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Natural Hair Tutorial: Bun with Marley Hair

By Jenell — May 14, 2013

Looking for a gorgeous protective style that will make you look like you just walked out of a magazine?

I’ve got the style for you!

A bun can take your look from drab to fab! Try this bun using Marley hair for a dramatic look!

This style is easy to create. Your hair has to be long enough to secure into a ponytail. You can place your ponytail on the top of your head or the back.  For me, I secured my ponytail on the top of my head.  When my hair was in its natural state, it wasn’t long enough to get into a ponytail on the top of my head, so I had to blow dry my hair to stretch it out. You decided what method works best for you.

Tools:

Brush for smoothing
Elastic Bands 1-4
Styling Gel
Marley Braiding hair
Hair Pins and Bobby Pins
Blow Dryer (optional)
Heat Protectant (optional/if using blow dryer)
Satin Scarf

Steps:

If you decide to blow dry your hair, follow the directions on how to apply your heat protectant and then blow dry hair.

Secure your hair in a ponytail with an elastic band. You can place your ponytail anywhere you’d like. Use your brush to help smooth your hair into the ponytail. Use another elastic bun to put your hair into a bun. For shorter hair that cannot get into a bun, don’t worry, the Marley hair will cover your ponytail. For longer hair, put your loose ends in a bun, don’t worry about how slick it is, the Marley hair will cover your bun.

When your ponytail is secured in your desired location, take gel and smooth it onto your hair, starting at your hairline and smoothing on towards your ponytail. For very textured hair like mine, use A LOT of gel. And then use A LOT more. And then use A LOT more than that. If you feel like you’re using way too much gel, then use some more. LOL I’m very serious.

After you’ve applied the entire jar of gel onto your head (LOL just joking), take your Marley hair out of the bag. Leave the rubber band on the hair. Take the rubber band and wrap it around your head and then begin to wrap the Marley hair around your bun. Use your bobby pins to secure the Marley hair to the lower part of your ponytail. As you wrap add hair pins to keep the Marley hair in tact.

Don’t stress out. As you wrap the Marley hair around your bun, it may give you trouble. In the end, it will all work out.

Watch this video tutorial to see how I achieved my Marley Bun.

 

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About Author

Jenell Stewart, formally known as BlakIzBeautyful is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Kinky Curly Coily Me. Jenell has a MS in special education and dedicates her time to educating and uplifting women with kinky, curly, coily hair. She big chopped on March 26, 2010 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

View all Jenell posts.
  • http://www.naturalbecomesher.com/ Kiianah P.

    Yaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!! One of my favorites!

  • http://afroniquelyyou.com/ afroniquely | shae

    Looks awesome! And great laying of the edges too!!

    p.s. Heyyyyyy :D

  • sugahoneyicedtea

    Woohoo! with a few modifications, I might have to try this out.

  • Deliciousnrsd

    I love this style sooo much! you ROCK! I mean your creative juices are REALLY flowing! im gonna where this style to a wedding I’m attending in mid August

    • http://kinkycurlycoilyme.com/ Jenell : BlakIzBeautyful

      It’s beautiful for weddings.

  • tlcwoman65

    I like the tutorials very much…the music is so loud that you can hardly hear what you are saying and that is a little frustrating!!!  Could you lower the volume on the music or save the music until you are completely done with the tutorial and are showing the finished product stills…Thanks

    • http://kinkycurlycoilyme.com/ Jenell : BlakIzBeautyful

      Hey love, there is no way to do this now.

  • Dsmith1126

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Im in a wedding next weekend and the bride wants her bridesmaids to have buns!! This is the perfect video as I am transitioning and thought to myself how the heck am I gonna wear a bun?!??!   

    • http://kinkycurlycoilyme.com/ Jenell : BlakIzBeautyful

      You’re so very welcome.

  • http://twitter.com/HerNameisNic Nic Lucien

    This has become my go to go out style! Clubbing with natural hair can be sooo difficult. Especially, when you’re competing with waist length yaki’s! When I rock my bun, I get just as many looks and feel proud that I am doing it healthy and natural! Hubby even commented that its one of his favorite natural styles and that’s big! Though he met me with a weave, Hubby has been my biggest supporter and lets me know when my curls are poppin! Thanks for the tutorial Jenell. I picked up some tips to make my next bun flawless. ;)

    • http://kinkycurlycoilyme.com/ Jenell : BlakIzBeautyful

      Those Yakis are no competition.

  • http://www.facebook.com/IamYolanda Yolanda R. Arrington

    This is my absolute go-to style. I’ve been rocking it since last year. I do it on wet hair (when I don’t feel like waiting for it to dry) and stretched hair. I take a piece of the Marley Hair and cut it from the pack, then wrap it around the bun for a dramatic effect.

    • http://kinkycurlycoilyme.com/ Jenell : BlakIzBeautyful

      Isn’t it fab!?

  • bkhoney

    what is the best styling gel for this look? i’ve been wearing & loving this look for the summer but haven’t perfected the product to ensure it stays put.

    • http://kinkycurlycoilyme.com/ Jenell : BlakIzBeautyful

      I’ve only used one gel, Eco Styler Argan, so I’m not sure which other gels would work great. But there are other popular gels you can try. IC Fantasia Gel, Ampro Olive Oil gel and Eco Styler has many varieties.

  • http://twitter.com/Afro_Geisha Danielle

    I loved your Marley bun so much, I tried it on my hair. But since my hair is shorter, I had to flat twist it up to a ponytail, and then I wrapped it around. Pics below. I’ve been rocking this style for 2 weeks now and I hope to get one more week from it, before I take it down for a length check. Thanks for the inspiration!

    • http://kinkycurlycoilyme.com/ Jenell : BlakIzBeautyful

      This looks adorable!

  • Ssj

    Love,love,love this look. I’m a beginner in transition and I’ve been doing crochet braids the last couple of months and wanted to change it up. This was so easy and you explained it so well! Thanks so much!

    • http://kinkycurlycoilyme.com/ Jenell : BlakIzBeautyful

      Awesome!

  • Terry

    Hi Jenell, how can you determine what hair type you have?

  • Natarsha

    I find that gel alone does not work for my hair. It just frizzes up even after being tied down. My daughter, who is also natural but wears her her straight most of the time helped me with the frizz issue. Now I slather castor oil on my hair first, brush it with a boar brush, add more oil if necessary and then apply the gel. VOILA! It works. Just gotta find what works for you and stick with it. Thanks for your posts.

  • Leslie

    Nice! What color lipstick is that?

  • gapeach77

    Thanks for sharing – I was trying to think how this would work and you explained it perfectly : )

  • http://twitter.com/Netta__love92 Netta

    Just did one for work today. One of my go to styles. Quick and super simple.

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