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#1 Cropped hair? Go for silky smooth
“Styling ear-length strands so they’re sleek yet voluminous makes the shorter cut look polished,” says celebrity hairstylist Daniel Koye. Bonus: Bangs swept over the forehead lines of the brow mask.
Step One: Mist damp hair with a volumising spray such as B. Not Your Mother’s Plump For Joy Thickening Hair Lifter (Purchase from Ulta, $6.99) to support the strands up and off the scalp.
Step Two: While blow drying, use a paddle brush to brush the hair to one side and then the other side for more volume. Once hair is dry, create a deep side part and set with hairspray.
Bonus: In the coming days, use a scalp lotion to prevent itchy dandruff (which would otherwise force you to wash your hair earlier than you’d like—so you’d lose all that work). We love the Kamedis Scalp Lotion (buy on Amazon, $17.15).
#2 Pixie? Add a piecey texture
To take the super short haircut from mundane to extraordinary, Koye recommends incorporating a “spiky” texture. This lifts shorter hair so it doesn’t fall flat on the head while adding a modern twist to this simple hairstyle.
Step One: Using a small round brush, blow dry 1 inch sections of hair, brushing hair down on the side and teasing hair up and out at the root.
Step Two: Once hair is dry, work a pea-sized amount of pomade — such as Public Goods Wax Pomade (purchase from Public Goods, $8.50) — through the ends of the hair at the top, smoothing out unruly strands on the sides.
#3 Long hair? Twist it into a loose braid
“A messy side braid reins in longer curls so they don’t overwhelm the face and lets the breeze hit your neck to avoid feeling overheated,” says Koye. And by letting a few face-framing tendrils hang loose, you can put gorgeous features in the spotlight.
Step One: Curl 1 inch sections of hair with a 1 inch curling iron. After all the hair is curled, gently brush through with your fingers to break up the curls.
Step Two: Create an off-center part and then leave out a few small sections of strands around the face. Pull the rest of the hair to one side and braid loosely, secure with an elastic band. Finally, pull strands of hair through the braid to fan it out for a fuller look; set with hairspray.
#4 Long Bob? Place it in a half “halo”.
Pulling the front half of your hair up into a high ponytail keeps the bulk of the shoulder-length tresses away from your face, says Koye. And it also pulls focus upwards, giving facial features a youthful, upscale look.
Step One: Curl 1 inch sections of hair with a 1 inch curling iron. Allow the hair to cool, then gently comb through with your fingers.
Step Two: Pull hair forward from ear to ear into a crown ponytail; secure with a rubber band. Wrap a two inch section of hair from the tail around the elastic and pin in place.
#5 Short Bob? style in waves
“Creating beachy waves adds movement and dimension to keep a blunt, neck-length bob from looking blah, blah,” says Koye. “And because this type of wave has a lived-in texture, it looks intentional as the curls begin to fall throughout the day.” Even better? Waves make this simple hairstyle look twice as thick.
Step One: Wrap 1 inch sections of hair around a 1 inch curling iron, letting out the ends (key to creating an effortless wave) and alternating the direction the waves fall (a section towards the face and the other away from it). ) for waves that look less contrived.
Step Two: After the hair is fully curled, tousle it with your fingers and set with a sea salt spray like Verb Sea Spray (buy from Ulta, $20) for extra hold.