Updos are a practical way to keep hair contained while still showing off texture, color, and shape. Right now, the trend leans toward styles that look lived-in rather than stiff, with curtain bangs, soft face-framing layers, and glossy natural texture making regular appearances.
This collection of 19 Trendy Hair Up Hairstyles covers everything from quick messy buns to intricate braided updos, suited for fine or thick hair, round or long faces, and events where you need the style to hold for hours. If your fine hair falls flat by midday or your fringe never stays put, there is a fix here that does not require a salon visit.
19 looks in this post
- Ash Blonde Voluminous Updo With Loose Curls
- Dark Brown Braided Updo With Gold Beads
- Medium Brown Low Bun With Braided Accents
- Blonde High Bun With Volume
- Black Braided Updo With Nape Bun
- Ash Blonde Messy Bun With Curtain Bangs
- Voluminous Blonde Wavy Ponytail
- Brown Balayage Updo With Flowers
- Ash Blonde Sleek Low Bun With Face Framing
- Dark Brown Messy Bun With Loose Curls
- Dark Brown Twisted Low Bun
- Ash Blonde Curly Updo With Accessories
- Blonde Updo With Soft Waves
- Dark Brown Messy High Bun With Curtain Bangs
- Dimensional Blonde Updo With Twists
- Dark Brown Loose Updo With Curls
- Blonde Curly Updo With Gold Chain
- Dark Blonde French Twist With Loose Strands
- Blonde Sleek Low Bun
01. Ash Blonde Voluminous Updo With Loose Curls
The trick to a voluminous updo that doesn’t collapse is building the height into the bun itself rather than relying on backcombing alone. For mid-back length ash blonde hair with a wavy, thick texture, the loose curls cascading down are what keep the style from looking too rigid. Face-framing tendrils soften the perimeter, making this a strong option for round and oval faces. Ask your stylist for: high voluminous bun with loose face-framing curls. A texturizing spray applied to damp hair before styling gives the waves enough grit to hold their shape through an evening event.
02. Dark Brown Braided Updo With Gold Beads
Cornrows that transition into a crown bun create a structured silhouette that stays intact for days. The diagonal parting adds asymmetry, so the eye moves across the style rather than stopping at a center line. Gold beads woven into the braids catch light without requiring any product shine. Ask your stylist for: intricate braided updo with crown bun and gold beads. This technique works best on coily, thick hair that can hold a clean part; the beads should be threaded onto the braid ends during styling, not clipped on afterward.
03. Medium Brown Low Bun With Braided Accents
Does a low bun with braided accents actually stay put through a workday? The answer depends on the base. For medium brown hair with caramel highlights, the braided sections and twisted strands need a texturizing spray applied before styling to create enough friction. The wavy texture of medium-density hair helps the pieces grip each other. A low bun at the nape keeps the weight off the scalp, so tension headaches are less likely. Ask your stylist for: low bun with intricate braids and twists. The caramel highlights add dimension that reads clearly even from a back view.
04. Blonde High Bun With Volume
The loose strands left out are not an accident. They prevent the bun from looking like a solid mass. Ask your stylist for: large, high volume blonde bun with loose strands. At home, you can approximate the look by sectioning the crown and backcombing gently before smoothing the surface, but the intricate pinning that keeps the shape secure is best left to a professional. The wavy texture gives the bun natural body without extra product.
05. Black Braided Updo With Nape Bun
The straight, thick black hair is woven into a clean pattern that sits flat against the head, so every braid is visible. One drawback: straight hair has less natural grip, so the braids can loosen faster than they would on coarser textures. Ask your stylist for: intricate braided updo with a bun at the nape. The nape placement makes this a practical choice for long days, no weight pulling at the crown, no readjusting needed.
06. Ash Blonde Messy Bun With Curtain Bangs
Can a messy bun actually look deliberate? When it starts with mid-back ash blonde hair with highlights, the key is the curtain bangs. Those face-framing pieces keep the whole thing from looking rushed, especially when the rest is piled into a voluminous, wavy knot. The side view here shows exactly how the texture and the bangs work together. Ask your stylist for: high messy bun with loose waves and curtain bangs. The layers in the length mean the bun sits full and never looks flat. Pull out the face-framing pieces after securing it for a softer finish. This is a brunch, everyday, casual occasion style that takes about ten minutes to pull together with a texture spray and some patience.
