Confessions of a Mom-Bun-Aholic

Last-time showered...questionable? Low messy bun + a hat.

The great thing about Instagram is that it's like a daily scrapbook of your life. I spend so many nights scrolling back through old pictures...remembering how much fun we had at Christmas...thinking about what we were doing last summer at this time...reminiscing about trips we've taken. Maybe it's because I'm a picture freak (always have been...I believe I started scrapbooking in second grade), but I LOVE it!

What's also become obvious is that this summer, I've become a habitual mom-bun offender. There was a night I was scrolling through my phone and thought just for kicks and giggles...maybe I should try to find the last time I even wore my hair down.

Spent all afternoon getting ready for Josh's birthday date, sleek sock bun it is!

From what I can tell (and Instagram doesn't lie) is that it had been well over a month. And I'm not ashamed. Here are the reasons I love sock buns, messy buns, cheer hair, and top knots ('mom bun' is a good all encompassing term I use) in no particular order:

1. Weather. It's unbearable. Does ANYONE wear their hair down in Iowa in July and August? Answer: Only if you hate yourself. Even wearing my hair down on a cool rainy day isn't a good idea. Too much humidity for anything but hair UP.

2. Showers are optional. I can shower the night before and throw my hair in a top knot for church in the morning. I can shower in the morning, let my hair air dry, and put it up for an evening out. I can do a sock bun three days in a row without showering (TMI?) and noooo one is the wiser.

3. Wedding dances. This is an important thing to consider. If you're planning to get your freak on, the hair-do must be taken into consideration. I can only dance with abandon if I'm comfortable and that usually means my hair has to be up and tightly secured.

4. Easy. This is key for looking cute with a baby around. If the mane is a mess, it can take up to 15 minutes. But usually I've got 'er up in 10 or less.

5. Hair re-growth. As someone who didn't have a super attractive hairline to begin with (thank you Wes Keil) this hair regrowth after Maverick has been A NIGHTMARE. The only way I've been able to cope is by pulling my hair straight back and up. There's no hiding it, but at least sock buns are fairly on-trend right now and I've learned to embrace a feature I consider not one of my best.

6. Casual and formal. Perhaps this is just my opinion but I believe sock buns and top knots are as cute with hoodies as they are with dresses (the right dress, anyway).

7. Hats. I only have two in my closet but apparently I've been missing out on this fashion magic for years. If the hair is too far gone to be salvaged for something up high...I keep it low and throw on one of my hats, depending on the outfit I'm wearing. Who knew?!

8. Adding accessories is easy. Hat, sunglasses, thick headband, skinny rubber headband...basically anything goes. There are no rules when it comes to a mom figuring out what works for her new 'look.'

9. The higher the hair, the closer to God. This is a quote I stare at while Erin Hood does my hair every couple months, and I felt like adding it to the list because it's cute. Whether it's messy or sleek...I prefer my mom bun up so high it touches the roof of the car while I'm driving.

10. Zero-effort. No blow-drying or straightening required. All I use are bobby pins and some hairspray to finish off (and tame those stubborn baby hairs). A couple years ago I picked up a little sock-bun helper to help me roll my pony tail down into the bun...but a literal old (clean) sock will do the same trick.

Early morning walk to the Farmer's Market and no time to mess with hair? A messy cheer bun is the answer.

This was after dinner in downtown Des Moines.

The one time my hair was down in the past three months, and the sole reason this picture was taken.

MmB