How to Put Your Hair up With a Pencil

Reviewed by Jasmin Todd

Last Updated: March 19, 2024 Fact Checked

Whether you find yourself without a hair tie or you’re looking to try out some new styles, using a pencil to put your hair up is a great option. There are several ways you can put your hair up with a pencil, so have fun experimenting with different methods. You can use a pencil to hold your hair in a simple bun, create a messy inverted pencil bun if you have longer hair, secure your hair into a double twisted pencil bun for a unique style, or get a bit more creative with a braided pencil bun.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using a Pencil to Hold a Simple Bun

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1
Gather your hair into a ponytail in the center of your head. Use your hands to gather your hair together in the center of the back of your head. Hold your hair in a ponytail by wrapping your pointer finger over the top and wrapping your thumb under the bottom. ^{[1]
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- Since you’ll be pushing the sharpened end of the pencil down into the bun, make sure that you hold the ponytail in the center of your head and not below so that the pencil won’t poke you.
2
Wrap your hair around the center to form a bun shape. Using your free hand, wrap your hair around the center base where your other hand is holding the ponytail in place to create a bun shape. Remove the hand that’s holding the ponytail once you’ve wrapped your hair around once or twice, or enough times that it stays in place, then continue wrapping. Tuck the end underneath the bun, then place one of your hands over the bun to hold it in place. ^{[2]
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- If you want the bun to be tighter, you can first hold the ponytail out straight and twist the hair a few times before wrapping it around the base into the bun.
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3
Push a pencil into the bun and weave it up and down. First, take your pencil and place the sharpened end just to the left or right of the center of the top of the bun. Then, insert it into the bun on either the left or right side, angling down. Weave the pencil up and down as you push it through the middle of the bun. Keep weaving and pushing the pencil through until it comes out the other end of the bun. ^{[3]
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- You can push the pencil further in or pull it out a bit to adjust it so it sticks out evenly on either side of the bun.
4
Tuck in any loose hairs if you want a clean, sleek bun. Take any loose hairs that you want tucked away and wrap them around the base of the bun. Then, push the ends of the loose hairs up under the hair at the base of the bun to hold it in place. ^{[4]
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- If you’re going for a more relaxed pencil bun look, you can leave the loose hairs out and skip this step.
- You can also use a bobby pin to secure any loose ends in place.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Creating a Messy Inverted Bun

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Use your hands to gather your hair together in the bottom center of the back of your head, right at the nape of your neck. Then, hold your hair in a ponytail by creating a loop around your hair with your pointer finger wrapped over the top and your thumb wrapped under the bottom. ^{[5]
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2
Wrap your hair around the pencil. First, hold the pencil on the left side of the ponytail horizontally with the sharp end pointing in towards your ponytail. Then, wrap your hair up over and around the pencil once or twice until only the ends are left unwrapped. ^{[6]
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- If your hair is more of a medium length, you’ll likely only need to wrap it around the pencil once. If your hair is longer, you may need to wrap it around twice.
- If you want your bun to be a bit messier , you can leave more of your hair unwrapped so it’ll stick out of the bun a bit more.
3
Rotate the pencil so the point is facing straight down. Once only the end of your hair is left unwrapped, rotate the pencil clockwise until the eraser of the pencil is in the center of your head and the sharpened end is pointing down. ^{[7]
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- The sharpened end of the pencil will naturally start pushing down into the bun as you rotate it clockwise.
4
Push the pencil down into the twisted hair until it holds in place. Once the pencil is vertical and sticking straight down, push the pencil down slowly through the twist until the bun holds in place. ^{[8]
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Research source} Because the pencil will already have started pushing down into the bun when you rotated it, you’ll likely only need to push it down about 1 inch (2.5 cm) to get it to hold in place.
- Make sure that you stop pushing the pencil down before it comes out the bottom to keep it from poking you in the neck.
- While an inverted pencil bun is generally worn more relaxed and messy, you can use bobby pins to secure any loose hairs in place if you want a cleaner look. ^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Securing a Double Pencil Twisted Bun

