The Mesh Chignon

When I was a little girl, I had long, thick hair and when I went to ballet class I had a nice, thick bun on the crown of my head. Twenty years later, and although my hair is still fairly thick, it is no longer one length and all of my layers have led to a very small bun. I've tried to make it bigger, but it in evidently always collapses : (

A few weeks ago my girlfriends and I were meeting up on a Friday night for our International Dinner club at a fondue restaurant, then were going to come back to my house to watch Season 1 of Paradise Hotel and have a sleep-over. Really, we had the ultimate Friday night planned. Boy, was I not prepared for how much my life was going to change that night. 

My lovely friend Amy has the most gorgeous, thick, long, shiny, glossy brunette hair. It's really something to be envied. Like myself, she is always in search for great new hair products. I received a text before we met for dinner saying that she had just purchased a new "hair foundation" that day at Sally's Beauty Supplies and that it would blow my mind. After a fabulous dinner we came back to my house and Amy revealed her secret. 

She had purchased a mesh chignon (what Sally calls it), or a hair donut bun (what the Chinese call it). 

In short, by placing it over your ponytail, and wrapping your hair around it, you can create a large bun on the crown of your head that won't collapse or fall out. My dreams of having a great bun were now realized!!

I was heading off the Europe the next week where I knew it was going to be very hot and that I'd have to pull my hair up often. The bun proved to be my "go to" look for the whole trip. I was so excited in fact that I had my boyfriend take pictures of me and my bun in various locations across Rome and Croatia. It got a little obsessive if you can imagine!

In Hvar, Croatia

At the Vatican

In Dubrovnik

Here is a quick video to show how to use the big bun properly. 

You can purchase the mesh chignon from Sally for about $5, or I bought 10 buns from China for $14. Each of my friends will be receiving their own mesh bun. It will be an Oprah moment for me, "you get a bun, you get a bun, you get a bun".

In the hot summer months, or at a glamourous Christmas party, who cares about a free car when everyone will be looking at your huge hair bun!