Natural Hair Myths- The Bun

Goodness, I look sad :-(

Hi guys!
I hope your Thanksgivings were all festive starts to the holiday season.  Mine certainly was.  I gained three pounds over the weekend!  
Chai!
  Nationally sanctioned gluttony for the win! Right?

So, as I previously mentioned, the last style I tried before I deep conditioned and detangled my hair, was a low bun, gelled to the heavens.  I'll admit it- I always feel ridiculously victorious whenever I succeed in wrangling my hair into an obedient bun.  There are a few secrets that lie deeply buried in layers of relaxed hair nostalgia; one of them being that, I miss being able to easily whip my hair into a flat-to-the-scalp, bun.  
There!  I said it!
  My hidden natural hair holy grail has to do with surmounting this hurdle, and locking this style down.
Do any of you thick haired naturals identify with aspects of this?  
I want to be able to get the sleekest of sleek buns that remain flat without the aid of a scarf or a hair band.

Myth-wise, at the start of my hair journey, I fabricated a ton of misleading notions about what I could expect in terms of the relationship I would have with my natural hair.
I thought I'd shampoo and condition my hair daily.  Ha!  Yeah, no.
I thought I'd always wear my hair in an afro. My tiny coils and dense strands rioted with protests of
"hayle naw!".
I thought I'd use combs the same as I'd always had while my hair was relaxed.
Nope!  Olo.
 I'd also convinced myself that the sleek bun would be my style signature.  But, I had no idea that it would take years before I would be able to even pull my hair back presentably, and that even with that milestone, achieving that sleek look would include a slew of extra steps.

The Hair
Three week old threaded and stretched hair

The Players
EDEN BodyWork's Jojoba Monoi Hair Milk

Jojoba Monoi Hair Oil

Joie MyGel 4oz

Eco Styler Styling Gel
Oil
H2O

The Technique
I doused my hair with water and avocado oil- my hair had all but reverted into a cloud, and I moisturized and sealed with the Jojoba Monoi hair milk and the Jojoba Monoi Hair oil. 
I don't like to use brushes on dry hair, but to achieve satisfactory sleekness  I bit the bullet, and powered through.  I spent an exorbitant amount of time brushing, applying gel (Eco Styler), and re-wetting my hair with water and oil.  I had to repeat those steps, quite a few times, before the lot of my hair was flat enough to be captured and secured in a low bun.  Then, I used an old knee high sock to hold it all together.  I used a small amount of MyGel for my edges, and sideburns, and finally, I tied a scarf around my entire head (30 minutes).

My hair still managed to puff up after I removed the scarf,
:-/
so, I had to use a head band to disguise how high my hair had already started to rise.  I haven't reached the holy grail standard yet, but I think I've taken a few more steps in the right direction!

Is there a natural hair style that keeps eluding your efforts?  Is it that bomb twist out that you can't master, or those flat twists that that are never perfectly aligned?  What are some natural hair myths you falsely believed before you started journey?