I have wild long hair and whilst I am still perfecting the hair bun on myself, I am near parfait when it comes to my daughter's hair and trust me when I say her standards are high-key! So, a self proclaimed expert in the craft of ballet buns, here are my tips. I hope you save on money, time and tears with my help. But first a history lesson!

The ballet bun has a rich history spanning centuries. Historical artifacts and artworks first show the ballet bun being worn during the Italian Renaissance period during the 15th & 16th Centuries. The ballet bun was worn to keep hair out of the face of dancers whilst also presenting an elegant appearance. The practical and aesthetic purpose of this hairstyle meant the ballet bun was embraced by the French ballet masters who created the foundations of ballet and the artform that we know as ballet today.

Oh, and how did the beautiful ballet craft arrive in France? An Italian noblewoman, Catherine de’ Medici, become the Queen of France and she introduced to the French court the Italian's fondness for dance. The first 'real' ballet was performed under her reign. Fascinating, right?

Dancers have been putting their hair in buns for hundreds of years...so you can imagine my shock when I could not find a product to achieve a flawless ballet bun. Dancers deserved more and that is why I created The Ballet Balm.

Before you get started, I promise this will make your life easier...please ensure you have within reach :

• A fine misted spray bottle filled with water
• A smoothing hair brush
• A firm toothbrush (yes, you read that correctly! an essential for your haircare kit)
• Hair ties (same colour as hair, I have one thick one for the initial ponytail and one thinner one for the bun itself)
• Hair pins that resemble the colour of your hair Hair net (optional)
• an opened jar of The Ballet Balm

A note on hair spray

I am not a fan of hair spray given most hair sprays I have used make hair very crunchy sticky and dry which can result in breakages. I do acknowledge that hair spray may be required if you are getting hair ready for a performance or competition and need extra hold. I am still working on finding the perfect one and will report back once I get to a point where I am happy with performance and ingredients.

Step 1 - Hair prep

It is much easier to work with hair that has not been washed within the past two days. Hair should also be dry. Brush hair thoroughly to ensure all knots are out.

Step 2 - Apply The Ballet Balm

Take a small amount of The Ballet Balm and melt it by rubbing in between your fingertips. Smooth The Ballet Balm through the hair. This initial application is to prepare the hair for the ponytail providing the foundation for the ballet bun. This stage of application is providing tackiness and initial smoothing to effectively prepare your hair canvass for the pony tail stage.

Step 3 - The ponytail

Are you doing a low or high bun? Make that decision and then gather hair and position into position. If low, position about 3 cms (approx 1 inch) from the nape of the neck. You need to leave room for the bun to wrap around the base of the ponytail without it sitting on the skin of your neck (even more important if wearing a doughnut). If high, the ponytail position should be centre crown of head - the aim here is that you want to see the top part of the bun peeking above your crown if you are looking directly at your face. Once you have your position, the brushing begins. Brush hair from hairline to the ponytail until all bumps are gone and secure with a smooth hair tie. If this is proving challenging, for extra muscle, spray the hair with a fine mist of water and lightly spray over the hair surface and brush through as you work to remove the bumps. The objective is not to make hair wet, just lightly damp so the canvass is easier to smooth. Melt some more Ballet Balm in between fingertips and you can either smooth over the hair brush (secret technique) or directly onto the hair itself. Continue to brush hair until smoothed and secure with smooth hair tie. This stage is the most important and will determine whether you make or break the perfect Ballet Balm. So be patient, you will get there and all hair is different so you may need to use more water or Ballet Balm depending on hair type and tackiness of hair.

Step 4 - The ballet bun

Brush out the ponytail and ensure it is smooth. Now you can twist and wrap the hair directly around the base of the ponytail. The method that works for me is to split the ponytail into half and twist one half of the ponytail and wrap around the base of the ponytail and secure this section with hair pins. Take the other section and wrap (in the other direction) around the base of the ponytail and secure with hair pins.

Step 5 - Secure

Use hair pins that match your hair colour to secure the ballet bun into place. Slide the pins through the edge of the bun (downwards towards the scalp) and then into the base (changing direction with the pin toward the ponytail base) with even spacing to ensure your ballet bun is extra secure. This pin method is one that took me a while to master but once you do, it is a gamechanger.

Step 6 - Smoothing

If you find any flyaways or feel better with some extra hold, take a small amount of The Ballet Balm, melt again between fingertips and apply to the hair surface that needs smoothing. A secret that works for me is to pick up your toothbrush and rub the toothbrush into the melted hair balm so it covers the bristles of the toothbrush. Use the toothbrush to smooth any cheeky flyaways that continue to evade you.

Step 7 - Accessories

If you are adding a hair net, do this now. Wrap the hair net, that is the same colours as your hair, around hair bun and secure with hair pins. Now you are ready to dance out the door....or to adorn your ballet bun with extra prettiness like our favourite Ballerina Bun Blossoms! 

I hope you like my ode and tips on how to achieve the most timeless and iconic hairstyle in the world. The Ballet Bun! (I will post another blog and video on how to achieve the perfect ballet bun with a hair doughnut due to high demand)

Remember dance like nobody is watching.

Love,
Amber
Founder, Pointe Hair Company
#makeyourpointe