How to Style Your Hair

There are an endless number of ways you can style your hair, whether you wear it up or down, or have it long or short. Although styling depends on the length and texture of your hair, there are many ways to accomplish a look that suits your persona.

Method 1 of 2: Styling for Women

 

1

Accentuate your natural hair. The easiest way to style your hair is simply to bring out its natural tendencies to the fullest degree. If your hair is slightly curly, play up the natural curls with different products and styles. If your hair is on the straighter side, blow dry your strands straight and show off how sleek they look. One thing is consistent though: your natural hair should be smooth and frizz-free, especially near the roots. Hair looks messy when you have fly-aways all over the place and when your hair is damaged, so do your best to take good care of it.

• While your hair is wet, you can play up natural curls by ‘scrunching’ your hair. If your hair is naturally straight, finger-brush it when wet (never use a comb/brush) to help remove tangles and wavy strands.
• Try using a curling iron or flat iron to fix strands that don’t quite match the rest of your hair. Don’t curl/straighten your entire head, just the few strands that stick out and aren’t doing as you please.

2

Try on a cool ponytail. The most classic of modern styles is a regular ponytail. Although it may be simple, the ease gives your style a carefree look and saves you time. Try brushing your hair straight back into an ultra-sleek ponytail, or go the opposite direction and avoid brushing your hair at all, pulling it back into a messy pony. Use a little hairspray or product to set the look, and you’re finished!

• You can add volume at your crown by teasing the roots of the hair on top of your head.
• Leave your bangs down for a messier look, tuck them behind your ears, or use a few bobby-pins to keep them hidden at the base of your ponytail.
• Use a ponytail that matches your natural hair color to help blend the look as much as possible. You can even wrap a small strand of your hair from the ponytail around the elastic and pin it in place, to hide the band.

3

Pull your hair back in a bun. Ladies with long hair know the blessing it is to pull it all off your neck and up into a sleek bun. There are many methods of doing buns including pinned up and using a sock, but they all give the same general look.

• Pull your hair up into a ponytail - mess or sleek, so long as you match the style to your bun - and then wrap your hair around the base of the elastic.
• Secure it in place, and you’re finished!
• Enjoy a full day of no hair in your mouth, on your neck, or blowing into your face while you rock your bun.
• Buns tend to look best either low near the nape of your neck, or high in a topknot (as per current trends). Avoid the awkward mid-zone near the back of your head, as this can look very matronly.
• Messy buns give off a ‘cool’ vibe, while sleek buns are very professional and appropriate for the workplace. You can buy buns at the dollor store they are easy to slip in your hair.

4

Braid your hair. There are dozens of braiding methods available, and they all manage to do the same: offer a unique look with little effort. Braids are a great style for the active woman, or for days when you don’t want to wash your hair and need to cover up your roots.

• Try a traditional 3-strand braid first, and then move onto more complicated braids such as the french braid, dutch braid, or fishtail braid. Eventually each of these braiding techniques can be adapted for more formal styles such as a braided crown or french-fishtail.
• If you’ve never braided hair before, don’t lose hope after your first attempt; it takes a bit of practice, but before long you’ll be a braiding master!^[1]
• If you braid your hair while wet, taking it out after it has dried will provide wavy hair that lasts for a second style!
• If you’re tired of your bangs, try braiding them into a ‘headband’ and pinning the rest of your hair up.

5

Straighten or curl your hair. If your hair is naturally straight - curl it. If your hair is naturally curly - straighten it. Wearing your hair down but in the opposite style is a great way to mix up your traditional styling options. Both methods of styling require an iron - either a flat iron or a curling iron.

• Simply turn the iron on, allow it to heat, and use 1-inch strands of hair on the metal plates.
• Finish off the look with a misting of hairspray or a bit of pomade to set your style.^[2]
• Be careful of using hot tools on a regular basis, as they can damage your hair over time. Try to keep your use of a flat or curling iron to 1-2 days a week.
• Never hold a strand of hair on the iron for longer than 5-10 seconds, as the heat can singe the hair and permanently damage it.

