How to Create an Updo With a Front Poof

If you're planning a festive night out for a prom, a school performance or even a fancy date, then you might have fantasies of dipping your toes into the vast world of glamorous updos. While these beacons of evening elegance might seem like a daunting and vast universe at first, the simplest tricks will create voluminous, graceful effects in less than 15 minutes. A front poof will take a simple, twisted updo to the next level and transport you from ballerina-bun-bland to voluminously chic.

Brush your clean, dry hair with a hairbrush to remove any tangles. Spritz your hair from root to tip with a heat-protectant spray.

Place the tip of your comb just behind your right ear, and run it horizontally around your head until you reach just behind your left ear, creating a horizontal part.

Take hold of all of the hair above the horizontal part, and divide this hair into two even sections -- the right side of your head and the left side of your head. Loosely twist each top section separately, and clip each section up on top of your head with a large alligator clip. Leave the hair below the horizontal part down and loose.

Heat up a 2-inch curling iron. Separate a 2-inch-wide section of hair from the loose hair directly behind your right ear.

Wrap the tips of the hair section around the barrel of the curling iron. If the curling iron has a clamp, close the clamp down on the ends of the hair. If the curling iron does not have a clamp, hold onto the very tips of the section of hair as you curl.

Roll the curling iron up and your hair with it until you reach your head, if your curling iron has a clamp. If you are working with a clampless iron, wrap the hair around the barrel of the curling iron, holding onto the very tips of the hair. Hold the curling iron in place for about 10 seconds and then release your hair.

Repeat the curling process working with 2-inch-wide sections of the loose, unclipped hair. Work your way around the bottom layer of hair, going from behind the right ear all the way to behind the left ear. Take your time sectioning out even 2-inch-wide portions of hair as you go.

Release the hair on the right side of your head above the horizontal part. Separate a 2-inch-wide section of hair just to the right of your part at the top of your head at your hairline. Curl this section of hair as you did with the lower sections.

Continue to pull out 2-inch-wide sections of hair from the newly released top section and curl in the same manner. Work your way along your hair line first and then work your way back to the crown of your head.

Release the left upper section of hair from the alligator clip. Work in 2-inch-wide pieces to curl this section of hair. Always start by curling the hair along your hairline in even 2-inch-wide sections, working from the part towards your ear. Then, work your way back to the crown of your head.

Spritz your hair with a texturizing spray from root to tip when you have finished curling your hair. Focus a bit more of the product at the roots of the hair that is at the crown of your head.

Place your two index fingers about 5 inches apart at the crown of your head. Your fingers should be at about the same height as your eyebrows.

Draw your index fingers together towards the back of your head, collecting the hair above your fingers, until they meet at the crown of your head.

Hold the hair you collected firmly in one hand so that the hair at your crown is now evenly sectioned off.

Comb through the separated hair with a fine-tooth comb, and hold the ends of the hair up above your head so that the hair is standing straight up. Hold onto the ends with your fingertips.

Insert the comb into the back side of the separated hair about 3 inches from the roots. Pull the comb down towards your roots about 1 inch using a gentle, quick stroke. Take the comb out of the hair. Place the comb back into the separated hair again, this time about 4 inches above the roots. Pull the comb down about 1 inch again. Place the comb in a third time about 5 inches from the roots, and pull down towards the roots another time. Repeat this back-combing process a few more times if you want a lot of volume, or stop right there for a subtler poof.

Pull all of your hair back into a loose, high ponytail, including the teased crown section. Pull the hair at the front of your hairline back and over the back-combed section as you make the ponytail to create a smooth, voluminous finish. The very tips of the back-combed section should be long enough to be incorporated into the ponytail.

Wrap the ponytail in a smooth hair elastic a couple of times. Keep the ponytail loose to retain that soft, voluminous effect and to encourage the front poof to stay big.

Loosely twist the hair extending from the ponytail into a soft rope.

Wrap the rope of hair around the base of the ponytail to form a bun. Insert a bobby pin or two into the side of the bun every couple of inches to secure the hair in place until you have incorporated all the loose hair into a bun.

Pull out a few pieces of hair around the front of your face of you want a classic, messy-bun look. If you have bangs, leave them free to hug the curves of your face.

Spritz the hairstyle with a medium-hold hairspray to keep those locks in place for the day or evening.