I’m sure you have a few of ’em in your hair-styling bag. 🙂
I’ve always struggled with my mop, but I’ve learned a few time-saving tricks and shortcuts over the years (mostly the hard way) to lessen the pain.
Like, when I used to have blunt bangs across my forehead, I’d squeeze one extra day out of my blowouts by putting the back and sides of my hair up in a towel but leaving my bangs uncovered. Then I’d just wash the bangs…which took a lot less time than washing a whole head of hair.
Lately I’ve been rocking mid-length side-swept bangs, and to reduce heat styling damage (and shave a few minutes off my getting-ready time), I’ll usually just blow my bangs straight but leave the rest of my hair to air dry.
Oh, and if I have to look responsible for something (ptooey!) but don’t have enough time to do my hair the way I’d like, I’ll run a dollop of styling product, like a soft hold gel, through the top layers and the ends, and gather everything up in a low ponytail on the back of my neck.
Then, I’ll spray some hairspray all over, and use a boar’s hair brush to smooth and control the strays.
Sometimes I’ll also wash my hair at night and go to sleep with it slightly damp (as long as it isn’t cold in the house) because something magical happens overnight…
Lying flat like that for hours really boosts my volume and waves, and I wake up looking a little like the Bride of Frankenstein, LOL! But I take advantage of it by playing up the volume and curls. Using a large barrel curling iron or hot rollers, I’ll curl the top layers and ends.
The result smacks of big pageant hair at first, but when it mellows out it looks less cray.
And of course, when all else fails, there are always hats. 🙂
How about you? Do you have any hair-styling shortcuts or time-saving tricks? I’d love to hair about them.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I’m a fan of cute, flexible headbands. I need them to stretch though since traditional hard headbands give me the WORST headaches. Usually its just the front of my hair that gets greasy or flat so this is an easy fix for me.
Messy Bun! Always a winner to me!
Get a pixie cut lol. I’ve had short hair since I was 18, and now I’m finally growing it out again, but pixie cuts make a lot of stuff easy. Roll out of bed, ruffle it, BOOM, presto, presentable. a lil pomade can fix flyaways and you don’t worry about frizz so much either.
On the downside, hair styles are limited. Like I can’t wait to be able to wear big barrettes with a ponytail again omg!
I love the technique of of twisting hair back, in sections, and just pinning! It’s a messy, fun, but feminine look. You can even do without a mirror after you’ve done it once or twice – it basically never looks wrong, no matter what you do. I especially like that it works on hair that’s anywhere from chin-length to butt-length.
Just before blow-drying, blot your wet hair with a high quality, absorbent paper towel. It removes a significant amount of water and shortens drying time. Works better than the special absorbent fabric towels made for that purpose.
On a bad hair day (which is most of my days), I just braid my hair in a messy side braid 🙂 That way it looks intentionally casual.
It’s super simple, but my biggest mistake is usually forgetting to use enough styling product. I wear my hair straight most days and when I put enough styling product(s) in, it eliminates the need for precise blow drying and flat ironing. I still blow dry my hair, but my hair will just be much more cooperative and will magically want to look good on its own. Right now I’m liking the combination of the Ion volume spray, Tresemme styling spray, and a little Moroccan oil.
I always squeeze an extra day out of my styling by using dry shampoo. My favorite is from Kerastase.
When in doubt, chop it off, and dye it black or bleach it white. I go super-short pixie with a punk edge myself. I lost my comb for three days once and barely noticed.
I always use an aqui towel to get most of the water out of my hair. I try to be greener by using washable towels, regular plates/dishes etc.
When I blow dry my hair I finally figured out the secret to the sleek blow-dry you get at the salon. When I think I’m finished and my hair is dry, I dry it some more. I do each section again and it’s amazing how much more moisture comes out. I used to always stop a little early and it just never looked smooth/sleek.
I only wash my hair every 3-4 days because it’s dry. When I take my shower I put it in a high topknot with a clip and a shower cap. By the time I get out of the shower and put the basic “face” on, I can take the bun out and have beautifully wavy hair for the second day. THis will work for hte 3rd and 4th but those days are usually relegated to a braided look and of course a HAT. LOL
Definitely dry shampoo is my best friend for days 2 (and sometimes 3), as my scalp has definitely gotten less oily as I’ve gotten older and I can get away with skipping shampooing. I’m currently loving Dove’s version, the scent is so good and worth the few dollars more over Suave’s! On at least one of those skip days I have my hair up, I have ear-length pieces that I’ll kind of do a roll-back, tease and pin with (sort of 40s style) and then put the rest up in either a messy bun or a fancy ponytail with curled ends. And ditto what Erin said on using the right products to get you there – I use everything Aveda no matter if I’m going curly or blown out.
Well of course, the messy bun with some cute hair accessory works wonders! 😀
Just spray in sea salt serum.
When I meet a new stylists I’ve had them sigh when they know they are working on my unruly, coarse, wavy, long mop. It’s oddly straight on the front sections and crazy wavy/curly in the back (like a weird undercoat almost). I think that Kenra blow dry spray is worth the $ and if I shower in the morning and need a quick hair style, the gel scrunch look is always a safe choice.