Sofia Richie Grainge just shared the secret behind her sleek bun

There’s no denying it. Sofia Richie Grainge is probably the chicest person alive. She is, after all, the poster child for ‘quiet luxury’ and the girl definitely knows how to nail the perfect no makeup-makeup look. And luckily for us, she’s sharing some of her signature beauty secrets (including her go-to lip balm) via TikTok.

Her latest viral tutorial? How to nail her signature sleek bun. “I really love you guys for thinking this is like my chic hairstyle,” Richie Grainge muses in the video. “This is actually my lazy girl hairstyle. I do it all the time because I’m very lazy with my hair.”

If that’s her version of lazy girl hair, we really are on a different playing field (which we already knew TBH). But alas, scroll on for a step-by-step breakdown on how to emulate Richie Grainge’s it-girl aesthetic – or at least her hair.

Sofia Richie Grainge’s sleek bun tutorial 

Richie Grainge starts with wet hair. And yes, putting your hair up whilst wet may be a classic faux pas but she swears it’s the only way to nail the look sans the frizz and flyaways. But keep in mind that your strands are more fragile when wet and wet styling can cause major snapping and breakage, so proceed with caution.

The first step: nailing the centre part. Richie Grainge uses the Unite Detangling Spray ($36.50 at Oz Hair & Beauty) before using a fine tooth comb to create a “strong centre part”. She uses the metal handle to create the part then separates using her hands and brushes out from root to tip. 

“So I can pretty much do this hairstyle with any product, but for me I need an oil and Oribe lotion” explains Richie Grainge, referring to the Oribe Matte Waves Texture Lotion ($54 at David Jones). “I typically use a lotion but most importantly any hair mask.”

The hair mask she reaches for? It looks to be the Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask with Prickly Pear Oil ($85 at Sephora), which she runs through her hair from root to ends, focusing on the hair at the nape of her neck.

“At the beginning of COVID, my hair length was stuck here from all the bleaching, all the dyeing,” she says, gesturing to just below her shoulders. “So I tried the [Christophe Robin] hair mask and I’m convinced it’s the only reason why my hair grew lusciously over COVID.” Consider us influenced…

Next, Richie Grainge uses the comb to separate the front sections of her hair “right to behind my ear” and clips aside. Then she goes in with the Oribe Matte Waves Texture Lotion and coats the main section of her hair, “most importantly underneath”. 

She then uses a Mason Pearson bristle brush to slick the hair into place. “The top is not the most important. It’s getting this back part sealed down to your head,” Richie Grainge explains before tying the section into a ponytail.

“Honestly that’s the hardest part,” she says. And at this point we’re questioning how ‘lazy’ Richie Grainge’s go-to hairstyle really is (ours is a messy topknot, if we’re honest).

She then brushes each front section backwards before applying more of the lotion to “seal all these hairs down in the front” and brushing back into the ponytail “as tight as I can”. And, of course, it’s the sleekest pony known to man.

Still with us? We’re at the last step! Richie Grainge then twists the hair into a spiral and secures with an elastic. “Brush out any imperfections and honestly because it started wet it is so secured onto your head,” she says, applying another pump of the Oribe lotion applies to the back and sides to ensure no midday fly-aways. “It is like truly a helmet without being like sticky and hard.”

Okay one last step – a pump of hair oil. “I just graze all around my head for that extra sleek shine. I think this honestly makes the difference,” she says. We think she’s using the Unite Blonda Argan Oil ($62 at Access Hair) but we’re currently obsessed with the viral OGX Extra Strength Coconut Miracle Penetrating Oil, which you can snag for $15 at Woolies.

And there you have it folks. It may seem like a complicated process, but Richie Grainge promises “it’s very simple”. Chances are we won’t be looking like her doppelganger anytime soon but this sleek bun tutorial brings us one step closer.

Main image: @sofiarichiegrainge

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