How To: Big Bun for Little Hair

I've been trying to grow my hair for years. At the age of 16 I had long glossy very, very, very dark brown hair (so dark everyone thought it was black) and that was fine. One day my Mum took me to the hairdressers and suggested I have a more adult, lady like hair cut as I was growing up. I'd grown out my fringe in my teens and just had a sheet of hair, all the same length. I agreed and off went my hair, into a choppy, short, layered style with a side swept fringe cut in. I loved it, I looked older, my hair felt better and lighter, and I regularly got complimented on it, particularly my fringe for really suiting me. Cue about two years ago when I was discovering how limited I was hair style wise. No fishtail plait, no waves or curls. I started dying my hair red which was probably the wrong thing to do considering I wanted to grow it. This year I've really upped my game: hair growth treatments, hair growth tablets, taking all manner of vitamin and mineral tablets, no heat, and I've cut washing it right back to about once a week. It does seem to be working as my hair is growing, agonising slowly. As I wash my hair less I've had to come up with ways to manage it. I've managed to stop it looking greasy for longer, but I still dislike having it hang around my neck and face especially at work in the last part of the week before I wash it. I'd guess my hair has grown about four inches and I've had about three trims so I'm getting somewhere. My hair is thicker too, whereas previously it would be really thin and I'd give up and have it cut shorter again.

I love wearing my hair in a bun now its longer but I've reached a point where its become quite difficult to get into a bun. I used to back comb and then spread the ponytail part out from the centre. As my hair got longer it got trickier to get it to go back, as some parts looked stupid as a loop of hair was separate to the bun. I can't quite get a hair donut in, and I've tried all sizes! I then started back combing the ponytail and then twisting it loosely clockwise around the ponytail. This looked nice but with my layers I'd have random little parts sticking out and I had to rely on the very end of the ponytail being secure enough to hold the bun in place. As my hair has grown its got heavier and won't stay in this bun very well, with the layers of hair fanning out around the bun looking quite comical if anything. I would wear my hair just as a ponytail but on the last two days as I don't like my hair hanging because the ends tend to look even thinner.

I then found this way of doing a bun which holds really well, makes my hair look fuller and gives me a much bigger bun than any of the above buns.

1 - I pull my fringe out to separate it from the ponytail as I have it in a quiff. Twist it and pin it where the quiff will sit to allow you to pull your hair into the ponytail.
2 - Use Batiste if you need to, I find not only does it make your hair look and smell fresher but it gives texture and hold. Gather your hair into the ponytail and secure.
3 - Unpin your quiff and get it how you want it. I rarely back comb this part of my hair as my the middle to the end of the week my hair is holding itself better from products from previous days. I simply loosely comb my fingers up through it, then twist it back, push it if I need some more height in the quiff and pin in place. You can also use your fingers once the pins are in to push or pull it slightly more more height.
4 - Back brush the ponytail with a good bristled brush. Get the ends of the ponytail and hold under against the ponytail. Gather all the pieces you want to pin under. I only used two pins, in a X.
5 - A little hairspray and voila!

Excuse the scruffiness of this, it'd be in place about 12 hours at work. 

The bun doesn't look overly big in the photos, but is probably about three times bigger than previous buns I've achieved (but this could also be the length and thickness which has improved the look of it)