Master the Slicked-Back Bun: Expert Tips and Products

The slicked-back bun appears deceptively simple. In theory, you gather your hair, secure it, twist it into a knot, and you’re done. The reality is far more unforgiving: you stand before a mirror, twenty minutes past when you should have left, staring at a mysterious bump and countless strands escaping in different directions. The entire aesthetic depends on every single hair appearing deliberately positioned—and impossibly flat—which transforms the style into a test of patience and physical endurance.

Yet hairstylists and beauty editors who regularly wear this updo confirm that achieving a truly polished version doesn’t demand superhuman effort or aggressive yanking. The right tools and products at each stage, combined with a methodical approach, handle most of the work. We consulted with five hairstylists—Taylor Carter (Boston), Justine Marjan (Los Angeles), Chris Russell (Los Angeles), Mandee Tauber (Oribe’s principal artist of global content), and Kee Taylor (Philadelphia)—along with Allure editors and staff members who wear this style regularly, to understand what separates a smooth, refined bun from a disappointing, lopsided mess.

Preparing Your Hair Foundation

The mistake most people make is jumping straight to gathering their hair without proper preparation. When you tailor the prep phase to your specific hair type, the rest of the process becomes noticeably easier and causes less stress to your strands.

Chris Russell advises starting with a heat-protectant spray misted throughout your hair, followed by rough-drying with a blow dryer. (The Bumble and Bumble Heat Shield Thermal Protection Hair Mist reduces frizz and defends against breakage, making it a reliable choice.) Next, he recommends running a thermal brush—such as the Sutra IR Infrared Thermal Brush—through your hair to ensure “even texture, controlled shine, and a seamless finish before pulling your hair back.”

Heat Tools Depend on Your Hair Type

Not everyone reaches for a hot tool after drying. Sophie Panych, Allure’s content director with naturally fine and straight hair, occasionally touches up with a flat iron. Bianca Richards, the social media manager, blew out her thick, naturally wavy hair and used the Wavytalk Thermal Brush for added sleekness. Hailey Roy, who has 3C curls, skips heat tools entirely. “I’ve always done slicked-back buns with my natural hair,” she explains, noting that she preserves her strands by keeping them away from heat.

Hydration and Manageability

If your hair feels dry, Kee Taylor recommends smoothing a lightweight oil through the midlengths and ends to improve how your hair responds to styling and adds shine. “A little goes a long way, especially on finer hair,” she notes. Roy applies the Rōz Santa Lucia Heat Protectant Styling Hair Oil to lock out humidity and add shine. Justine Marjan suggests keeping curly and coily hair slightly damp with water to make detangling easier and to help the hair respond better when you pull it back, using a wide-tooth comb to avoid breakage.

Building the Structure Section by Section

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Ask any stylist what the biggest mistake is when creating this style, and you’ll hear the same answer repeatedly: trying to brush all of your hair back in a single pass. Instead, the approach is to build the style gradually, working through sections one at a time.

Mandee Tauber offers a specific technique: create a radial part running from your crown to the tops of your ears, which divides your hair into a top and bottom section. Style the bottom section first while clipping the top section up and out of the way. Hailey Roy finds that the pointed end of the Donna Professional Parting Pin Tail Comb makes it easy to create even, clean sections.

Technique for Straight and Straightened Hair

On straight or straightened hair, Tauber applies a pomade stick—the BondiBoost Strawberry Gum Grip Styling Stick creates hold without flakiness—directly along the hairline. She then uses a boar bristle brush (the Denman D81M Style & Shine Hair Brush works well) with long, controlled strokes focused on “condensing and refining” the hair. “Boar bristles create the tension needed to stretch and smooth the strands,” Taylor Carter explains.

Bianca Richards combines tools for precision: she uses the Cécred Parting Tail Comb paired with the La Bonne Brosse N.01 The Universal Brush to ensure no hairs poke out. Once a section is smooth, she secures it into a small ponytail with an elastic before releasing the top section and repeating the process.

