Long-haired ladies know this scenario well: You're heading out the door and your hair is looking good. But 10 minutes into your day, your strands are sticking to the back of your sweaty neck, and it's time again to don the season's go-to hairstyle: the it's-too-hot-for-this-shit bun. While the bun will save you from essentially blanketing your neck and shoulders in a human-hair afghan, it doesn't actively cool you. So this Labor Day, I offer you the ultimate hot-weather hack, the ice bun.
The ice bun was developed (by me) many years ago. I grew up in Atlanta, where summer is both hot and enduring, and, save for a very ill-advised bob my freshman year of college, I've always had hair that hit somewhere between my shoulders and my ass. In the endless summer months, I needed a reprieve, and it came in the form of wedging ice into my hair. The steps to creating an ice bun are simple and as follows:
Step 1: Put your hair into a high bun (topknots work especially well).
Step 2: Find a small piece of ice, even a small ice chip is a great option. Cubes work well, but if it's a piece of that crescent-moon-shaped ice, I usually bite it in half.
Step 3: Take the ice cube and work it into the center of your bun.
Step 4: Wiggle your head around a little bit to make sure it's in there firmly.
Step 5: You're done. Now, the ice will slowly melt, keeping your head extremely cool and bringing you relief from the midday-BBQ sun. The trick is to not pick a giant piece of ice because it will fall out and confuse people. Sure, your hair will get a tiny bit wet, but this isn't a hack meant for a job interview; it's for an outdoor (or indoor) situation where you're sweating a little bit anyway. No one will notice. So go forth in these last days of summer and enjoy them in (ice bun) style. You're welcome.
Step 2: Find a small piece of ice, even a small ice chip is a great option. Cubes work well, but if it's a piece of that crescent-moon-shaped ice, I usually bite it in half.
Step 3: Take the ice cube and work it into the center of your bun.
Step 4: Wiggle your head around a little bit to make sure it's in there firmly.
Step 5: You're done. Now, the ice will slowly melt, keeping your head extremely cool and bringing you relief from the midday-BBQ sun. The trick is to not pick a giant piece of ice because it will fall out and confuse people. Sure, your hair will get a tiny bit wet, but this isn't a hack meant for a job interview; it's for an outdoor (or indoor) situation where you're sweating a little bit anyway. No one will notice. So go forth in these last days of summer and enjoy them in (ice bun) style. You're welcome.