Even a supermodel won’t wake up with perfect hair each day.
You can look Instagram-ready within minutes if you know a few of these hacks for cool hairstyles that require no heat tools, little time and even less skill. Read on, and you can hit snooze a few extra times tomorrow or spend time doing what you love instead of fighting with your hair.
5 Cool Styles if You Wash Your Hair at Night
Did you know that you can get great hair in your sleep?
You can save time on styling if you wash your hair in the evenings. Let your hair air dry, and it will be shiny and ready for the day with just a few tweaks when you lift your head off the pillow in the a.m.
Just an FYI: Washing your hair at night could be a bad idea if you don’t let it dry before hitting the hay. That’s because wet hair is more prone to damage. Unless your sleep is as motionless as a meditating monk, you want to make sure that you don’t go to bed with wet hair.
Try these cool hairstyles to wake up feeling rested and gorgeous.
1. Beach Hair, Don’t Care
If you don’t have time to dry it before you climb into bed, consider weaving it into a loose braid if it’s long enough. This will prevent it from getting tangled as you toss and turn.
In the morning, you’ll have smooth, beachy waves. Just undo the braid and run your fingers through your mane. You may want to use a dry shampoo on the roots and texturizer on the length to help it stay gorgeous throughout the day.
If your hair is super thick, you might want to avoid this method. The moisture in your hair can cause fungal growth if it doesn’t have a chance to dry completely.
This method works great for people with fine, straight hair. The texture can help you get away with an extra day before washing. It gives you fluff and volume while keeping grease at bay.
2. Wrap Your Hair for a Straight, Sleek Style
If your time is limited in the morning and you want to maintain your hairstyle overnight, grab a silk scarf. A long, narrow scarf works well. Silk doesn’t create friction and is the best option for keeping your strands smooth. If you can’t find a silk option, choose a sleek synthetic material that is thin, breathable and cool to the touch.
Start by brushing your hair and scalp. You’ll detangle it and stimulate your scalp, promoting blood flow and encouraging hair growth.
Drape your scarf around your neck. Then, section the front quadrant of hair that grows between your ear and your part. If you part your hair on the side, start with the side with less hair. If you part your hair in the middle, start on either side.
Brush that section out, and bring it up and over the front of your head. It might look like you’re wearing a combover or a toupee. That’s ok. It won’t stay like this forever.
Use your brush to make sure that your hair is smooth against your head. Tuck it behind the opposite ear, and continue to brush it around toward your nape. Secure it with alligator clips if it won’t stay in place. You’re basically wrapping your hair around your entire head.
When you get back to the front, you’ll have to deal with the ends of your hair. Continue to brush them up and over. You’ll need to use a light touch toward the end so that you don’t disrupt the first layer of hair that you wrapped.
Take your scarf and center it along the back of your hair. Bring one end around the front, wrapping it tightly. Do the same with the other end of the scarf. You can knot it in the back or continue to wrap until you can tie the ends together.
Remove any clips that you used to secure the hair.
Make sure to start with dry hair before wrapping it. You can keep your hair wrapped in the morning if you want to shower off. The steam and moistures won’t destroy your ‘do. Simply remove the scarf, brush your hair, and go about your fabulous day.
Need a visual? Check out this video tutorial for hair wrapping overnight with a scarf.
3. The Overnight Pixie
A pixie cut may be versatile, but waking up every morning with spikes going in every direction can be frustrating. Not cute unless you’re going for the awkward look.
Wrap your hair at night using a silk or satin scarf. Cradle the scarf around the hair at the nape of your neck, and knot it in the front. Tuck in the ends.
In the morning, your hair should have great volume. Spritz it with water and tousle it if you have a few stray pieces. When all else fails, insert a hair band and go about your day.
4. The Pineapple
Girls with curly hair love pineappling! This is not a fancy trick for a gourmet fruit salad. It’s a way to protect your coils and avoid flattening them out as you sleep.
Before you start, use some leave-in conditioner or smoothing product. Then, gather your hair into a ponytail at the top of your head.
Don’t twist your hair before you secure it. Also, it’s important to use a fabric scrunchie—yes, like the kind that you used in the ‘80s—to hold it together.
Don’t worry about keeping the scrunchie tight. If it’s too snug, you’ll have a dent in your waves in the morning.
When you wake up, pull off the scrunchie, spritz your hair with a curl-defining spray, and head out the door.
5. Sock Bun Curls
You can create large, bouncy curls while you sleep by using a sock bun. First, you’ll need an old sock. Cut off the end so that it is an open tube. When you scrunch it up with the opening in the center, it looks like a donut.
Gather your hair into a high ponytail. Use a soft elastic, and keep it loose.
Slip the ponytail through the hole in your sock “donut.” Make sure that it’s smooth and tangle-free.