Working With Curls and Coils

For curly and coily hair, Taylor Carter advises working in even smaller sections, “smoothing each one individually before gathering everything together. This helps preserve control without overworking the hair.” Instead of a pomade stick, Tauber recommends applying Oribe Gel Sérum on the coils, using a generous amount around the hairline before smoothing it back with a boar bristle brush. If you need additional hold, Marjan suggests spraying Paul Mitchell Firm Hold Super Clean Extra Hairspray on the roots and brushing back before wrapping a second elastic around everything.

This layered approach with multiple products might seem excessive, but it’s actually gentler on your hair. “The key is to let the brush and styling product do most of the work rather than pulling excessively tight,” Taylor Carter explains. This strategy reduces unnecessary strain on your scalp and follicles.

Chris Russell positions the ponytail at the crown with the hair running parallel to your cheekbones. “The higher placement creates a natural lifting effect and gives the face a more sculpted, snatched appearance,” he says. That said, the style works at both high and low placements, so where you position it depends on your preference.

Preparing the Ponytail for Shape and Dimension

Before you transform the ponytail into a bun, Taylor Carter recommends preparing it for volume. She dusts texturizing powder—the IGK Beach Club Texture Powder disappears into hair while encouraging fullness—throughout the ponytail and then teases small sections individually. Once the interior has enough body, she lightly smooths only the outside layer and finishes with Color Wow Pop & Lock Serum, which creates grip while maintaining shine and preventing flatness.

If you’re after a more compact bun, Tauber suggests brushing your chosen wax or gel stick through the entire length of the ponytail. For curly or coily hair, she lightly mists the ponytail with water before applying a hair gel. The Odele Flex Hair Gel keeps hair sculpted without becoming rock-hard.

Detailing the Hairline

The difference between a good bun and an exceptional one often comes down to the hairline. Before twisting your ponytail, use a flat iron to refine the hairline, then perfect any baby hairs with a toothbrush-like detailing tool. The Tymo Flaight Holo iron and the DAE Dual-Edge Styling Brush pair effectively for this—the iron minimizes frizz without tugging, while the synthetic boar-like bristles of the small brush erase flyaways.

Forming and Securing the Bun

Every stylist twists the ponytail before wrapping it into a bun, though the specific method varies based on hair texture and the final result desired.

Tauber twists the entire ponytail into one tight rope before wrapping it around the base. On straighter hair, she tucks the ends underneath and secures the bun using a large U-pin, weaving it through the outer edge of the bun, into the base, and back through the bun to provide support while remaining virtually invisible. For curly and coily hair, she skips the U-pin and wraps a large elastic around the completed bun instead.

Sophie Panych, who has a background in dance and years of creating ballerina buns, takes a different approach. Instead of separating her hair into two separate ponytails, she divides a single ponytail into two parts. “In ballet, you don’t want this big, knob-like donut thing on your head,” she explains. “Separating the ponytail helps it lie flatter.” After clipping up one section, she twists the other and wraps it around the elastic, nearly completing a full loop. She then unclips the second section and twists it into the first, continuing the wrapping process and securing with U-pins as she goes. “I find that it keeps it more secure because you’ve got both internal and external pins.”

Chris Russell intentionally leaves the last inch or two of the ponytail exposed after wrapping the bun. “I like giving it a little personality,” he says. “It keeps the look modern.”

The Final Polish

The last step focuses on adding hold and refining details that make a slicked-back bun look professionally executed. Taylor Carter applies a few drops of Cécred Restoring Hair & Edge Drops to smooth frizz and add shine without stiffness. She finishes with Davines This Is a Dry Wax Finishing Spray, which locks the bun into place while preserving a soft texture. Bianca Richards touches up her hairline with the Rizos Curls Sleek Styling Cream + Taming Wand, and Hailey Roy gives the base of her hair a final slick-down with Got2B Glued Styling Spiking Glue.

For coily hair, Justine Marjan offers a final step: “After styling, sometimes I like to wrap the hairline in a silk scarf for at least 20 minutes to set the style and prevent any frizz or flyaways.”

Mastering the Technique

Creating a professional-level slicked-back bun requires practice before the process becomes automatic. As long as you don’t abandon the style after a few frustrating attempts, you’ll eventually find yourself wearing expert-level sleek buns regularly, with each attempt taking less time and fewer products than the last.