Brighten Up
Part hair on the side, then slide a colorful bobby pin in on the opposite side at the spot that lines up above the end of your eyebrow. Then, slide another pin of a different color right above the first one.
Get Rumpled
Shaggy waves are so easy to create, you don't even need a brush. Simply mist damp strands with a volumizing spray and toss your hair around with your hands while blasting it with a blow-dryer. Once hair is dry, wrap just the middle section of inch-wide pieces around a large-barrel curling iron. When finished, shake it all up with your fingers.
Tease Your Ponytail
Fatten up a puny ponytail by using a paddle brush to tease the underside of a low or middle-of-the-head tail with a few broad strokes—not short, quick ones, which can compact the hair too tightly and create a puffball. Skim the brush over the top of the tail to smooth it, then mist with hair spray.
Create Major Volume
Body building is a cinch with these steps:
1. Apply a volumizing mousse throughout damp hair.
2. Remove the nozzle from your dryer. Flip your head upside down, and blow-dry while running a vent brush through hair.
3. When hair is almost dry, flip your head up and finish drying with a medium-size round brush.
4. Working in small sections, lift your hair off your scalp with your fingers as you aim the dryer, set on cool, at your roots—this roughs up the cuticle to add volume. Do this all around your head, then lightly smooth hair with a brush.
Decorate Your Updo
A jeweled barrette dresses up hair that's been gathered back. Fasten the clip just above a high bun or knot, slightly off center at the crown. With a low chignon, place the clip in the hair just above the bun—or, if the barrette is delicate, stick it near the front of your head, lining it up above the arch of one eyebrow.
Extend Yourself
Clip-in hair extensions not only deliver length, they also make fine hair appear thicker. The kind that increase length are wide, stretching from about ear to ear with several clips along the seam. Here's how to put them in:
1. From crown to nape, divide hair into about six ear-to-ear sections, and gather each into a barrette. Leave an inch of space in between sections for thick hair and two inches in between for thin hair.
2. Starting at the nape, take one section, tease hair at the roots, and spritz with hair spray. Fasten the fake hair in place to the scalp as close as you can. Repeat this process with each section until you reach the crown, then check in the mirror to make sure there aren't any visible lumps where the clips are (if so, take out that piece and redo it, making sure there's at least an inch-wide section of your natural hair above it to conceal the clips).
Try a Floppy Braid
A high, fuzzy braid looks cute yet stylish. Start at your crown, and plait the hair tightly all the way down. After securing it with an elastic, tug along the braid's sides to loosen it slightly. This softens the style, but keeps the braid intact.
Keep It Neat
For a bun that's neat but soft, skip the shine products. They can make smoothed-back hair look shellacked. Instead, use an aerosol hair spray to help strands stay in place. Do a light mist all around your head, then make a deep side part (or no part at all) and brush hair back into a chignon.
Be a Tease
Teased waves mimic that just-off-the-beach texture. If you have naturally wavy hair, work a little leave-in conditioner through damp stands and let them dry naturally. If you have straight hair, use a one-inch-barrel curling iron to create relaxed curls. Then, on either hair type, mist texturizing spray all over to make the hair slightly gritty, and use a paddle brush—not a comb—to gently tease it. Start about an inch above the ends and work your way up, stopping a few inches from the roots.
Get Loopy
Polished hair doesn't have to be prissy. Try offsetting a sleek crown with a voluminous bun. Blow-dry hair straight, make a side part, and pull hair back into a tight, low ponytail. Spritz the tail with hair spray and begin to wind it into a bun, but stop after one loop and pin the ends under the elastic.
Rock Out
There's something provocative about hair that's a little roughed up and dirty. To mimic the effect without making hair too rough, finger-comb dry hair with a dab of texturizing cream rubbed between your palms. It coats the strands so they're matte and separated without being greasy.
Create Billowy Waves
To create soft finger waves, it's worth buying a triple-barrel curling iron (about $35 on folica.com). Simply clamp it along dry hair, starting about three inches below the roots. Twist each waved section around your finger, and clip it to your head. When all of your hair has cooled, let it down and gently brush through the waves to soften them.
