It's party time! You need a smouldering hairstyle to wear to your suave soiree. In my salon experience, clients want to style their party hair themselves. The style has to be easy, fast, and still look great. Here are five fabulous hairstyles for long hair that can be created in about 20 minutes or less.
Totally teased out ponytail. This look is great for curly hair. Work some mousse through your damp hair. Pull your hair straight back into a sleek ponytail, right in the middle of the back of your head. Use a paddle brush to get it as smooth as possible. Then, quickly blow dry just the ponytail, allowing it to frizz. Grab a teasing comb and tease like crazy! You'll achieve lots of contrast between the sleekness of the hair that lies against your head and the frizzy, highly textured tail. Spray everything with a light hold hairspray.
Soft, sweet chignon. This is a great look for wavy or slightly curly hair. Apply your favorite mousse to your damp hair. Blow dry just a bit to get most of the moisture out, but not enough to make it frizzy. Loosely pull all your hair back into a low ponytail and secure with an elastic. Allow some loose pieces to fall out around your face to add softness. Pull the ponytail apart slightly, between your head and the elastic. Tuck the entire end of the ponytail into this spot until the elastic is hidden. Add a few hair pins to secure in place. Spray with a deliciously scented hair spray.
Wondrous, wispy waves. This style works for any hair type, but takes the longest to complete. Spritz a heat protecting spray onto your dry strands. Start at the base of your neck, and clip all but the bottom section of hair out of the way. Randomly alternate between curling your hair with a large barrel curling iron, and a medium barrel curling iron. Start a few inches away from the scalp, and wrap the hair around the outside of the barrel (no need for the clamp). Allow an inch or so of hair to be straight at the ends. Continue curling quickly until your entire head of hair has been curled, one section at a time. Once hair is curled and cooled, rake fingers through to soften the curls and break them apart. Touch up any stray pieces. Spray with your favorite hair spray.
Perfectly perky pony. This style is great for pin straight or already-flat-ironed hair. Gently brush all your dry hair into a perfectly smooth ponytail. The ponytail should sit up as high as possible on the back of your head. Secure with an elastic. Touch up the tail with your flat iron, if needed. Take a small, underneath section of the ponytail and wrap it around the elastic to hide it. Pin in place. Spray with a hard hold hair spray.
Bewitching ballerina bun. This style works for any hair type. Start with the perfectly perky pony, but wrap the entire ponytail around its base. Criss-cross several elastics around the bun to hold it in place. Allow the ends to poke out of the ponytail in all different directions if you like. Touch them up with a flat iron if needed, then spray with your favorite hair spray for an all night hold.
To add even more interest to your party styles, consider adding colored hair extensions or feathers for a fun, urban edge. Wear your new style with confidence!
