I have gotten a huge response from my post on sock bun curls! It is an easy and beautiful way to style your long hair, especially for busy moms- on the go. I had numerous questions and wanted to give you lady’s a video example of sock bun curls.
I am so excited to hear that so many of you are trying the sock bun curls. If you have not read my first post on this easy style, please do. It gives a photo and picture tutorial on how to get beautiful curls in your sleep using a sock. I am also glad to know that I am not the only mother that has run out the door a complete mess on many occasions! I have used this technique on my own hair many times and get great results. I have gotten a lot of comments from people saying that it looked great, some saying that it did not work on their hair, and some wanting to know more and see a video.
I hope that I did not give anyone false hope in my previous post by saying anyone can do this. When I said that, I meant that everyone has a sock on hand, and everyone can roll it in their long hair. However, this technique will not work on every single type of hair. The results in my picture will not be the same on every hair type. I think the best way to look at the sock bun curls is with an open mind and willingness to try something new and experiment with your own hair. For me, it is a fun and easy alternative to curling my entire head of hair with a curling iron. If you are going to give the sock bun curls a try – do it at a time that gives you the option to try again in case it does not work for your hair type. Since every type of hair reacts differently to styling methods, I cannot give you all the answers, but I hope that you will experiment on your own so that you can make this work for you. The time and effort that you will save in the long run is well worth the effort. I have created a video for you all so that you can see exactly how I roll a sock and put it into my own hair to create curls.
The first video will show you how to roll your sock (with the toe cut off) into a ring. It also demonstrates how I put my hair into a ponytail and spritz it with water. Basically, video number one is how to prepare your sock and hair for putting in a sock bun.
Video number two will show you how I actually wrap my hair onto the sock ring to create the sock bun. This process is pretty simple once you get it started, especially if you do not have layers in your hair. If you do have layers, like I do, this process is doable if you are patient and take your time. I do my best to neatly tuck and smooth all of the layers under the sock then do one roll of the sock and repeat. Tuck and smooth, roll, and repeat. Practice makes perfect here! Don’t be afraid to take it out and start again if it doesn’t feel smooth. Your curls will not be smooth if they are not rolled neatly onto the sock.
Here are three pictures of my own hair using the sock bun to create curls. Picture number one is a sock bun applied to just showered and air dried hair. These are the exact curls that I got from the sock bun that I applied in the video. You can see the before of my hair in video number one.
Picture number two is day two of sock bun curls (from the above picture) put half up.
Picture three is a sock bun applied to day old hair.
A few other tips for you to try:
To get rid of the “kink” from the hair band try wrapping a small section of your hair around the ponytail and securing with a bobby pin (instead of using a hair tie). I would also suggest trying a “scrunchie” type hair tie or a doubled up knit headband (as I did in video number 1) in place of an elastic hair tie. A reader suggested that you use the tip of the sock that you cut off, and another cuts the hair tie out after the bun is in place.
If you get “frizzy curls” I suggest adding some hair product (anti frizz serum or something along those lines) before your hair drys. If your hair is frizzy to begin with you might need to blow dry it smooth before you try the sock bun (I realize that requires heat) but you still are not putting a hot iron in your hair and the result will be much different for you.
Make sure that your hair is completely dry before you remove your sock bun in the morning. You may have to experiment with the level of dampness that you begin with in your hair. It is a crucial part of making nice curls using a sock bun.
I have also heard others suggest using more than one sock for ladies with a ton of hair, or a small child sized sock for tighter curls on hard to curl hair. I have not tried either on my own hair – but think that both techniques would work to achieve a different effect on other types of hair. Have fun and experiment! I have found that it works best for me on day old hair (after it has smoothed out a bit from air drying). Happy curling – I hope that my video gives you a good visual of how to roll a sock bun to get curls. I truly hope that this helps moms- or busy woman like me who put them selves last but would like to look fancy now and again!
Sock Bun Inspired Hairstyles
If you are looking for a quick hairstyle using the sock bun curl technique, you can find one here:
thanks for the video!! excited to try it!
Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with us 🙂 I really needed the pictorial/video. I’ve been wanting to get a perm forever, but no way!! So, I’ve been just using a curling iron regularly. Thanks again
You ROCK! Thanks, I can’t wait to try it with my hard to curl hair. Will let you know how it works out.
So thankful you shared your wisdom (and time, talent, etc) to help us mamas in need! 🙂 Great visual tutorial. I’m trying it tonight!
thanks for this great idea! Im a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids and NO time for beautification anymore! this is the longest my hair has ever been and I am so thankful for a new technique to try! Just got my bun up, can’t wait to see results in the morning. 🙂 Thanks again, Liz.