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Use your hands to gather your hair together at the bottom of the center of the back of your head, just above the nape of your neck. Then, create a loop with your pointer finger and thumb to hold your hair in a ponytail. ^{[10]
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2
Wrap your hair around 2 horizontal pencils. First, hold 2 pencils horizontally just below the ponytail at the nape of your neck. Hold them so the eraser end is on the left side of your head and the sharpened end is pointing to the right. Then, wrap the ponytail up over and around the pencils twice until the hair feels securely wrapped. ^{[11]
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- You can also use chopsticks instead of pencils. ^{[12]
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3
Rotate the pencils up and slide them down to secure the style. Rotate the pencils up clockwise by pushing the eraser ends up towards the top of your head. Once the eraser ends are in the center and the pencils are vertical, push the pencils down into the bun, angling towards your scalp to gather more hair. Once the pencils stick out the bottom, your bun will be secure. ^{[13]
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- You can push the pencils straight down for a more uniform look, or rotate them a bit in opposite directions as you push down into the bun at an inward angle.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Doing a Pencil Braided Bun

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1
Braid your hair into a basic 3-strand braid. First, separate your hair into 3 equal-sized sections. Then, braid your hair into a low basic braid, right above the nape of your neck. Secure the braid with a hair tie to hold it in place. ^{[14]
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- If you want your braided bun to be tighter, put your hair into a ponytail first and secure it with a hair tie. Then, braid the ponytail and secure the end with another hair tie before moving on to the next step. ^{[15]
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2
Roll the braid into a coil towards your head. Grab ahold of the end of the braid and hold it up vertically. Then, start rolling the braid in towards your head by tucking the end of the braid in on top of the braid and coiling inward until the whole braid is rolled up at your head. ^{[16]
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- Rolling the braid in towards your head from the end will hide the hair tie within the pencil bun.
3
Stick your pencil up into the braid, then rotate it down. First, push the pencil into the braid, angling upward to gather the hair. Stop pushing once the pencil reaches your scalp at the top. Then, rotate the pencil clockwise to secure your hair in place. Once you can’t rotate anymore, push the pencil into the braid a bit more to secure the bun. ^{[17]
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- Depending on how tightly your hair is braided, you may be able to rotate the bun until the pencil is vertical with the sharpened end straight down, or you may only be able to rotate a bit. Both options will hold securely in place and look great.

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Question

How do you put your hair up without it pulling?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Staff Answer

Using a pencil or hair sticks is a great way to minimize pulling. Elastic hair ties are more likely to cause tugging or pulling, so use a fabric tie instead if you need to tie it up. It’s also best to avoid putting your hair up when it’s wet, since wet hair is more prone to pulling and breaking.

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Is it better to wear your hair up or down?

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It totally depends on the situation and your preferences. If it’s windy or you’re worried about your hair getting in the way of something you’re doing (such as working with food or machinery), it’s best to put it up. Hair can also get tangled more easily when you wear it down. On the other hand, wearing your hair up too much can put stress on the strands and cause them to break or pull out, so use gentle hairstyles (like loose buns, braids, or ponytails) and give your hair a break from being tied up on occasion.

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Can you put your hair up with a pencil if you have short hair?

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Since this style involves wrapping and twisting the hair around a pencil, you’ll probably have a hard time doing it if your hair is super short. But as long as your hair is at least shoulder-length, it should work!

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Braid synthetic hair into the style if your hair has a curly texture (like 3-4c)—this allows the hairstyle to last longer and be protected.

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How to Put Your Hair up With a Pencil

Steps

Using a Pencil to Hold a Simple Bun

Creating a Messy Inverted Bun

Securing a Double Pencil Twisted Bun

Doing a Pencil Braided Bun

Community Q&A

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