Consider it one of life’s great ironies, but when it comes to beauty, the most undone looks usually take the most effort. Ever seen a celebrity waltz down the red carpet with a subtle face of makeup that says “I’m too cool to care” or a head of messy beach waves that look perfectly nonchalant?  Well, since we are beauty sages, we all know those looks took hours and countless products to craft—the jig is up Anniston. Unfortunately, our struggle to master the perfect, “I-roll-out-of-bed-cool” messy bun, has also required a massive amount of effort (and many lost moments). Usually it’s either too messy and deflated, too ballerina-tight, or just wrong all together… until now. We found a fool-proof way to nail the perfectly messy bun in just 3 (MDC tested) steps.

1. First, pull your hair into a loose ponytail, as high or as low as you’d like it. Don’t use a comb or worry about your strands being perfectly slicked back—the look is effortless.

2. Separate the hair in your ponytail into two or three sections and tease. Teasing is the key step that totally changed our bun game—it gives you the volume and messy texture you need to pull off the look and keeps your bun from ballerina status.

3. Separate your teased hair into two sections and wrap the hair in opposite directions, as you would when creating a topknot. But, instead of pinning your hair neatly in, secure your hair with a bobby pin about an inch from the bottom of your strands, leaving the ends to fray around your bun and create a messy effect. If you feel like the body of your bun is too tight, gently pull it apart with your hands or the end of a comb. We also like to pull a few rogue pieces out around the face.

MDC Tip: One of our favorite things about buns is they work well on dirty hair (snooze button, am I right?) but if your hair is clean and you want to pull off the look, spray your hair with dry shampoo to add some texture and grip.

And there you have it—effortless style that’s actually easy to achieve. Have any messy bun tips of your own? Spill below!