My Mother use to curl our hair years ago with strips of cloth instead of socks. You just cut strips of cloth and roll your damp hair around them and tie a knot just like with the socks. Gets the same results. But I do like the sock bun ideal.
Thanks
So Curious- many said they were going to try this. Did you try it and how did it tuen out?
idk how to do this! its so hard and i have short side bangs and its very hard ;( my bun is very messey and keeps falling out any advice?
I have the same problem I put my messy bun up high and used a hair clip to clip the bun to my head in front so it won’t hurt to lay on it. Also used a little mist of hairspray to keep a light hold.
Hope you have some luck with the sock bun I did after some fine adjustments 🙂
I tried it last night and it worked like a charm. I have pretty long hair and layers, but you just kind of have to go for it. The video is really really helpful. I touched up a couple curls in the morning but it cut my styling time to practically nothing. It’s practically a miracle. Makes mornings so much less daunting.
I am featuring you tomorrow during sticker time…
Thank you SO much for sharing 😉
Many Thanks Desiree!! I hope your readers enjoy it!
Wow this really works, I love it. I have hard to curl hair and hate sleeping in foam rollers, the sock didn’t bother me at all. Thank you for sharing a great idea.
This worked great for me too. However,I cant seem to get my thin hair tight enough. But the curls come out great and so easy to sleep in.
That’s funny, I can’t seem to get my thick hair tight enough! My bun is huge!
YAY!! Now I may have a chance at actually looking put together when I leave the house! The pony tail I’ve been rocking since my newest addition came along is getting seriously old.
LOL I laughed a bit at your comment. I’m a first time mom , my baby is now 10 months old and I have seriously just been throwing my hair in either a pony tail or messy bun cause it’s either hair or makeup for me lol
How on earth do you do this with layered hair? I have thick hair to the middle of my back with layers coming to my shoulders. I can’t even get the sock rolled once over without all of my layers falling out. Then I can’t hold the sock up withone hand AND pull my layers up with the other AND roll at the sme time. The more I roll, the more hair falls out of it. I’ve tried a thick sock, a thin sock, product, no product, everything!
I bet if you have heavy, slippery hair this is quite difficult. I haven’t tries this, but what if you cut another sock and didn’t roll it into a ring. Instead, put your ponytail in it (so it spans the length of your hair. Maybe that will keep the layers in place and then you can roll another sock (ring) over it???? Just a thought. Maybe even a piece of cut pantyhose or tights?? Worth a shot, right?
I have a ton of layers in my hair and I also had problems with my layers staying in the bun. I leave the sock unrolled and that way it covers all of my hair and then rolled it down into a bun, it worked out better for me! Good Luck!
what if you flipped over and let gravity keep your hair in the same direction?
I would try 2 sock buns, one for the longer hair and another for your layers.
I just roll it best I can and put another ponytail holder over the whole thing when I’m done. I actually wear it out like that sometimes. It looks like a ballerina bun. :p
ima try it with two sock buns so my hair can be extra curly
I love your tutorial! I have a post about my results waiting to be published on my blog, I hope it’s ok if I linked back to your wonderful videos! I am actually typing this post with a sock bun in my hair!
Thanks so much for the video. I have seen this pinned before and wanted to try it but I couldn’t figure out how to start it. You explained and showed it perfectly! I can’t wait to try it.
Thank you so much – glad you found it easy to follow!
Looking forward to trying this! I have curly/frizzy hair and am ready to try something besides a ponytail!
Hi! funny thing I have naturally curly hair but I like a more controlled curl and “stumbled upon” this site :-)I think this idea is AMAZING!!!!! VERY SMART!! ENVIRONMENT SAFE! HAIR STRENGTH SAFE! TIME SAFE!! EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS JUST AWESOME!!! 2 THUMBS UP! 5 STARS FOR SURE! 🙂 THANKS FOR SHARING!
Couldn’t you just roll your hair around a scrunchie like you used to tie your hair up in the first video instead of cutting up a sock?
It is worth a shot! I would worry that there might not be enough fabric on it to have a solid structure to roll the hair onto. The rolled up sock is far firmer and thicker than the scrunchie but if you had shorter hair – I bet it would give a tighter curl.
this is the coolest idea. i just have one question: will it work for shoulder length hair???
I have done this on my mother in laws hair that is layered and shoulder length. I use a child sized sock and then cut a little extra piece off of the sock and put it around the finished bun to hold down the little ends that don’t quite tuck in. The curls don’t look exactly like in my photo – but they look great on her hair.
I am not a mom but I’m definetely gonna try this!
Ooooh! Very excited to try this!
