As a girl who is VERY lazy with my hair, I appreciate any hack that can turn my wild, Weasley-esque main into something manageable and attractive. As someone who struggles with even basic braiding, and wears no makeup, ever, I like to have some simple go-to hairstyles that look great for classes or a night out. Easy hair hacks that don’t add time to my routine but make me look my best are worth scouring Pinterest for. Without further ado, here are 15 of my favourite lazy girl hairstyling hacks.
First: Learn how to keep your hair healthy, and what works for your hair type.
1. Know what your hair needs.
Your diet actually has a lot to do with your hair. Many of the problems you may have with your hair can actually be traced back to getting the nutrients your hair needs, so recognizing the issues your mane has, and keeping a healthy diet, can solve many problems!
2. Use a carrier oil to give your hair a boost.
Using carrier oil in your weekly hair routine can help give a nutrient boost to your hair, and keep it healthy, strong and shiny. As someone who constantly pulls their hair back into buns and ponytails, I rely quite a bit on argan oil and coconut oil to keep my hair from breaking.
3. Make your shampoo work for you.
A super simple way to fix hair problems, and add no time at all to your routine is to add ingredients to your shampoo. Not listed in this info graphic, but adding vodka to your shampoo can also help strengthen your hair.
4. Use a deep conditioning treatment once a month, or try a vodka rinse.
Detoxing your hair can be majorly expensive – buying treatments, or getting a professional service is both costly and time consuming. I don’t have time for that, so making a quick DIY solution that can sit in my hair while I write or catch up on the latest season of Boku no Hero Academia. Coconut oil is a great cure-all for many hair types, and this easy deep conditioning treatment only takes half an hour.
5. Use the right type of hairbrush.
I will be honest – I need to work on this. I have super thick hair, so I typically use a paddle brush and try my best to make my hair lay flat, and since my hair is naturally straight, this works for me. However, there are brushes for every type of hair, and for specific needs – for volume, for wet hair, detangling and parting. Using the right brush can help save your hair from damage and make styling much quicker and easier.
6. My secret weapon: dry shampoo.
My agent always maintains that the worst thing you can do to your hair is over process it. Washing your hair too much, using too many products, and styling your hair too often can cause damage. Her solution: leave your hair for 2-4 days, and simply braid back temperamental locks, or use dry shampoo as a solution to eliminate grease between washes. Washing your hair less often will make natural oils collect, which can make hair look a little greasy sometimes, but your hair really does need those natural oils. DIY-ing a dry shampoo with common kitchen items that doesn’t use any harsh synthetic chemicals can help you get through that third day.
Second: get styling!
7. Don’t lose your materials
Pinterest has some great ideas on how to store just about anything – including hair ties, bobby pins, and any other hair accessories you may have. Using a simple magnetic strip is great way to store your hair accessories in one spot. Using a cake display can help you see all of your accessories in one spot, or using an empty tic-tac box to store bobby pins on the go.
8. Grab some bobby pins
I used to hate bobby pins – they always dug into my scalp, or would become deadly projectiles if I accidentally tried to hold back too much hair, and they constantly fell out, or lost their shape. Investing in some decent bobby pins, and keeping them somewhere you won’t lose all of them can help make styling hair so much easier. To put in a bobby pin properly, place the waved edge down into your hair, and spray with some hairspray for extra hold. As an added bonus, bobby pins can also be used to make a simple pulled-back style more artistic.
9. Tease out thin or limp hair.
Teasing your hair is a 30-second, foolproof way to add volume to limp strands. Take your hair, lift it vertically, and backcomb the roots to give your hair extra lift before styling.
10. Hate your roots? Use a scarf.
Making a simple hair covering with a scarf or bandana is a super simple way to hide greasy roots, out-of-place strands, or make a bad hair day a little better. This tutorial contains easy to follow infographics about ways to tie a bandana to make some rad hairstyles.
11. Make a ponytail a little more glam.
Adding volume and length to your ponytail, or weaving in a braid/twist is a great way to make a basic ponytail look a little more glam, and keep your hair out of your face for 8 am lectures when you have zero time to worry about your hair before your class starts.
12. Buns and braids.
Buns are my go-to hairstyle, because even braids are difficult for me. Full messy buns are my go-to working at home style, a simple braided bun, secured with hair elastics and my usual red ribbon is my go to for work, and a half bun or chignon is my (lazy, quick, but still pretty) going out style. Despite my lack of hairstyling skills, some braids are easy enough to use as a quick hair-out-of-face solution, so learning a basic three strand braid is an excellent skill to add to your arsenal.
13. Use an overnight style.
I am a morning person, but I do not like to use my morning to worry about aesthetics, I like to read or relax before taking on the day. That said, using an overnight hairstyle to have an instant fashion the next day is awesome, that way I don’t have to worry about my hair in the morning. As a side note- try to pull all of your hair onto one side of your head if you hate sleeping in top of braids or buns, that way you can sleep on one side comfortably.
14. When in doubt, wave it out!
(Yes, I thought that was a funny rhyme.) Braiding damp hair and sleeping on it is an easy way to get beachy waves. Just as easy is a solution that uses very little styling and heat – simply twist the hair, and then blow dry to form loose waves.
15. Make curls easier.
You can probably guess that since I have no hairstyling skills, I loathe the idea of somehow getting my thick, waist-length hair into a curled style. It is so easy for me to go from Ariel to Merida that I almost never curl my hair. The easiest way to curl hair is to gather everything into one or two ponytails (in my case three – one at the top, and two pigtails at the bottom, woohoo, crazy thick red hair!) and curl each ponytail, holding the curl in the iron for ten seconds, then holding the curl up until it cools, releasing it gently and shaking out your hair after, shaking out the roots and letting the curls fall naturally.
BONUS: Add some interest to a short style.
An edgy undercut is an easy way to add visual interest to any hairstyle, especially for short hair.