The curtain bangs do the real work. They soften angular faces and add movement where the bun is otherwise stationary. Anyone with wavy, layered hair from mid-back length and up can borrow this without a second thought. The middle parting helps the bangs fall evenly, so you are not constantly tucking one side behind an ear. It is a salon-level result that looks polished without seeming overdone.
07. Voluminous Blonde Wavy Ponytail
A ponytail built for volume relies on two things: the layers and the wave pattern. This one uses long blonde hair with highlights, set into deep wavy texture from root to tip, then gathered mid-back. The weight of the hair is distributed so the ponytail keeps its shape instead of drooping into a thin line by noon. Ask your stylist for: voluminous wavy blonde ponytail with loose strands. The middle parting at the crown adds lift without teasing. A section of hair wrapped around the elastic band is the standard finishing move. It hides the hardware and makes the whole thing look polished. Upkeep is straightforward: a trim every eight weeks keeps the ends from splitting, and a toning appointment every six weeks maintains the blonde against brassiness. The volume holds best on medium to thick density hair; fine hair may need a volumizing mousse at the roots before styling.
08. Brown Balayage Updo With Flowers
Ask your stylist for: braided updo with balayage, twists, and flowers. The flowers are placed after the braids are secured, pressed into the twists so they stay put rather than slide out mid-event. The balayage highlights become visible where the braids curve, adding dimension that a single solid brown would not show. This technique works on medium density, wavy hair from collarbone length longer. The steps: 1) create the side part, 2) braid each section loosely, 3) pin into a bun, 4) tuck flowers into the gaps between twists.
09. Ash Blonde Sleek Low Bun With Face Framing
A sleek low bun on mid-back ash blonde hair with highlights sounds simple until you try to keep it smooth all day. The straight, medium density texture here makes it achievable, but the finish requires precision. Ask your stylist for: sleek low bun with loose face-framing tendrils. The tendrils are the trade-off: they soften the look but need their own attention. Apply a shine serum to them separately or they will look dry against the polished bun. This is a salon-only style for most people. Getting that glass-like finish at home takes a flat iron, a fine-tooth comb, and more patience than a weekday morning usually allows. The bun itself holds well on straight hair without pins slipping; coarse or wavy textures will need extra bobby pins and a smoothing product. It suits medium density straight hair of collarbone length or longer. The face-framing pieces soften round faces.
10. Dark Brown Messy Bun With Loose Curls
Does a messy bun only work on fine hair? Not this one. The photo shows thick, wavy dark brown hair with balayage, piled into a textured knot with loose curls left to fall down the neck and shoulder. The weight of thick hair actually helps the bun stay put, fine hair would collapse under the same volume. Ask your stylist for: messy bun with loose cascading curls. The balayage highlights become visible where the curls reflect light, adding dimension that a single dark brown would not show. The loose curls at the nape are not an accident: they balance the bun so the whole shape does not look top-heavy. Gently pull out a few strands from the bun and the cascading curls for a more undone finish. This style adds softness to any face shape because the curls break up the hard line of the bun. It works best on thick, wavy hair from mid-back length and longer.
11. Dark Brown Twisted Low Bun
The design is deceptively simple: a twisted low bun with every strand tucked into a smooth, polished finish. Fine to medium density, straight hair of collarbone length or longer holds this shape best without slipping. Ask your stylist for: sleek twisted low bun. A fine-tooth comb and hairspray keep the surface clean for a full workday, though the twist pattern softens slightly by evening.
12. Ash Blonde Curly Updo With Accessories
How do you ask for an updo that looks this polished without handing your stylist a Pinterest board with seventeen screenshots? Start with the accessories. Ask your stylist for: voluminous curly updo with sparkling accessories. The key is placement: a cluster of rhinestones near the crown and a small bow tucked into the side, all anchored into thick, wavy ash blonde hair with darker roots. This is a salon-only design, best booked for a wedding or a formal party where the lighting will catch every piece.
