Here’s Why Experts Are Warning Against Sofia Richie’s Viral Sleek Bun Tutorial

Confession: we've been hooked on Sofia Richie's beauty takes since she first made her TikTok debut earlier this year. What started as a pre-wedding party GRWM has since evolved into dewy summer make-up tutorials, seasonal appropriate manicure inspiration and a bucket load of product recommendations, with each video firmly establishing the 25-year-old as the internet's new favourite It Girl. But her latest TikTok has left many divided. Over the weekend, Sofia took to the app to reveal the secret to her signature sleek bun and it's not what you'd expect.

How Sofia Richie Does Her Signature Sleek Bun

While we would consider Sofia's polished, slicked back updo as the perfect off-duty-yet-ready-for-anything hairstyle, she defines it as the lazy-girl bun. Taking to TikTok, Sofia says, 'First I'm going to start off by saying I really love you guys for thinking this is like my chic hairstyle, this is actually my lazy girl hairstyle. I do it all the time because I'm very lazy with my hair. Over the years of doing it I've gotten really good and I have a really easy technique.'

The tutorial starts easy enough – she mists a detangling spray over wet hair, creates a strong centre part and brushes out both ends. Sofia then explains it doesn't really matter what products you have and goes on to mention her go-tos: an oil, an Oribe lotion and a regenerative hair mask – she credits the latter as the single product responsible for her luscious hair growth post-covid. Moving on to styling, Sofia scrapes back her wet hair with a boar bristle brush and begins to tie it into place, and, according to TikTok, therein lies the problem.

The Controversy Surrounding Sofia Richie's Signature Sleek Bun

Having received 19.2 million views and counting, the video has captured the attention of countless fans and critics, with some attempting to recreate the style and others warning against it. Professional hairstylist @madeandtaylored posted a video in reaction to Sofia’s tutorial, saying, 'tying your hair up when it is wet is quite possibly the worst thing that you can do to your hair. No one's hair is safe from breakage, including Sofia Richie.'

'Think of your hair like a rubber band — it literally stretches out when it's wet, which means that when it dries, it shrinks. The whole problem with this trend is that if your hair is in a tight bun when it's wet, it's going to end up drying, it's going to try to shrink and it's not going to be able to, which means that it's going to snap.'

Hairdresser and head of education at Neäl & Wølf, Laura Elliott, agrees. 'This is a recipe for breakage,' she adds, 'the hair is extremely delicate when it is wet, as it is at maximum elasticity. Causing any pull or tension on the hair when wet can lead it to stretch up to a third of its length and break. In general, tight and slicked back hairstyles should be avoided, especially by those with thin or fine hair, as this can lead to tension breakage and hair loss.'

The Safe Way To Try Sofia Richie's Signature Sleek Bun

Laura advises to start with completely dry hair before attempting this hairstyle. 'Section the hair using a fine-tooth comb to create a defined parting then apply your favourite hair mask to dry hair from root to tip, focusing the product on the mids to ends to avoid product build up on the scalp. Leave two sections of hair at the front and clip aside, as Sofia does, and brush back the remaining hair into a ponytail. Once the ponytail is secured, unclip the front sections and brush them back and secure them into the ponytail. Twist the ponytail round into a bun and secure with a bobble.'

Shop: Sofia Richie's Tool Kit