Hailey Bieber's Goddess Bun Is Just as Intentional as Her 24K-Gold Breastplate

The Met Gala is in full swing, the editor commentary is still flooding in, and, ladies and gents, Ms. Hailey Bieber has made her 2026 red carpet appearance. Tonight, the star donned a sculptural Saint Laurent look (a perfect nod to this year's dress code) with an equally sculpted bun that's arguably the easiest Met Gala hair look to re-create—and I fully expect at least a dozen iterations by morning. Bieber, after all, holds a special power over our beauty choices. Remember when she debuted an internet-breaking blunt bob and immediately inspired thousands of salon appointments? Yeah, same here.

Irinel de León—the celebrity hairstylist responsible for Bieber's Met Gala 'do—predicts her perfectly tucked bun will similarly make a splash. "There’s definitely a shift toward sculptural, controlled hair right now, but I wanted to interpret that in a way that still feels modern and wearable," she exclusively tells Who What Wear. Scroll ahead to see the stunning style at every angle, plus the exact products and steps you need to achieve it.

"We wanted the bun to feel like a sculpture, very intentional and refined. It’s minimal, but every detail is considered so it almost reads like part of the garment," de León shares. Meaning, the bun may appear pretty simple at first glance, but make no mistake, its intentionally clean shape is carefully constructed—just like Bieber's 24K-gold breastplate. "I think we’ll see more hair that feels designed—clean shapes, high polish, but still soft," de León says regarding this year's hair trends. "People are moving away from overly effortless and into something more considered." It certainly helps that Bieber herself is metaphorically leading the charge.

To achieve her sculpted "goddess" bun, de León first applied a cocktail of Ouai's Leave-In Conditioner and Anti-Frizz Crème to Bieber's lengths, then rough-dried using the Dyson Airwrap Coanda2x Multi-Styler and Dryer. Once she removed the excess moisture, de León popped on the dryer's Large Round Volumizing Brush attachment to smooth out the strands in sections, then sealed in the shine with Ouai's Hair Oil. To secure the knot, de León brushed back Bieber's hair into a sleek ponytail, then attached clip-in extensions (Perlino by Priscilla Valles) before building the bun in sections. "The ends are fully tucked and hidden, which creates that seamless shape," de Leon shares. "Think of it as shaping, not just styling."

Finally, she topped off the look with a touch of Ouai's Hair Oil for shine. "The finish is not wet or stiff. It’s that perfect balance of shine and softness, which we achieved by layering lightweight products instead of anything heavy," she adds. And there you have it! Bieber certainly knows her way around a slicked-back bun, so I assume she'll repeat this look on the regular as summer heats up. In the meantime, I'll be here perfecting my own knot…

Shop Hailey Bieber's 2026 Met Gala Hairstyle