The Bouffant Is Back—Here’s How to Get the Glamorous Look

Are you ready for a big hair era? Well buckle up, because the iconic bold hairstyle of the ‘50s is back in a voluminous way.

The bouffant hairstyle, known for its glossy puff often at the crown of the head, has been a staple for women across decades. The look is said to have started in France, then made popular in the ‘50s thanks to the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O, and now celebs everywhere—from Anne Hathaway to Sydney Sweeney—are rocking the voluminous ‘do, too. 

“I think the modern way is to not wear it as perfectly as it was in the ‘50s,” says Nunzio Saviano, hairstylist and founder of Nunzio Saviano Salon. “It’s a glamorous hairstyle but you can add simple accessories like headbands to make it wearable for every day.”

If you’re ready to embrace all that volume and puff, keep reading to find out how to style the bouffant.

How to Create The Bouffant

If you’re trying to create a more glamorous bouffant a la Anne Hathaway at the Met Gala, we asked her hairstylist Orlando Pita how to achieve the look.

First, make sure you’re working with clean hair and apply a styling foam, like Orlando Pita Play Great Inflate Air Whipped Styling Foam, to bring on the fullness before prepping the hair for styling. After a blow out and quick styling using a 1-inch barrel curling iron, apply a volume-boosting hairspray to increase fullness and shine. Tease generously and complete the look by wisping your hair back. You can also add a hair piece in the back to create that perfectly romantic half-updo.

For a more every-day puff, Lisa Epperson, stylist for NYC salon FEKKAI Soho, recommends an easy 3-step process:

• Apply mousse or a volumizing spray to wet hair to give you visible lift at the root and give the appearance of thicker hair (pro tip: use a product that also has a heat protectant agent, like the FEKKAI Root Lift Volume Spray).
• Blow out hair with a large round brush and use Velcro rollers to set each section for extra volume
• Comb out and backcomb hair at the crown while leaving out some face-framing pieces. Either pin the sides up for a half-up half-down hairstyle or leave down. Finish off the look with a hairspray.

But…How Do You Undo It?

All that hairspray can be daunting to remove, but it’s not difficult to undo.

First and foremost, you must brush out your hair starting from the ends and moving your way up to the crown in sections. “The trick is to make sure you’re using a flexible hold hairspray as it gives you all the hold you need while being able to brush out easily,” says Epperson. “Once brushed though, make sure to follow up with a scalp massage and use a scalp scrub to remove any product build-up.”