Bella Hadid Has a Genius Tip for Styling Slicked-Back Buns Sans Gel, so I Tried It
Bella Hadid’s hair has been a major topic of conversation among beauty circles. ICYMI, the model debuted honey-blonde locks at the the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival (“It took two days of color and a whole lot of Olaplex,” colorist Jacob Schwartz said of the transformation), and the internet went low-key feral over her stunning new hue. Yet just before the brand new ‘do, Hadid turned heads for a slightly different, hair-related reason—and here I am, still thinking about it.
In Vogue’s latest Beauty Secrets video (timestamped May 13, the same week she hard-launched her blonde strands), Hadid bestowed us with a step-by-step tutorial for snatched, lifted glam. Although, she didn’t have a single hair product—no gel, oil, or leave-in—to secure her signature slicked-back bun. Her solution? A generous spritz of fragrance.
“This is going to be insane because I have no hair stuff with me, but we have a bunch of moisturizing stuff in Orebella, so I’m just going to use that on my hair,” she says before spraying her crown and twisting her lengths into a (very slick) bun. “That was like 60 seconds of a snatcheroo.”
In theory, I can totally see how this works; Orebella’s alcohol-free, bi-phase formulas are infused with plenty of moisture-rich oils—sweet almond oil, shea oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil, to name a few—many of which are also present in stellar hair-styling products. (In fact, you have to give the bottle a good shake before spraying in order to activate the concoction—that’s how present those oils are.) Alas, it’s a perfume, not a proper hair oil, so how does it really measure up for slick-backs? I decided to put Hadid’s trick to the test and find out.
Note, Hadid and I have very different hair types. I have 2C waves with a few proper curls scattered throughout, while her locks are on the straighter, finer side. I usually require no less than three styling products (gel, wax stick, and hair spray) to nail a slicked-back style sans frizz, so, to be honest, I was a bit skeptical of her fragrance hack. However, I’m currently rocking a day-three blowout in dire need of a good cleanse, so my lingering oil could actually work in my favor here.
Hadid spritzed her own hair with Nightcap—a boozy, seductive situation with cardamom, sandalwood, and patchouli—but I decided to use the brand’s luxe marine scent, Salted Muse. The combination of sea salt, pink pepper, woody amber, olive tree accord, and lavender just scream summer to me, and it’s arguably the most editor-beloved of the bunch. (It earned a spot in our Who What Wear 100 Awards for a reason!)
Orebella
Salted Muse Parfum
I brushed through my dry hair with a Tangle Teezer (another award winner, BTW), then gave my hair five to ten good spritzes with the fragrance. I tied my hair into a pony with a small elastic—just like Hadid—then twisted the strands into a bun and secured it with an oversize scrunchie. Because frizz and flyaways are the bane of my existence, I gave my crown another few spritzes of the oil-based fragrance and smoothed a boar bristle brush over my strands for a little extra slick and shine.
Did my hair smell like I just spent the day island-hopping? Yes. (Although, that’s not inherently a bad thing…) Did my bun stay in place for hours? Surprisingly, also yes! The fragrance feels very “wet” thanks to all those skin-nourishing players, so it essentially worked like an oil-based hair mist. It is pretty lightweight, though, so if you have coarser, textured strands, you might want to use Orebella as your first step before reaching for a gel or wax. On ultra-humid days, I’ll probably follow up with my trusty sleek stick (yet another award winner, go figure), but I can confirm the trick totally works in a pinch on my wavy-curly hair.
I was initially worried that spraying my entire head with perfume would overwhelm my senses, but after it seeped into my strands, it really only resulted in subtle whiffs throughout the day. I should note, I purposely didn’t wear any fragrance on my skin so as to not compete with the Salted Muse notes, which I’d also recommend if you try this hack. My deskmate (hey, Alyssa!) even commented on how good I smelled hours after the slicked-back experiment, so I consider that a major win.
Does this mean I’ll officially add Orebella to my hairstyling routine? Probably not permanently (my gel, wax stick, hair spray combo is tried and true!), but it is a great hack for days you just can’t bother grabbing multiple stylers—or, like Hadid, forgot to pack your usual haircare lineup.
More Slicked-Back Styling Products We Love
Briogeo
Style + Treat Hair Styling Sleek Stick
Crown Affair
The Flexible Hold Finishing Hair Gel
Before attempting any slicked-back style, I’ll rake this gel-cream through my strands.
Dae
Sunsetter Strong Hold Flexible Hairspray
This hair spray infuses your hair with glossy shine. Plus, I could wax poetic on how amazing it smells (in fact, I already have!).
Hair Rituel by Sisley
Curl Care Jelly
I personally use this lightweight curl jelly as a leave-in to shape and define my waves, but it also works wonders as a slicked-back styler.
Tangle Teezer
The Ultimate Detangler
You can never go wrong with a Tangle Teezer.
PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross
Double-Sided Bristle Brush
This dual-sided brush features nylon bristles to gently smooth flyaways and boar bristles to secure slicked-back styles.
Slip
Slipsilk Skinny Scrunchies
Silk scrunchies are extra-gentle on strands, resulting in less breakage and frizz.
SHEGLAM
Dual Voltage Mini Flat Iron Hair Straightener
On days my frizz-prone strands just won’t listen, I’ll reach for a flat-iron to smooth down flyaways. This one is $20, dual-voltage (great for traveling overseas!), and comes in an adorably mini size.
This touch-up sponge helps fill in sparser areas around my hairline, and it makes such a difference.
Ritual
Multivitamin for Women 18+
Okay, this is not technically a styling product, but slicked-back styles are notoriously hard on the hairline, especially if you wear them regularly. Hair growth vitamins can help keep strands strong, and these capsules from Ritual contain 9 key bioavailable nutrients, many of which can support hair health (like vitamin D and omega-3’s).
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