Maybe I’m a bit slow, but how do you get the bun out the next morning?! Just unroll??
just unroll
Absolutely – just unroll the bun from the base of your ponytail to the ends (opposite of how you rolled it on)! Good luck!
I tried this two nights ago on the night it had been washed, and it came out okay looking in the morning. The biggest tip I would have, is to make sure when you are tucking the ends in, don’t have them going in at awkward angles or crinkled because they will come out that way! I tried it again last night on unwashed hair, and it came out looking lovely today!
Hi, I’m trying it tonight! When u rolled it on unwashed hair did you put product in to get it a little wet or did you spray it a little? I have layers and i think i might have rolled it a little awkward??? Maybe I should redo it and take a little bit more time? thanks!
Hi Kim! I’m trying it tonight! So excited to see how it turns out! I have a lot of layers so it was a little difficult to roll it. I also put a little product in my hair to help with curls? I’ll let you know how it turned out! Thanks for posting this : )
I tried it yesterday and it turned out wonderful, for like one hour… Any tips for keeping this look longer? I put some hairspray in it to hold this look but it just won’t work?
Furthermore, i read your previous post and it mentioned pintrest. I looked into it and was wondering whether you could send me an invite if that is not too much too ask.
Kind regards, Onki
I would try some mouse or gel in your wet hair (I use a combination of both when I use product) and then letting it air dry. Then try the sock bum and see if it holds any better! Good luck!
As far as Pinterest goes I highly recommend it. I love it to keep track inspiring things that I find online. Just sign yourself up on their page and they will invite you via-email! Hopefully I will see you pinning soon!
Is there a kink from the pony tail when you take it out?
I do notice a small kink sometimes, but for me it generally blends in with the curls, and is hardly noticeable. The best technique I have found is to cut an extra piece of the sock toe and use that as a ponytail holder.
That’s what I used and it works perfectly. Seriously, this technique is a lifesaver. I am an actor and often have to do my hair for auditions before I go to work in the morning. This whole sock bun phenomenon means I don’t have to get up super early and wrestle my long hair with the curling iron for curls that don’t even last all day. I undo the sock bun, pin the top back, and I’m out the door. THANK YOU.
So glad to hear that the sock bun has saved you time and effort in your days! It really is a great trick! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
Thanks so much for sharing this! My hair does not stay curled when I use heat on it, but I used the sock bun, kept it in overnight, took it out, and the next day I had curls for twelve or more hours! Very happy with this new idea! 🙂
Love the name of your blog, too! Very cute. 🙂
I am SO SO happy to hear that this works for you!! It is an unbelievable time saver, isn’t it? Thank you for your comment and I’m glad you like my Blog name too 😉
As a mother of 4 little ones I was so excited to try this. I’ve now tried it twice, once without product and once with and I have had the same result both times… clumps of frizz at the bottom and my normal hair everywhere else. I thought maybe I didn’t wet it enough or needed product to control my hair so I made it good and wet and used the same product that I use when ‘scrunching’ my hair. I made sure my ends weren’t kinked and that my hair was brushed out smooth as I rolled it in. Again, clumps of frizz and then straight hair. So upset that this didn’t work
When was the last time that you had your hair trimmed? The ends of our hair take a lot of damage and they may be split and this could keep your ends from styling at all. Just a tip. Hope you find a way for it to work. I am gonna be trying it for work. I might try it a day in advance so I don’t look crazy for work in case it doesn’t work.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I was tired of sifting through videos of annoying teenagers talking throughout the whole thing and cutting out the part where you start to roll it. I appreciate this a lot, you did a great job =)
Thanks for the video!! I found you from pinterest but i have yet to get a invite 🙁 Either way this is really great and I will try it out
I have heard it is taking a long time for the invites to Pinterest lately! Hopefully soon you can join in on the pinning fun.
Im a licensed cosmetologist and jv never lnown how to make a sock
Bun! Im ecstatic to try it right now! Loove this
Linked to the blog I just posted as a non-believer turned convert in one night. My daughter and I found you through Pinterest last night an decided to give it a whirl. I only half tried getting the sock rolled evenly into mine and still ended up with some really nice curls. A couple more attempts with the right balance of wet and a better roll will make it fantastic. Thank you! 🙂
So I tried it tonight so I’ll see in the morning how well it worked out. The first time you tried it were you wanting to call it quits?? I had so much trouble trying to get it rolled in the bun. I’m still not sure I rolled it right lol
I have very long hair and I cannot get this to work! When I put my hair up in the ponytail there are some very long layers, and some shorter layers, so I can’t get the sock up to the tips of my ponytail without the shorter layers all falling out. Any suggestions? I want to try this so bad! And its frustrating, because I am pretty skilled with hair, I usually don’t have struggles like this!
