Headed from the office to an after-work soiree? Learning how to take your hairstyle from day to night will save you precious time and energy. So find out how to glam up your hair with this professional advice.
The Curls Have It
The easiest way to change your style from one look to the next is to curl it, says What Not to Wear stylist Nick Arrorjo. “Once hair is curly, it’s locked together,” he says. “It’s so much easier to pull it back, twist the top pieces, or roll the sides back, because the hair is all in one piece.”
To curl hair, Arrojo recommends washing it the night before, so the hair won’t be squeaky clean and will have better texture. He prefers a 1- to 1½-inch curling iron and advises against using anything larger. “You can always soften hair; you can’t always make it tighter,” he says. Spray each section of hair lightly with a non-aerosol hairspray, which is less sticky and makes restyling later in the day easier.
Down is the New Up
Contrary to popular advice, Arrorjo recommends wearing your hair down and flowing at night and in a chic twist during the day. “Loose hair is sexier and more dramatic, while an updo is office appropriate,” he says. The bonus: After unwinding your hair from a twist, you’ll instantly have pretty waves. All you have to do is run your fingers through the roots to restore volume, and you’re ready to go.
Invest in Your Style
A well-styled blowout can make it through the day — and sometimes the next day, too, says Erin Anderson, a Brooklyn, New York-based stylist and a TRESemmé beauty and fashion consultant.
To give your style staying power, use gels or mousses. Avoid serums, which can weigh hair down or make it look greasy. Another way to help your style last is to avoid touching your hair throughout the day, as hands can add excess oil to strands, Andersons says, and that can lead to lifeless locks come party time.
Refresh Your Hairstyle
At the end of the day, revive your hairstyle with a curling iron or a flat iron. If you’re at the office or on the road and that’s not possible, try teasing roots with a comb to create volume and shape, says Anderson. Lock it in by using a little hairspray when finished.
Arrojo has a simple trick for making a style instantly more glam: Move your part an inch further down the side than your daytime look and push your bangs or front pieces across your face. “It’s very sexy to have a bang sweep across your face and eye,” he says.
Holiday-Hair Accessories
Feminine headbands and barrettes are very in this season, according to Anderson, and can be a party girl’s best friend. Clip limp locks off your face with a barrette or tease your hair and pull it back with a headband for instant glamour. Anderson particularly likes festive patent-leather flower barrettes and feather-adorned headbands.
To get barrettes in the right place, Arrojo suggests using a large clip, like the ones used at hair salons for placement of your hair. Then, once you have your hair pulled back the way you want it, replace it with the more decorative barrette. “The clips are much easier to maneuver and will save you time.”
[source;everydayhealth]
