How to Do a Chignon with a Hair Pin

A chignon sits in a strange spot in most people's minds. It sounds like something that needs a professional, but it's really just a low, rolled bun, and the technique is closer to a French twist than people expect. The part that actually takes practice isn't the shaping. It's getting it to hold without looking overworked.

Start by gathering your hair low, at or just above the nape of your neck. Smooth it back first if you want a sleeker finish, or leave a little texture in if you're going for something softer. Twist the gathered hair once or twice, then fold it under and to one side, tucking the ends in as you go so the whole shape sits flat against your head rather than sticking out.

Hold the folded shape in place with one hand while you work, because this is the step where a chignon usually falls apart. Most people try to pin it from the top down, which only catches the outer layer and leaves the inside of the roll loose. Instead, slide the pin in from underneath the fold, angling it up and through the roll so it catches the bulk of the hair, not just the surface.

For a low chignon like this, a Petite Power Pin is usually the right size, especially on fine to medium hair, since it gives you hold without adding bulk to a style that's meant to look neat and close to the head. If you're working with thicker or longer hair, you may need one additional pin placed at a slightly different angle to fully secure the roll, since a single pin can end up doing more work than it can handle on denser hair.

One thing that separates a chignon that lasts from one that starts drooping by the afternoon is tension. The roll should feel snug against your head, not loosely draped. If it feels like it could unravel with a light tug, it will, so it's worth taking the extra thirty seconds to re-tuck and re-pin before you call it done.

Done well, a chignon reads as effortless, which is exactly why it works for almost anything, from the office to a wedding to a night out. The trick is that the effortless look is doing a fair amount of engineering underneath it.

Read our full guide to using hair pins, or see the same low, rolled technique in Desi Lydic's Emmys hair.