As beauty enthusiasts, we're always looking for ways to shake up our routine — namely, to make it quicker, easier, and less of a pain in the you know what. And sometimes that means forgetting everything we're taught and starting new. While we could probably apply our makeup in our sleep (no? just us?), styling our hair — and all the tugging, product dousing, and bicep flexing that comes with it — is an entirely different story. So with your precious time and tired arms in mind, we're rewriting the rules.To help us challenge our go-to tricks, we teamed up with TRESemmé and hairstylist Linh Nguyen to break down how to achieve enviable, touchable waves, curls, volume, and updos that buck traditional styling approaches. (Warning: You may find yourself tossing out your hot tools and switching up your shower routine.) Feels good to rebel, doesn't it?
No. 1: You Shouldn't Sleep On Wet Hair
We're total proponents of getting a full eight hours of shut-eye (#goals). It's good for your health, it makes your skin glow, and — as it turns out — it's a prime time to style your hair. While some stylists balk at the idea of showering at night and going to bed with wet hair (it can cause breakage and split ends), there are hair-healthy ways to do it and wake up with loose, tousled waves. Here's how.
After showering, towel dry your hair and scrunch in a curl-enhancing mousse or gel. Put it up into a ponytail. (It's best to use a creaseless hair tie versus an elastic, because it creates less tension.) Split your ponytail into two sections, and twist each section individually. Then, twist the two together into one thick ponytail. Finally, wrap it into a bun and pin to the base of your scalp to sleep. Set your alarm, and catch some ZZZs.
In the morning, undo your twisted style and shape your waves with your fingers. (If your hair's still sopping wet, blowdry with a diffuser attachment.)
Think of your finished product as a more zhuzhed-up version of woke-up-like-this hair. You can add more definition by loosely curling face-framing layers. Just make sure to tousle, tousle, tousle, so your style appears loose and natural.
No. 2: Shampoo First, Then Condition
New systems, like TRESemmé's Beauty-Full Volume shampoo and conditioner, are designed to be applied in reverse order. The benefits of this method are twofold. Since you cleanse post-conditioner, you can apply the product from your roots to your tips, softening the entire length of your hair. Then, by finishing with shampoo, you lose that heavy, weighted-down feeling conditioner can leave behind.
To give your volume an even greater boost, blowdry your hair so it's about 90% dry. Add mousse to your roots, then section your hair into 2-inch-wide pieces. Slowly roll up each section around two fingers to form a barrel curl at your scalp. And slide a curl clip through the center to pin to your head.
Next, blast your curls with heat from a blowdryer. Nguyen suggests finishing with a cool air shot (that button on your dryer you may have never used before) to fully lock in the style.
To finish, release your curls and mist with a light touch of hairspray. Now tell us. Did we just change your shower routine or what?
No. 3: Updos Are High-Maintenance
The word "updo" can conjure up images of high-school proms and the shellacked, bobby-pin-packed hairstyles that came with them. But there are more options than the heavily secured 'do on one end of the spectrum and the messy, gym-appropriate topknot on the other. This style is elegant, polished, and requires just one single U-pin.
Start by putting your hair into a ponytail. Twist the length of your ponytail clockwise into a tight spiral. Then, wrap the pony around your elastic in the same direction.
Place your U-pin directly at the seam where your bun meets your head. If you pin just slightly above where the ends of your ponytail sit, you'll only need the one pin to hold your style in place. (One caveat: If you have shorter hair or lots of layers, you may have pieces that stick out here and there. But, Nguyen says, that slightly undone look is just another take on the trend.)
Voilá! Your updo will last for hours (as long as you're not doing any heavy dancing or crazy yoga moves) with no painful prodding into your scalp. Although, a final mist of hairspray never hurt anyone.
No. 4: You Need Hot Tools To Create Curls
It's easy to get curl envy when you see a woman walk by with really beautiful, bouncy texture. But at the same time, wielding a curling iron or hot rollers can be a real time suck — not to mention sweat session — in your morning routine. Nguyen gave us a handy alternative that simply requires saying sayonara to one of your old tees.
Step one involves finding a soft, perfectly worn-in cotton tee...and cutting it into pieces. (If you can't bare to part with one, just pick up a cheapie.) When you're looking at the T-shirt, cut the body of the shirt in strips crosswise. The strips should remain connected at the sides, so your pieces are in essence giant loops.
Next, section off your hair into 3- to 4-inch pieces. (Your number of sections will depend on the thickness of your hair.)
Place each section through the middle of one of your cotton loops. Twist the ends of the loop so it's tight around the ends of your hair. Then slowly roll up your hair around the cotton piece, away from the face, and up to your scalp. Finish by tying and pulling taut.
How you set your curls is up to you. You can sleep on them overnight or blast them with heat from your dryer before releasing. Once you take out the ties, rake your fingers through the curls to spread them out. Finish with a touchable hairspray, like TRESemmé Beauty-Full Volume Flexible Finish Hairspray.
If your hair is on the finer side, you can always touch up your style or add more curls with an iron. (But TBH, your hair would probably love a heat-free style.) Now, what other rules can we break?
GIFs made in collaboration with Chris Parker at Super A-OK.
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