Every girl has worn one at some point in time, whether it be when you’re home alone or on a daily basis. Messy buns are probably one of the biggest unnamed fashion trends of our generation. With such a large following, there are some wrong ways to attempt a messy bun.

I think the term “messy” gets some girls confused. I know you probably just got out of bed, and you really don’t want to be here, but messy doesn’t mean dirty. It looks disgusting when your hair looks like you showered maybe two days ago, threw it up in a bun two days ago and haven’t touched it since. That’s just nasty. A good portion of the time, this is what messy buns end up looking like. Girls think messy buns are perfect for that second or third day of having not washed your hair, but a majority of the time, messy buns just bring out the fact that you haven’t washed it.

This seems silly, because messy buns are supposed to be so quick and easy, but please, brush your hair before putting it in a messy bun. This really applies more to people with curly or easily tangled hair, but for girls who wear their hair in messy buns everyday, and never brush or comb it, it can start to look like a rats nest instead of a bun.

The higher your messy bun is on your head, the stupider you look. I know, I know … for some reason it’s popular to wear them on the top of your head like Pebbles, but that idea really needs to stop. There’s just something really, really weird about the shape those top-of-the-head buns create. Plus, it makes you look five times scrubbier than you already probably look because it’s almost impossible to really make your hair stay in a bun that high.

I love head bands, trust me, but those five-inch wide head bands wore in front of the hair line are just stupid. Since I have short hair, I have to wear my head band pretty forward as well to keep my bangs up. But there is a difference between wearing a head band forward, and wearing a forehead band. If you’re going to wear a head band, please … wear it on your head … not your forehead.

Pairing a forehead band with a top of the head bun is like messy bun suicide. If your hair is also extremely dirty, you should probably just shave your head.