I just wanted to share two bun styles for those who still have shorter hair (shoulder-line to BSL). I've been able to do these styles with barely shoulder-length hair.
Once learned, they are fast to make and can be decorated with hair toys So they are very nice buns indeed.

When the hair is shorter, you will need pins, pins and more pins to fasten it and to hide all the ends. If your hair is slippery like mine and you don't wish to use tons of hair spray, use also a bun net.

SIMPLE BUN

1. Make a ponytail to crown level or little below. Fasten it with a ponytail holder (preferably same color than your hair).
2. Don't twist the ponytail- just turn it to a loop and tuck the end under the loop. Fasten well with several pins- both plastic and metal pins (not sharp ones) will do. Secure with a bun net.

DRESSY BUN

1. Start with a ponytail, just like when making a simple bun. Divide the ponytail into four sections.
2. Take the section on the left and turn it to a loop that you place on the left. Fasten it to your head with one hair pin.
3.Do the same with a section to up, right and down. Now you should have four loose (but fastened) loops.
4. Take the loop on the left and fasten it to the head with another pin from the middle of the loop. There should be end of the loop on the down, place the pin so that the end goes underneath the loop. Fasten all other loops and hide the ends in a similar manner.
5. If you want, finish with a bun net and decorate. Voila! You have a dressy bun.

Note: You can make variations of dressy bun by placing the strands differently. Try it! You can also very carefully draw thin strands of hair out of them and make tiny braids. (Don't use the braided style too often, I'm not sure if tiny braids are very healthy for hair. But they look very good.)

No four loops, but eight little loops that look like you have curled your hair  First you make four fastened loops like a clover leaf, then you "divide" them from the middle of the loops by inserting a hair pin there. In the end you should have eight little loops with the hair ends hidden neatly under them.
  It's possible to go ahead and pin a loop twice when going on "first round", but then it's hard to hide the ends.

The idea of four little buns circling the holder sounds nice...I must try that next time when I have time for experimenting.

I hope BSL means bra strap length...at least I have thought so. But I'm not a native English speaker so I can't be absolutely sure about this.

Gadadriel,

Both of those sound great!  I did my first netted bun and couple of days ago and it was pretty much like the first example.

And it stayed in until I took it down!  Yay!

Thanks so much for posting these; these shorter lengths can be maddening.

On the dressy bun, when you separate your first loop, do you pin it at the crown or off to the side of the first loop? I'll do something even if its wrong but I'd like to get it right.  It sounds very pretty.

Thanks again,
strawberryfine

Thanks, Galadriel!
I can totally see it in my head!  I can't wait to try it!
Thanks so much for posting this.  You may have just saved my hair.

strawberryfine

Variation: Hair Slide Bun

I came up with this variation when I found a pretty hair slide I had bought when my hair was shorter. It inspired me to try something new. This style works, after your hair has grown out of simple bun (but I don't think it works with very long hair).

You'll need: ponytail holder, bun net, hair slide

1. Make a ponytail to crown level -it should be a bit higher than one needed for regular simple bun. Fasten it with a ponytail holder (preferably same color than your hair).
2. Don't twist the ponytail- just turn it to a loop and tuck the end under the loop. Flip the bun net over everything.
3. Insert the hair slide to middle of the loop so that all of your hair fits it. It's ok to squeeze hair a bit to do this- the look is narrower and longer than regular simple bun. Behold! You have just made a neat hair slide bun

I guess everyone with hair in this stage has the problem. I use bobby pins, 2-4 is normally enough. In addition, I must use a little hair spray.

I'm not a native English speaker and my hair vocabulary isn't perfect, so I might have gotten things wrong.  ???

But the lady here in first picture series has a hair slide in her hairdo. It looks a bit like a barrette, but consists of top part and a separate stick that is inserted to it, through the hair.

http://www.tlhs.org/carstyl.html