This Twisted Chignon Can Take You From Spin Class to the Office

Updated on 2/1/2016 at 5:04 PM

POPSUGAR Photography | Benjamin Stone

January is notoriously the busiest month for gym-goers, and if you're committing to better fitness habits this year, then you should do it with style. To help up your workout hair game, we asked celebrity stylist Sarah Potempa to create five easy braided looks that will hold your strands in place in the most eye-catching way. Bobbi Brown makeup artist Kim Soane painted the faces of our fitness blogger models, Chase Lindsay Rosen of Athleisurely and Evann Clingan of her eponymous site, using long-wear, waterproof products. Everything was photographed at the iconic Chelsea Piers, which boasts a bevy of creative sweat-inducing classes. Every day this week, we will be revealing a new look — such as this French fishtail ponytail or this braided ballerina bun.

Get through the mid-week slump by taking a heart-pumping indoor cycling class, but don't worry about washing your sweaty hair after. If you put it in this twisted updo, it will stay perfectly — so you can conquer SoulCycle, rinse off, and make it to your morning meeting looking polished. Plus, it's much easier to DIY than it looks!

"A great tip for making a boring bun into a more interesting bun or twisted updo is taking one ponytail and splitting it into multiple ponytails," Sarah noted. "This will add to the width of the style and create more dimension. It will give the illusion that you have a lot more hair and the style is a lot more intricate, when it's really simple."

Keep reading to learn how to try it yourself!

Twisted Chignon: Step 1

Prep hair for this twisted bun with either mousse or gel on damp strands. If your hair is dry, spritz with water or product to get it sleek and clean. Though the style looks complex, it’s actually quite easy to do.

Twisted Chignon: Step 2

Divide hair into three sections: one at the middle of your head, clipped up, and then two low ponytails, secured with elastics.

Twisted Chignon: Step 3

Separate each ponytail into two pieces and twist the sections away from each other. As you’re twisting the two pieces, cross them over each other, creating a two-strand "braid." Go all the way to the bottom and secure with an elastic.

Twisted Chignon: Step 4

Repeat the double-twist technique on each ponytail. Now you have three two-strand "braids."

Twisted Chignon: Step 5

Get creative and wrap the twists around each other. You can tie them in knots or loop them around. Secure in them in place with two-inch bobby pins. Stick the bobby pin in on an angle. Use the ponytails to hide the elastics.

Twisted Chignon: Final Look

"This is actually a great look for if you were really sweaty and you needed to go to an event after your workout," Sarah explained. "It's great because your roots will be already flat so you can just pull your hair down and create it."

If you need to rinse off, just put a shower cap over the entire updo. Seal it with serum or hairspray to tame any flyaways (and mask sweat smells!).