Step 1: Starting with damp hair, comb through to smooth and remove tangles.

Step 2: Gather hair in a loose ponytail.  Position the ponytail where you want the bun to be on the head: low at the nape, middle of the head, or high on the crown.  Secure with a ponytail holder.

Step 3: Twist the ponytail into a tight rope, coiling it around itself at the base.

Step 4: Tuck the ends of the coil into the ponytail holder at the base.  Then secure the bun by pushing bobby pins into the hair at the bun's base on all sides.  The thicker the hair, the more pins you'll need.  Lightly spritz the bun with hair spray to lock in the style.

Excerpted from Cozy's Complete Guide to Girls' Hair by Cozy Friedman (Artisan Books) Copyright 2011. Alexandra Grablewski photographer.