Thanks so much for posting this video and instructions. I have hair that is really long and board straight, so curling takes forever and usually falls out within an hour or two. I tried this for the first time last night, and I couldn’t get the bun nice and even like yours. I still got some nice waves and so I put it up in a ponytail and it was beautiful! I plan on trying this again tonight. Any tips for rolling the bun tight? Mine looks sloppy.
If your is really long you could try making a bigger sock ring! Put two socks together maybe so it is thicker and see if that helps little. Make sure your hair is damp enough to have control over your hair as you wrap and do your best to keep it taught as you roll (which isn’t easy with super long hair)! Hopefully it get easier as you practice a little 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this!!! Your hair looks beautiful!!!! One question before I try this. What do you do with your hair after you take the sock bun out? Do you comb it? Without having tried it yet, I’m thinking if I combed it, my hair might frizz. But I can’t imagine that you wouldn’t comb it.
Your hair should be all combed and prepped before you roll the sock bun onto your hair according to your hair type. Imagine you were going to curl your hair with a curling iron – you have your hair the texture that you want it before you begin styling. That is what you should do here too. I do not comb it after the sock bun is removed. I may run my fingers through a few curls to separate them, but for me I usually can take out the sock and run! Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question. I’ll give it a go. I Pinned this earlier today and it’s been repinned 62 times!!!
I have found that if I seperate my hair into sections and use more rolls-it turns out better for me. My mother told me (when I told her of this fantastic idea) that HER mother rolled thier hair like that in the “olden days”. But that they used knee highs. But as I have found out-they all work for me-damp hair,dry hair,sock or knee high.
I haven’t tried this yet, but it looks great! I was wondering – does it work with curly hair or just straight? Thanks!! 🙂
Hi Michelle – I have a natural wave in my hair, and it looks best if my hair is not curly when you put the roll in (if I blow dry it first, or do it on day old – less frizzy hair). Imagine how you would want your hair texture to be if you were going to curl it with an iron. That is how it should be before you add the sock bun. I have heard people say they have tried it on their curly hair DRY overnight to keep it nice while they sleep. Hope that helps – cheers!
This is NOT easy.
Well, I’ve tried and tried.. just can’t seem to get it rolled up without pieces falling out..
How cool, thanks.
I’ve tried this twice now and am not getting very good results. Your tutorial is fantastic, however. It keeps coming out kinky and frizzy and no actual curls. It looks like I went to the beach on a very windy day. It is very comfortable to sleep in. Agreed, it’s very difficult to roll up without pieces not rolling with the rest. I think I’ll try using hair gel next.
A little tip. I swiped a pair of my husband’s brand new tube socks,cut it off at the heel-put the whole entire sock on my hair and rolled it that way. Less kinks.I did not roll the sock before I put it in my hair.
Hmm! I should try that! I never use heat to curl my hair. Lately I’ve been loving doing headbands curls. I’ve done a sockbun before as a daywear look but never thought to do it with damp hair for curls…hmm.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE !!
Great idea… but I have had long hair for many years, and accomplish the same thing by just twisting my damp hair into a bun, adding three bobby pins before bed. A braid will also give a different look – a nice head of frizz/kinks…Everything old is new again eh!
Thank you! I tried the twisting method as well and loved it! Thanks for the tip!
Very cool!! I am going to try this!
Thanks for this! I didn’t know socks have some other uses like this! I love curling my hair and this is definitely a great find for me! 🙂
WOW .. so awesome! works perfect!! thank you 🙂
I know it was meant for me, since I’m the Mom, but now I wish I had a daughter to try this on. I bet it would save oodles of getting ready time in the morning for moms that have young girls to get ready for school, etc.
When I first put the sock in my hair I was having a few problems with my layers flying out, and I was worried that my hair would start to fall out of the sock because I am a very, well, athletic sleeper and i move around frantically. I used the toe end of my sock that I cut of and streched it over the bun, and I stabbed bobby pins into the base of the sock and under the bun to prevent it from coming off in the night. This worked for me and hope it helps!!
Looks awesome! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks so much for this and your simple, straight forward videos. Not 7 minutes of someone talking and demonstrating how to do it 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂 I know what you are saying – my husband thought it odd that I didn’t even talk in the video – but I think people get the jist without being irritated 🙂
I just loved it. My nine year old has a concert and has to have the curly hair so I tried it and it worked. Best of all no tears. Thank you for sharing.
SO glad it worked for her!! No tears is a big deal and I am so happy that this can be a great alternative for girls at any age!