Rise Up
A high ponytail never goes out of style. But to ensure that frizz and flyaways aren't part of the picture, work a pea-size drop of smoothing lotion into your roots and hairline before blow-drying. Brush the hair back and secure it just below your crown. To make the tail gleam, rub a drop of shine serum between your palms, them run them over the tail from base to ends.
Clip in a Feather
A feathered haircut is outdated. But a feathered hair clip looks striking for evening. Stick with black feathers, and place the clip on the side of your head, close to your face.
Move to the Side
What a difference an inch makes. By placing the classic ballerina bun slightly askew, the style suddenly looks fresh and young. Just be sure to pin it low on the neck and no more than an inch or two off-center—any more is too Princess Leia.
Wave Your Ponytail
Spice up the traditional ponytail with this easy trick: Part damp hair in the middle and gather it into a low ponytail. Braid the tail, and when it dries, undo the braid and brush through it to create a crinkly wave.
Bend Your Ends
The cheater's method to bouncy hair? Just add a few chunky waves on the ends. Hold a one-inch curling iron vertically and wrap inch-wide sections of hair around the barrel from the chin down without clamping the iron shut, leaving the bottom two inches hanging out. Loosen the waves by brushing gently.
Be a Radiant Brunette
To make brown hair even more lush, try going one shade darker than your natural look to a rich chocolate or chestnut color. If your color is almost black, though, warm it up with a few chestnut or caramel highlights. When doing allover color on brunette hair, ask your colorist to skip the ends, which are more porous, and instead apply a tinted gloss treatment on them. Otherwise, the ends can absorb too much dye and look darker than the rest.
Supersize a Twist
Like Elizabeth Taylor's big hairstyles of the '60s, the exaggerated French twist is both elegant and outrageous. Slick hair back into a ponytail and tease it with a fine-tooth comb. Then, using an eight-inch foam hair accessory known as a "rat" (available at beauty-supply stores), wrap the ponytail around it, rolling the rat toward the head until it's completely hidden. The hair clings to the mesh covering, almost like it does to a Velcro roller, so all you need are a few bobby pins along the seam to hold the twist in place.
Add a Flower
A floral hair pin is sweetly romantic—but to keep it from looking juvenile, stick with a soft-colored one. Place it on the side of loose hair just above the ear, or tuck it right above a low bun.
Go Platinum
Yes, it's a bold color choice. But platinum blonde is having a resurgence, and on women with fair skin, it's a cool, almost otherworldly look. If you have yellowish skin, ask your colorist for ashy platinum. If you're pinkish, you need a little gold in your hair. And because bleach is tough on hair, platinum is best for cuts that are shoulder-length or shorter. A weekly deep-conditioning treatment at home is almost a must.
Swirl It Up
Try this trick for a superfast updo: Gather your hair into a high ponytail, then tease the tail with a paddle brush, which will keep your hair from sliding out. Loosely twirl the tail around the base, pin it, then let the flyaways and loose pieces fall where they may.
Come Undone
A little dishevelment in the front keeps an updo from looking rigid. Gently tease your hair with a paddle brush before wrapping it up into a bun or twist. Then, use the pointed side of a rattail comb to loosen the front—slide it vertically into the side of the hair, then gently tug the hair away from the scalp ever so slightly. Use the point to lift out a few pieces at your hairline so they softly drape around your face.
Get Centered
Try switching your part to the middle—it not only gives your cut a new shape, it also evens out volume. A center part looks best with hair that has a little body, so if yours has fallen flat, twist it into a low bun and mist just the bun with a texturizing spray. After 20 minutes, let down your hair and tousle it around with your hands.
Start a Ripple Effect
Rippled waves on hair that's shoulder-length or shorter look elegant without seeming too retro. (See style on the right.) Work a quarter-size drop of serum through damp hair and air-dry. Roll just the front sections with a 3/4-inch iron (curling all the hair can make it poufy), then immediately run a wide-tooth comb through to make loose waves.
Do a Relaxed Twist
Who says a French twist has to be tidy? A slightly wet-looking texture and roughed up finish makes it young and cool. On air-dried hair, work a shine spray or serum from an inch below the roots to the ends. Comb hair back with your fingers without pulling it taut, then roll into a French twist and pin haphazardly. Don't worry about a few pieces falling out—they'll only enhance the look.
