I've had people ask how to do their girlie's hair in a messy bun once it gets so long & thick. Honestly - I'm not lovin' messy buns with my girlie's hair lately. Her hair is too long for them but time's come a calling when we are in a rush & they still are the fastest thing for me to do. This is a good example - normally - I don't like to do messy buns on one pony tail - it's just way too heavy...she'll even tell me her head is heavy on those days:) So if I do it in 2 pigtails - they usually look nicer & aren't quite so heavy.
So here you have your pony tail you want to make into a messy bun.
Pull it up 1/2 thru & secure with elastic
This is the secret right here: do the exact same thing as that first step. Fold the hair in half again & secure with elastic.
Then depending on the look I'm going for, I will add bobby pins to give it a more messy look - or use rubber bands & do the messy look I've always done. It's that second step that is helpful for those with longer hair.
Here's a front view
Hope that helps. There are some other ways that I also do that I will post later.