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:
Fancy Five Minute Hairstyle Using Overnight Sock Bun Curls
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.