For the first time in forever, you are going out! You've already done your make-up. You put on that dress you haven't worn in a while –amazed it still fits–find those killer heels and slip them on, poke the holes in your supposedly pierced ears, and look in the mirror. Surveying yourself from your shoes to your earrings, everything looks just right...until you get to your hair...
To be clear, your hair is not your fault! Between the seemingly endless cycle of shut downs and re-openings, precautionary closings due to a positive case and rescheduling, you haven’t been able to get a haircut in months, and you need one! But don’t get down on yourself. Everyone is sporting the long-hair-don’t-care look right now to some degree, so you decide to have fun with it!
You dig through your drawer, find your forgotten curling wand, and get started.
And now you're standing in your bathroom awkwardly twirling long strands of hair around your wand wondering how you used to do this? Your muscles don't seem to work the way you want them too. Oh, and you need to be ready to leave in 10 minutes!
No worries, babe, I got you covered with 5 Simple Steps to Date Night Hair in Under 10 Minutes. But before we get started...
Dirty hair is better!
No, I'm not crazy. I’ve been styling hair for over 10 years, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve said “your hair is too oily”. The sebum that your scalp produces helps protect and moisturize hair and skin. So give your hair and scalp some love, and please don’t wash it everyday.
If you still feel like your hair is the stick-to-your-scalp kind of oily, then grab some dry shampoo like Invisibleware Dry Wash and spray your root area. Hold the section of hair that you are spraying up away from the scalp, keep the Dry Wash spray about 5-6 inches away, and spray. If you hold the nozzle too close to the scalp while spraying, you can get too much in one spot and it’s harder to brush out –especially if you have dark hair. Brush that through, and your hair is prepped for step 1.
Step 1: Ponytail It
Use a scrunchy to put your hair in a loose ponytail on the very top of your head, I mean the literal apex of your head. No, the end result is not going to be a fountain head; I promise. The higher you get that ponytail the more volume you get out of this style.
Step 2: Spray It
Spray the hair in the ponytail with Hot Off the Press a heat protectant like , and then, choose your styler. If your hair tends to hold curl well, then scrunch in a little mouse. If your hair needs a little more help with hold or you live in a humid climate, use a pump hair spray like Freeze and Shine.
According to Jessica Sexton, a Paul Mitchell Educator who specializes in Up Styles, a pump action hair spray is best in humid climates because the particles are not aerosolized and thus will not burst when they come in contact with water (or humidity).
You can give your hair in the ponytail a good spray all at once, or spray it one section at a time as you curl it.
Step 3: Twirl It
Now you get out your wand or curling iron and start twirling your hair around it. The beauty of this style is that it doesn't really matter which way you twirl it or even if you change your direction half-way through by accident and perfect sections are also not necessary here.
Want a facelift without the surgery? Twirl the sections around your face away from your face; this tricks the eye into riding the waves of your hair upward. It also brings attention to your eyes instead of around your neck. I don’t know about you, but I prefer people to look me in the eye when we’re talking.
If you want loose textured waves, use a larger barrel and take bigger sections to curl but make sure the heat makes it to the outside of the hair. If you want tighter curls, take smaller sections. Heads up! This next part is important...
Do NOT touch the curls!...until they cool! The most common mistake people make when styling their hair at home is not letting the curl set. For looser waves, you can curl and let set, but if you want a little more bounce to it, I recommend using pin curl clips or bobby pins to pin up the curls right after you curl them. Pinning up the curls and leaving them alone, allows the curls to cool in their new form.
Step 4: Let Your Hair Down
Now that the curls have cooled completely, take out the ponytail, and flip your head over. Let your fingers feel their way up your scalp, starting above your ears and ending at the crown and let your fingers spread out. Next, shake your hair with your fingertips at the scalp a little. Not too much –that’s how you get frizz– just enough to separate the curls a bit.
Now, it's time for you to reach for your aerosol hair spray. For a flexible hold, I like the Marula Rare Oil Perfecting Spray, but if you need something a little more “umph!”, I use Stay Strong or Awapui Finishing Spray. What’s the difference between the two? Awapui Finishing Spray smells wonderful!...yeah, I’m superficial like that.
Step 5: Flip It
Channel your inner super model, and flip your head back. I like to let the hair part where it wants, and go with it, but if you prefer a specific part, then part your hair as you will. Give it a final spray for good luck and get going!
How simple was that? All that's left is for you to grab your purse and keys, and hit the town! ...Oh and don't forget your mask!
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