Separate the pony into two sections. Start looping those sections around the sock, tucking them under and bringing the ends back through the hole until you don’t have any more loose hair to work with.
In the morning, you can pull your hair free for loose, voluminous waves. You could also leave your hair in the bun for a look that will get you through the day.
Watch this video for a full tutorial.
5 Cool Hairstyles When You’re Running Out the Door
If you haven’t prepped your hair overnight, you might need a few tricks for the morning when you need to look great. These styles work on wet or dry hair.
1. The Extra-Long Ponytail
The trick to getting a long, sleek ponytail is to make two of them. It looks chic and takes about two minutes. It works best on medium-to-long hair with some texture.
Start by brushing your hair up into a half ponytail. You’ll just use the hair from the front and top of your head. Grab a few extra pieces from behind your ears, bringing them up and securing them in a ponytail using an elastic band.
Take the hair that you left down, and gather it into a ponytail below the first one. You might want to use a smaller, thinner elastic for this so that it lies close to your scalp.
Fluff the top ponytail so that it hides the bottom elastic, and head out the door rocking an amazing hairdo.
2. The Tie Back
If your hair is long enough that you can grab pieces from the front and have them meet in the back, you can create this style. Hint: Keep a few extra bobby pins in the car so that you can do it on the fly.
Grab a small section of hair from the hairline, somewhere around your temples or just above your ears. Bring the braids to the back of your head, twisting as you go. Tie them together when they meet, and secure with pins.
One way to add elegance to this updo is to use three pins at the back of your head. Arrange them in a triangular shape for simple glamour.
3. The Messy Ponytail
Neatness isn’t always an option when you’re strapped for time. It’s a good thing that messy styles are making a comeback. They look more professional than bedhead. You can create this messy pony with your eyes closed.
This hairdo looks great with unwashed hair. Spritz on some volumizer. Then, take the section of hair at the top of the crown and tease the underside. You want it to stand up on its own.
Bring that section toward the back of your head without pulling it tightly. Secure it with a couple of bobby pins placed in an “X” shape.
Make a deep side part. Bring the sides of your hair around to the back, and pin them slightly below the other pins.
Finally, grab all of your hair and secure it into a ponytail close to the bobby pins. Separate it and give each piece a tug to perk up the hair above it. Try pulling some sections loose to boost the messiness.
Fluff up the pony itself by backcombing it with your fingers. This will rough it up and make it match the hair at the top of your head.
You can use hairspray to keep everything in place, but this look gets better as the day goes on and pieces start coming loose.
4. The Tease and Tie
If you want to get some hair away from your face, try this style. Start by teasing the hair around your crown.
Take a one or two-inch piece of hair from your temple or in front of your ear. Braid each one. Bring them around to the back and secure them with bobby pins or a transparent elastic.
The braids might press on the teased area, flattening it. Use your hands to poof up this region, creating some height above the bobby pins.
5. The Twisted Front
Perhaps the most versatile style for any type of hair, this works for almost every length except for a pixie. It’s ideal for taming your bangs when you don’t have time to flat iron them. You can get a lot of volume in your hair with this look even if it’s not normally bouncy.
Create a side part, and grab the front chunk of hair. Twist it and bring it to the side.
Secure the end of the twist to the side of your head using two bobby pins. One bobby pin goes in vertically to hold the ends. The other one slides in at the same angle as the twist. It’s almost like you’re putting a cap on a pen.
5 Five-Minute Updos
Reflections of your senior prom might make you cringe when you think about putting your hair in an updo. These timeless styles seem to take hours to create. They don’t if you follow some of the hacks below.
1. The Hairband Tuck
Those narrow, elastic hairbands look more princess and less sporty if you use them creatively. Slip a hairband over your head, and position it as you normally would if you were using it to hold the hair off of your face.
Then, starting with the hair that’s hanging down at the side of your head, bring a 2-inch section up and over the back of the hairband, tucking it in and creating a loose loop. Continue with the rest of your hair, working from the sides to the center of the back of your head.
Pull the ends out as you go to make the style look quirky and messy. Using a sparkly hairband and concentrating most of the loops toward the side of your neck will make you look like you stepped out of The Great Gatsby.
You can also do this with half-up hair for a regal look.
2. The Messy Bun for Long Hair
There are a million ways to create a messy bun. Instead of securing the bun at the center of the back of your head, consider making it higher (you’ll look like a queen). If that’s too heavy, create the bun at the nape of your neck instead.
One of the easiest ways to ensure that you don’t get all perfectionist on your hair, make your bun by bringing sections of hair to the back of your head and knotting them. Secure with bobby pins after making each knot.
3. The Messy Bun for Short Hair
If you have hair that’s shoulder length or shorter, you might be bummed that you can’t throw it up into a top knot like the long-haired ladies do. Don’t worry—you can still look chic in no time flat.