6

Try an up-do. Although up-dos outside of ponytails, buns, and braids are typically reserved for special events and formal occasions, you can wear your hair in one for the sake of a new style and keeping your hair out of your face.

• Try a style like a classic french twist or a teased-up bouffant; both are great for a big day at work or showing off your hair-styling skills.
• You can create variations of regular up-dos by curling or straightening your hair prior to styling it.
• Avoid updos that loads of pins and product; these will feel uncomfortable to wear and are more difficult to accomplish than up-dos with less of each.
• There are dozens of different up-dos you can try; look for ones that you like online or by visiting your local hair salon.

7

Pin back your hair. For a flirty look that’s easy to accomplish, try pinning back the front/top section of your hair. This will move it away from your face, while still showing off your natural length.

• Pull back the pieces of hair that frame your face, and either pin them slightly behind the ears using a few bobby pins, or pull them around and use an elastic to secure them at the back of your head. You can do this style using a lot of hair - like the whole top half of your hair - or just small strands near your face.
• You can create different variations of this look by either leaving your bangs down or pulling it back.
• Try twisting your hair as your pull it back to create a more interesting half-up style.
• Tease the roots of your hair before pinning them back to add a little volume

Method 2 of 2: Styling for Men

 

1

Comb it out. Nothing is easier and more casual-cool than sporting your natural hair in a frizz-free state. After showering, use a wide-tooth comb to brush out the strands of your hair, removing any tangles.

• Add a bit of frizz-reducing serum if that’s an issue for you, otherwise let your hair air-dry. Because you brushed your hair while it was wet, it will dry in the same manner, looking much more put-together than just towel-drying your hair and running out of the house.
• Keep in mind that brushing your hair too much can look awkward; if you can see individual brush strokes in your hair (particularly if it is short), use your fingers to mess the style just a little, so it looks natural.
• Don’t use a regular brush to comb your hair while wet; your hair is the most fragile when wet, and will easily break if brushed.

2

Go for a messy look. When your hair is frizzy, it looks like bed-head; when your hair is intentionally messy, it looks effortlessly cool. Use a styling pomade (like a thick cream), and rub a dime-sized amount onto your fingertips. Wipe this through your hair, mussing it gently while finger-brushing large sections. You should end up with strands of hair that go in different directions, without sticking straight up.

• Unless your hair is quite long, try to direct strands upwards/forwards towards your forehead, rather than down towards the sides.
• Don’t use too much pomade or you won’t be able to rub it all into your hair.
• Flatten down fly-aways when you’re finished with the style, to give it a more clean look.

3

Try a modern pompadour. One of the most en-vogue hair trends right now is the modern pompadour (styled by celebrities like Macklemore). To do this, use a bit of styling mousse and brush your hair back from your forehead, into a faux-mohawk. Comb the sides of your hair down, from a part line just above your ears. Use a bit of pomade to hold the pompadour in place.^[4]

• You can only create this style with medium-long hair; short hair won’t work,
• You can get a haircut specific to this style, in which the sides of your hair are cut very short while the section on top is left long.

4

Go for a sleek, slicked-back look. A hairstyle for the times, slicked back hair has been popular for decades and is perfect for a special event or a professional outing.

• Use a bit of hair gel and a comb to brush your hair back away from your face, using a deep side-part. You’ll comb all the hair from one ear across towards the other, and back around your head.
• Use a bit more gel or hairspray to hold this in place, but avoid using so much that your hair appears ‘wet’ with shine.
• This isn’t an everyday look, as it is associated more with professional/formal atmospheres than a day at class or running errands

5

Spike your hair. Though the idea of ‘spiking’ your hair may bring back connotations of bad middle-school hair styles, don’t give up hope on the style so fast. Instead of spiking all your hair, style it so that just the pieces above your forehead are pushed up a bit. This is a modern, attractive version of the typical hair-spiking. Use a bit of pomade on your fingertips, and run it through your hair so that it has a messy-cool look. When you get close to your forehead, push your hair straight up so that it follows the plane of your face. Avoid spiking more than a few sections of your hair, otherwise your look will take on a youthful unprofessional appearance

source:wikihow.com