A Structured Bun

1. Brush the hair up into a ponytail (wherever you place the ponytail will be the centre of your bun so bare this in mind when carrying out this step) and secure with a hair band.

2. Divide the hair into four sections.

3. Take a section and backcomb the underside of the hair.

4. Curl the section under in towards the centre of the ponytail and fasten with a Kirby grip.

5. Repeat steps 3&4 for the other three sections. 

6. Once you have done this to all four sections use the sectioning end of the comb to pull the sides of each curl together to close up any gaps.

7. Fasten these with a hairpin.

8. Finish off by gently smoothing the top of the bun, fixing any stray hairs, you can secure these with hairspray if you wish.

'Elizabeth' (1998) film - directed by Shekhar Kapur,
hair & make up designer - Jenny Shircore, hair & makeup artist - Christine Whitney

This photo was taken from  a clip of  the film Elizabeth, one of the many attempts to represent Queen Elizabeth I's early life and the start of her reign as the Queen of England. In this dance scene one of the characters has a structured bun at the nape of her neck. Showing us how this technique was used in the Elizabethan era.