Great how-to videos; couldn’t ask for better ones. Sadly though, this doesn’t work for my fine, and not especially full, straight hair. The longest ends of my pony tail cover only a tiny portion of the sock ring; meanwhile, the rest is falling out everywhere. Not even close to a bun. Good idea for other hair types, though.
I have heard this from my friend and her hair was curled.
Your an angel for taking the time to do this video. I’ve always wondered how my mother in law got my daughters hair curly after a sleep over at her house. She always told me she does the sock curl but I had nooo idea what or how it was done! She never seemed to want to show me how it was done! Now that my daughters 29 yrs. old now, I still never knewwwww that little sock trick. Wow….thank you soooo much for putting this out here! I kind of want to stick my tongue out now at my mother in law cause THANKS TO YOUUUUUUUUUU —- I KNOW HOW IT WAS DONE NOW! Maybe I’ll have a grand daughter that I can use this on myself someday!Thank you AGAIN FOR PUTTING THIS ON THE COMPUTER!
Well one weekend I over heard my sister in law telling someone, you know women over 50 should cut their hair short. Well I’m over 50 – heading toward my 60s but my hair is longer then it has ever been. Even as a long haired hippyie (as my Grandpa called me 🙂 Anyway since then I have had surgery on both shoulders. With my hair this long, it has been very hard for me to curl my long hair & almost thought maybe my she was right. Then I found your videos & I thought “I could do this..” and rolled my hair up right away. I can’t believe how beautiful it turned out with so little of work involved. Thank you for sharing your videos it saved my long gray hair 🙂 signed – artist at play with hair of curls
I am a teenager, and I found this article to be very informative. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I don’t have a lot of time in the mornings to get ready for school, so this time-saver is awesome! As I type this comment, I have a sock bun in. I can’t wait until the morning!
Love to hear that! So happy it is working so well for you and that it fits into your daily routine!
This was super frustrating! My layers will not allow for this at all. I have up after the seventh try:(
Gave up*
I used pedicure socks, since they already have the toes cut out. One I used for the initial ponytail and the other I used to roll the hair on. Perfect!!
The curls at the bottom of my hair came out beautiful. However, the top of my hair was so frizzy the next day and one side of my hair fell flat after an hour. I know mousse could help, should I apply it right before I roll my hair? or while my hair is drying?
I would apply it to wet hair!
Thanks so much for sharing. I don’t like messing with my hair to much but do want to always look my best. This will be something new for me to try. My hair looks to be just like yours so tonight I’ll give it a try.
I tried it…
I have to say: it takes 30 minutes to brush out my hair!
And it didn’t even worked… Maybe i did it wrong but i realy didn’t had the curls like you had. I’m sorry but I will not try this again.
This post is really helpful! I am so glad you included the videos as well, definitely cleared up some of my confusion. I also have wavy/curly hair that I normally wear curly. When I do I don’t brush it out. Do do this hairstyle, would you recommend brushing out the curls first or styling without?
I so wish i had found this before i got this really bad perm i look like the lion on the wizard of OZ.
I find it easier to get the bun neat and all the ends tucked in neatly if I roll it with my head up side down. About to sleep in it, I’ve put a panty hose ‘sockette’ over the bun to keep together. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out 😉
Thanks so much for the video! Gonna try this tomorrow!!!
Thank you so much for this!!! I am the mom of 3 kids 3 and under, so doing my hair is the last thing on my mind. I tried this last night and it worked great. My hair looks so pretty!
Yeah! So happy to hear that it worked so well for you! It is a true miracle for us busy mommies 🙂
Kim,
I think this is genuinely keen. The post has been going for over two years now. Generally the comments are positive which I like to see. It seems the ones who give up don’t have the right kind of hair type or layers or just didn’t have the patience to get it to work for them. I have a little past shoulder length with layers and think I’m going to try to put my hair through the unrolled sock so I can keep the shorter layers tucked under as I roll the sock into a bun. I will have to watch the video again, but I can’t remember if you used anything after to secure your hair after rolling it all the way down the sock into the bun? I think maybe your hair is long enough that it just stayed in place. Wondering if you have any ideas for securing it in place when it’s completely rolled up or if the sock just holds it in place? I think this is phenomenal. I wish I wouldn’t have cut my hair a couple of years ago. It’s longer now enough to try it though. Super-excited to try and completely understand if it doesn’t work on my hair after reading all of these comments. It’s still a great concept. I’ll just have to let the layers grow out a little more. I’ll get back. Thanks so much! Kim
I’m trying hope my hair will be nice as you…thanks for sharing!! I’m from Brazil, hugs.