sleek, pulled-back styles and intricate braids without losing shape.

• Refresh texture with dry shampoo or texturizing spray before styling.
• Use hairspray or pomade to tame flyaways for a sleek finish.
• Secure styles with bobby pins that match your hair color.
• Let hair cool completely after heat styling before putting it up.

Simple updos are your secret weapon for instant polish.