I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth
-Willow Smith's Whip My Hair
Somewhere between Marcia Brady brushing her hair one hundred times and Willow Smith whipping her hair back and forth, the rest of us have just been trying to achieve chic, everyday hair. When you are lacking all hair inspiration (slowly back away from the butterfly clip), it is best to turn to the experts. I often look to my favorite blogs for not just ideas but also easy-to-follow tutorials. Let's face it, hairstyles look great on celebs and in glossies, but executing them successfully is usually another story.
Here is a round-up of the best how-to's for some of the easiest spring hair-dos.
Buns
Style 1: Three twisted buns
Joanna Goddard's blog, A Cup of Jo, has great hair tutorials including the one for this gorgeous but surprisingly, easy look. What most busy gals will appreciate about this romantic style is the result looks like you put some serious work into it when literally it takes less about five minutes. It''s very "Nicole Richie" meets Little House on the Prairie.
Style 2: Messy bun
French women always seem to have the most effortlessly, messy buns. The YSL blog did a tutorial on the bun above (which is unfortunately not available on online anymore) but Anne Wolf's pics above make it easy enough to follow.
Chignons
Style 3: Side chignon
The chignon is as sophisticated and chic as it sounds. Yes, it is also a bun (typically knotted), but is worn at the nape of the neck. (Chignon is actually derived from the French term chignon du cou which means nape of the neck.) Style 3 is from Martha Stewart Weddings via This is Glamorous and is perfect for an event or a night out. Or wear it for your wedding hairstyle as Martha suggests. The site aptly describes the look as flirty and "young and coquettish".
Style 4: Double Knot
Another great style from This is Glamorous is this less structured and more casual chignon called the Double Knot. The blog posted it as a solution for unruly Winter hair back in January, but it should work just as well with the unruly Summer (read: frizzy) version of your hair.
Ponytails
Ponytails are perfect for summer and go with hot weather like lemonade and watermelon. But this is not your gym ponytail. Wear it lower and with volume at the crown to make it chic and elegant.
Style 5: Twisted Ponytail
Refinery29 explains how to achieve this sophisticated play on the classic ponytail with a twist.
Style 6: Messy Side Ponytail
Another A Cup of Jo tutorial takes on the side pony tail. The style is inspired by JCrew's Spring lookbook.
Down
Style 7: Goddess Braid
Lauren Conrad definitely did not invent the side Goddess braid, but it sure seems like she did. This is mainly because she was spotted wearing it all the time at the peak of her fame on The Hills. She gives the steps for creating the look in her book, Lauren Conrad Style.
1. Apply a finishing cream to tame away flyaways. (Avoid serums since they can make hair look greasy.)
2. Gather a one to two-inch section of hair (depending on the thickness of the strands) and braid to desired length.
3. Secure it to your head with bobby pins that match your hair color (Lauren likes Scunci's "no slip grip" ones.)
4. Spray with a light-hold hair spray.
Style 8: Beachy waves
Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere always has the quintessential Cali girl waves down pat in all of her stylish fashion photos. So, it was exciting to discover she has a tutorial on her site that lets you achieve the look. A note: She recommends using the Frederik Fekkai's glossing spray and I concur. I use it almost everyday and it is absolutely essential for achieving this look.
image source: joannagoddard.blogspot.com, experienceparisienne.com, marthastewartweddings.com, citified.blogspot.com, refinery29.com, Lauren Conrad: reuters, cupcakesandcashmere.com
-SD
It is very appreciable solution and I can learn from your post …thanks .. ;)
Posted by: Boutique Website Design | May 06, 2011 at 07:50 AM
French women do always have the perfect messy buns!! I'm trying this one over the weekend. I love A Cup of Jo and those hair tutorials are great. Thanks for reminding me.
Posted by: CC | May 06, 2011 at 10:15 AM
this is such a great post. i really really really needed this!
Posted by: Shef | May 06, 2011 at 04:07 PM
i cannot believe I didn't comment IMMEDIATELY. This is PERFECT. and i love the step by step instr. on the side ponytail. i'm going to have to practice now.
thank you soooooo much!!!
Posted by: amee | May 11, 2011 at 09:52 PM
Going to try the messy side ponytail tomorrow!
Posted by: punk gal | May 17, 2011 at 09:47 PM
Check out this tight wavy hair tutorial and subscribed to their channel. They're very talented for such young girls(:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ-_LRGLFDo
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Posted by: Zardozi | December 06, 2012 at 09:34 PM