Vanessa Hudgens' Braided Bun at the 2022 Met Gala Is Surprising Easy to Recreate

Vanessa Hudgens met gala hair 2022 — (Image credit: Getty)

In the name of being extra and in honor of going big for the 2022 Met Gala, Vanessa Hudgens put a gothic spin on this year’s Gilded Glamour dress code. While her Renaissance-inspired Moschino gown might not be shoppable in stores, we do have some good news: her hairstyle is actually really easy to recreate. But don’t just take it from us—listen to hairstylist Danielle Priano, aka the mastermind behind Hudgens’ intricate updo.

“Following the Gilded Gothic vibe of the dress, we felt that the hair should really be taking us back to the 1800’s,” Priano exclusively told Marie Claire. After going to the drawing board, Priano and Hudgens decided that a “tidy” braided bun was going to be the perfect compliment to the “witchy” and “gothic” look. “It was the right play, especially with the super long train and gorgeous back detail of the dress.”

While the dense updo may look all kinds of confusing at first glance, it’s honestly just a bunch of standard, three-strand braids woven together. The look can totally be done with your natural hair, but Priano says that adding in clip-in extensions (she used the Hidden Crown Seamless Clip-Ins) works wonders for amping up density.

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If you are going to add in some extra inches, Priano advises clipping the wefts, which is the technical term for the base of the extensions, in the direction of the ponytail. Once that’s said and done, pull all of the hair into a slicked-back ponytail. The secret to getting it smooth? Layer on the SexyHair Not So Hard Up Medium Holding Gel.

Next, section the hair into three pieces and braid each, respective section. Now comes the fun part: add a diamond strand (or, you know, normal hair tinsel) into each of the three braids. “Take all three braids and braid them together,” explains Priano. “[Then], brush the hairline back and wrap it around the ponytail. Last, but certainly not least, grab the entirety of the hair and twist it into a bun.

“It’s misty out there today, so I glossed over the hair with a spray of Spray & Play Harder by SexyHair to ensure the hair holds all night,” Priano says of her finishing touch. For good measure, she also spritzed Hudgens' with the SexyHair Weatherproof Humidity Resistant Spray before sending her on her way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Samantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.