Hairstylists’ secrets for good hair days
Check out these sneaky tricks top stylists use for a good hair day, every day
1 THEY DON’T FIGHT THE FRIZZ
“Frizz gives hair texture, which makes it easier to style and helps it stay in place longer,” says stylist Barney Martin, who’s based in Sydney, Australia.
Other pros: embracing frizz means you can cut down on styling time, and on swept-back hairstyles, a little frizz gives lift at the roots and the overall look is less severe (and, in fact, will make you look younger).
There’s a difference between fashionably frizzy and just plain frizz, so to stay on the right side of chic try the following: frizz looks best on longer locks (tooshort frizzy hair can look clownish). A well-defined side part will help you avoid puffball comparisons. Juxtapose a frizzy hairline with a sleek style around the back (a pony, knot or bun). Team frizzy ends with a slicked-back ponytail and a pouffy tail. Push back hairline fuzz with a headband.
Once you’ve accepted your frizz, try amplifying it. If you over-backcomb and start resembling a bird’s nest, brush hair out with a soft-bristle brush to smooth the cuticle and bring back the shine, then start over.
You can also tame over-thetop fuzz with straightening irons, “but be careful as overuse can dry out the hair and cause more frizz!” Martin cautions.
To protect hair, invest in a heat protectant and/or anti-frizz product (fine-haired types should seek out lightweight anti- frizz treatments).
2 THEY APPLY DRY SHAMPOO ON CLEAN HAIR
Don’t save this wonder product for a dirty hair day – the latest batch of dry shampoos has the usual rice and oat starch to absorb oil and now pack styling ingredients too.
“Dry shampoo is great for giving clean hair body and volume, especially for people with straight hair or fine to medium strands,” salon owner Alan Buki says . “It prevents roots from becoming oily, so it also allows your style to hold longer.”
Dry shampoo is great for giving that day-old, lived-in matte hair texture and volume, providing a little more “grit” in an updo. (Ever tried to pin justwashed silky smooth strands into a bun only to have the bobby pins slip out?)
If you’re creating a bouffant, braid or messy ponytail, use dry shampoo from roots to tips for uniform texture. To add volume, apply your usual styling products, blow-dry, section hair and spray dry shampoo on the roots.
Wait five minutes then use your fingers to rub in the product until it disappears. But beware: apply too much and it could leave locks looking chalky. In this case, try massaging a little more or mist lightly with water.
3 THEY USE MOUSSE FOR EVERYTHING
Back in the day, we used to scrunch globs of mousse into wet hair, wait for it to air-dry, then listen out for that snap. Nowadays, mousse is less about shellacking and more about softening.
“The formulation of mousse has evolved and is now miles ahead of the ‘crunchy’ days,” stylist Daren Borthwick says.
“Mousses now incorporate conditioning ingredients that alter the look and feel of the product, making hair more pliable to work with and allowing hairdressers to use it in many different ways.”
To start, shake the can well to ensure all the ingredients mix and create an even texture.
To add volume to your blowdry, apply a tennis ball-sized amount of mousse to damp hair, targeting the roots. Blowdry hair upside down till dry, then blow-dry as normal.
For beachy, frizz-free waves, concentrate product on the midlengths, scrunch into semi-dry hair, then air-dry or diffuse (don’t comb or touch it too much).
For most styles, apply mousse on damp hair; for a sleek updo, use on soakingwet hair and comb through to distribute the product before styling; or apply on dry hair to revive a style.
4 THEY STILL WHIP OUT THE HOT ROLLERS
“The benefit of using hot rollers over curling tongs is you get more volume,” styling expert Renya Xydis says.
“Tongs tend to flatten the roots whereas hot rollers create volume at the root, plus they give more of a voluptuous bounce.”
Jumbo rollers are best for loose curls, while a variety of roller sizes (on mousseprepped hair) will give you big waves. Velvet-covered rollers produce the smoothest result and plastic butterfly clips are easier to use than metal clips and won’t mark hair.
“Grab a tail comb for sectioning, start at the nape and work your way up,” Xydis advises. “Once you remove the rollers, don’t be afraid to get your hands in there and give it a good shake.”
If you’re after a sleeker-butstill-voluptuous finish, spritz on a root-lifting product pre-rollers then, post-rollers, smooth curls with a paddle brush.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with a half-head of rollers. Placed on just the bottom half, rollers add subtle bounce on straight hair. Placed only along the crown, rollers give life to fine, flat hair.
5 THEY ELIMINATE BULK WITH AN UNDERCUT
“An undercut can reduce volume on thicker hair and help it sit better. It can be incorporated into a bob to eliminate weight and create a softer finish, and it’s really good on longer hair as the style can be worn several ways,” stylist Joey Scandizzo says. It can also be about stealth rebellion. “Sweep hair half up to one side, showing just a hint of the undercut, or full up so it’s completely exposed, and it becomes the prominent feature of your look. If a more sophisticated style is required, wear your hair down and no one will know it’s there.”
Regardless of your hair type, length or style, you’ll need to see a professional every six to eight weeks for buzz maintenance. You might be tempted to whip out the electric razor at home, but don’t. There’s a lot of technique involved in getting the right length and placement of an undercut.
So is a buzz cut the right thing for you? Scandizzo offers the following: “I’ve never had a client who hated an undercut as I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who wasn’t going to be 100% about it. Some people freak out when you mention the word undercut, but done correctly the results are awesome. There’s no going back.”