13. Blonde Updo With Soft Waves
Compared to a slicked-back bun, this version trades structure for movement. The collarbone-length layers are swept into soft waves and face-framing pieces, then pinned into a low bun that reads as romantic. Ask your stylist for: elegant blonde updo with soft waves and face-framing pieces. This style requires a salon visit, but you can prep the texture at home with a texturizing spray on damp hair before your appointment for better wave definition.
14. Dark Brown Messy High Bun With Curtain Bangs
A voluminous messy high bun relies on one trick: the crown is teased lightly before the hair is twisted and pinned, creating lift that lasts. Long, wavy dark brown hair with subtle highlights gives the bun natural dimension, while the curtain bangs are left loose to soften the front. Ask your stylist for: voluminous messy high bun with loose waves and curtain bangs. The one real drawback is that the middle part and curtain bangs require a trim every six weeks to keep the length right.
Without that maintenance, the bangs grow past the cheekbone and the whole shape loses its balance.
15. Dimensional Blonde Updo With Twists
The sculpted twists in this loose updo are not a five-minute pin job. Each section is twisted individually, then arranged into a soft bun at the back, which takes about an hour in the chair. Medium density, wavy hair of collarbone length or longer works best because shorter layers tend to escape the twists. Ask your stylist for: loose textured updo with sculpted twists. A texturizing spray applied before twisting helps the blonde highlights and lowlights read clearly rather than blending into one flat tone.
16. Dark Brown Loose Updo With Curls
Can a loose updo still hold its shape through a dinner out? Yes, if the curls are set into thick, wavy hair that has enough grip to stay put without a dozen pins. The dark brown base keeps the style grounded, while face-framing pieces and cascading curls at the nape do the actual work of softening a rounder face. Ask your stylist for: loose romantic updo with soft waves and face-framing curls. Gently tug on those front pieces after the pins go in. That slight pull is what turns a tidy bun into something that looks like it happened on purpose.
17. Blonde Curly Updo With Gold Chain
The gold chain in this curly updo serves as both a decorative accent and a structural anchor. Without the accessory, those voluminous blonde curls swept up to the crown would rely entirely on pins, and thick, curly hair has a way of testing their patience. Loose tendrils around the face and ear soften the silhouette, but they also mean the style needs a touch more finishing spray than a fully pinned version. Ask your stylist for: voluminous curly updo with loose tendrils and a gold chain. Weave the chain through after the curls are set, not before, so it sits on top of the texture instead of getting swallowed by it. Blonde with darker roots and highlights typically needs a toning appointment every six to eight weeks to keep the shade balanced.
18. Dark Blonde French Twist With Loose Strands
A French twist on fine, straight hair is a balancing act: too tight and the strands show every gap; too loose and the whole thing drops. This dark blonde version with dimensional highlights gets it right by keeping the body of the twist smooth while letting a few pieces escape at the neck. Ask your stylist for: sleek French twist with a few loose strands. The side parting adds visual length, and the highlights stop fine hair from reading as one flat block of color. This one is doable at home after a few practice runs, but if the texture is truly fine, a salon finish gives a cleaner line.
19. Blonde Sleek Low Bun
A sleek low bun sounds simple until you try to get every hair to lie flat against the nape. The back view here shows the payoff: a neat, polished circle of blonde with darker roots, parted smoothly down the middle and pulled into a bun that does not shift. Ask your stylist for: sleek low bun with a smooth finish. The honest catch is that fine, straight hair shows every bump and flyaway, so the finish relies on a gel or a strong-hold spray applied section by section. It sits clean and stays that way through a workday, but it asks for a steady hand and a bit of patience.
Final Thoughts
For fine hair, choose styles that build visible volume, like messy buns or braided updos. Thick hair can handle deeper twists and larger buns. Match the complexity to your comfort and the occasion.
- For braided styles, refresh with a light mist of texturizing spray between washes.
- Maintain heat-styled curls with a flexible-hold hairspray to keep shape without stiffness.
- Low buns and sleek styles benefit from a smoothing serum to tame flyaways and add shine.
- For updos with highlights, use a color-safe shampoo and conditioner to preserve vibrancy.
The right updo enhances your look with minimal fuss.