Bump Up Your Crown
A smidgen of height at your crown adds a whole lot of sex appeal. For the classic Brigitte Bardot look, blow-dry hair with a round brush, then set it in hot rollers to amp up the volume. After taking out the rollers, part hair in the middle, then lightly tease the underside of the crown with a fine-tooth comb to give it a bit of lift. Skim a paddle brush over the surface of your crown to smooth any fuzz.
Do the Wave
The key to faking supermodel waves is to make the hair look as thick as possible and to keep the ends straight, which gives a more natural-looking finish. Spread mousse throughout damp hair to bulk it up, then blow-dry with a round brush. Next, roll large sections of hair up in a one-inch curling iron, but leave the ends out. When finished, break up the curls with your fingers—not a brush—to keep the volume intact.
Try a White Headband
It's brighter than standard black, but it looks just as clean. Slip on a stretchy, inch-wide headband (any thicker can look like a bandage) so it rests just an inch or two back from the hairline. Don't push it back any further, or else it can slip off.
Create a Rounded Blowout
Think Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface. With a slinky dress, this is still a seductive look for shoulder-length hair. Blow-dry hair straight with a round brush, then make a deep side part. Wind the ends around large hot rollers and leave them in until they've cooled. After taking out the curlers, gently brush through the ends, then rub a drop or two of shine serum between your palms and smooth them over your hair.
Tie on a Colorful Scarf
It's the fastest solution to a bad hair day. Choose a square, printed scarf (solid colors tend to look like a bandage) and fold it in half diagonally to make a triangle. Tie it over the top of your hair and knot it in back. The front should rest no more than an inch down over your hairline (any lower, and you risk Axl Rose comparisons).
Rustle Up
Tousled, barely-there waves make hair look incredibly sensuous. Hold a one-inch curling iron vertically, and wrap just the center of each section of hair—not the roots or ends—around the barrel for only a few seconds. (Any longer and the curl will get too tight.) When finished, flip your head upside down and lightly skim a paddle brush over the curls to break them up, then shake them around with your fingers before bringing your head up.
Make a Messy Doorknob Knot
Step 1. Flip your head upside down and finely mist your roots and hairline with an aerosol hair spray. (This makes the hair a bit coarse, which keeps the style in place.) For fine hair, tease the roots before spraying for fullness. If you have curly hair, skip the spray and instead rub in a dab of styling lotion.
Step 2. Lift your head up, rake your fingers through your hair, then gather it in a loose ponytail just above the nape of your neck. Wrap a thick elastic band around the base twice.
Step 3. Wrap the elastic around a third time, but pull the hair only halfway through, so the knob is on top and the ends poke out underneath. Pull out a few wisps around your face for softness, and tuck any longer pieces behind your ears.
Get Big, Bouncy Curls
Nothing says "bombshell" like a flowing heap of curls. (See style on the left.) Apply mousse throughout damp hair, followed by a little serum on the ends, then blow-dry without a brush. Use a one-inch curling iron to roll hair sections up, from the ends to the scalp, and hold each there for a second. After sliding out the iron, pin the curls to the head. When they've cooled, release the curls and fluff them with a brush.
Wear Hair Halfway Back
To make this style more grown-up, take the top section of your hair from temple to temple and lightly tease the underside with a paddle brush. Skim the brush over the surface of hair to smooth it, then secure at the back of the crown with a simple metal or tortoiseshell barrette.
Create a Romantic Chignon
A rumpled texture and casual pinning make the standard bun look sexier and more youthful. Use a large curling iron to create loose waves (if your hair is naturally wavy, let it air-dry). Gather your hair loosely at the nape and twist it around just once so the bun drapes low. Then, instead of wrapping it with an elastic, stick long bobby pins into the bun haphazardly to secure it, which keeps the style from becoming too tight.
Give Yourself a Smooth Blowout
Using a blow-dryer rather than an iron to straighten hair creates a softer, more natural look. First, blot excess water with a microfiber towel. Then remove the dryer's nozzle and sweep damp hair from side to side with your fingers while blasting it; do this until hair is almost dry. Reattach the nozzle and, working in three-inch sections, pull each one out to the side using a paddle brush—keep your thumb on top of the bristles to help tightly pull the hair smooth all the way through to the ends. Run the dryer up and down each section until dry.