Try making a bun with only the top half of your hair. Part your hair above each ear, pulling the top section of hair into an elastic at your crown. Make a ponytail, but don’t tug the ends out of the last loop.
Fluff the poof up and out to create some height. Pin it into shape if necessary.
4. The Twisty Bun for Medium Hair
This trick helps you get the most out of medium-length hair. It creates a massive bun at the back of your head even if you have thin strands.
Start by parting your hair in the center. Create two pigtails about two inches higher than your ears. They shouldn’t pop out of the sides of your head. Instead, place them toward the back.
Separate each pigtail into two sections. Twist each section. Then, twist them together. You’ll have to do the main twist in the opposite direction as the original twist to maintain definition. Secure with a clear elastic band.
Then, bring the twisty braids together in the back of your head. Twist them together or place one above the other, securing them with bobby pins.
5. The Lazy Girl’s French Twist
The French twist is classic and totally glam. You don’t have to be a professional to put it up in 5 minutes or less, either. You can even try it on wet hair.
Start by combing all of your hair around the nape of your neck to one side. Secure it with an off-center vertical line of bobby pins that starts at your neck and travels up to the crown. Overlap the pins to help them stay put.
Separate the front section of hair from the back. It will stay unclipped and look like side-swept bangs.
Take the back section and twist it, starting from the nape of your neck and directing the ends upwards. Tuck in the ends and pin wherever necessary. You can’t go wrong, and the messier it is, the more forgiving it will look.
Pin the front loosely on the side, or let it hang freely.
3 Easy Hairstyles for Short Hair
Sometimes, short-haired girls feel like they get a bum deal when Pinterest is full of long, sweeping, romantic looks. The best advice for girls with short hair is to be brave. Go all out with the hair products, and don’t be afraid to slick it down or spike it up.
You were already courageous enough to chop it all off. Get the most versatility out of your cut by trying some of these easy styles that girls with long hair just can’t do.
1. Hollywood Glam Waves
Apply mousse to wet hair. Create a deep side part.
Separate the front (bang section) of hair. Comb it close to your scalp. Then, start by pushing it back and forth, shaping waves against your head with your fingers. You can secure each curve with a bobby pin. Leave the pins in until your hair is dry.
Do this all over your head or just on the front section for a vintage style that looks modern today.
2. The Fauxhawk
The easiest way to fake a mohawk is to separate the top central chunk of hair from the sides. Do this with a pointed object, such as the handle of your comb, to get a stick-straight line. Pin up the top section, and deal with the sides first.
Flatten the sides by braiding or gelling them. Pull them toward the back and secure with pins.
Tease the top section before twisting it gently and poofing it up. You can do this in one large section or several smaller sections. Secure with bobby pins.
3. The Rock Star
If you wake up with crazy hair, work with it instead of trying to coax it into a polished look. Add volumizer at the roots, tousling it as much as possible with your hands. Spray texturizer onto the ends. Then, twist them gently or rub them between your palms to make them look piecey.
3 Hairstyle Hacks to Look Great in Less Time
If these hairstyles aren’t working for you, you might want to try checking out these 8 heat-free styles for when your running late. They include:
- Half-up, half-down
- Half-up, half-down with braids
- Side part half-up, half-down with an elastic
- Pulled-back, high twisted topknot
- Side-braided chignon
- High, casual ponytail
- Side ponytail with fishtail twists
- 3-ponytail twist
Apply Dry Shampoo at Night
Many women spray on dry shampoo in the morning, but it takes time to work the powder into your roots so that it isn’t obvious. Try spraying it on at night.
It will get worked in as you move around, and you’ll wake up with volume and hair that looks gloriously clean.
Use Bobby Pins the Right Way
If bobby pins slip out of your hair, try spritzing them with hairspray or texturizer before inserting them into your shiny tresses. They’ll stay put.
Another way to make sure that bobby pins stay in place is to insert them with the wavy side close to your scalp. Putting them in properly helps them grasp your strands and prevents the angled end from sticking up like a tiny antenna from your otherwise perfect ‘do.
Don’t Wash So Much
If you’re having trouble styling your hair, try skipping a shampoo. Freshly washed hair doesn’t hold style as well as day-old hair.
Your hair will get used to the schedule after a week or two, and you won’t get greasy as quickly. Use a scarf or cute headband to conceal your hair as you’re extending your shampooing routine.
When All Else Fails…
If your hair just isn’t cooperating, wear a hat. But if you practice these cool hairstyles, you may find that they become as easy and quick as brushing your teeth.
Photo by Gromovataya on Pixabay Licensed by CC0
Richard is fascinated by everything that has to do with styling techniques and how technology can play an important part in the industry’s development. He started out his career as a barber, and later found his passion for both men and women’s hairstyles. Richard now works as a writer for fashion magazines, blogs, and is actively taking steps toward launching his own online platform!
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