Courtesy of GoodyGrace Clarke, Allure magazine
We're officially halfway through January, and I'm thrilled to report that I am kicking some New Year's Resolution tush. I haven't missed a day at the gym yet (just did an Adele's-Globes-acceptance-speech style "thank you, thank you so much" gesture, don't worry), but here's the rub: my hair, usually blown out and shiny, is taking a hit. Fortunately, thanks to the sage advice of hairstylist Tashina Tantalos, I cracked the code for preserving my face-framing waves. Here's to not sacrificing one good beauty habit for another.
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Get off the pony express. The obvious way to keep hair off your neck during a sweat session is with a rubberband, but ponytails are a no-go here for a few reasons. First, those elastics kink hair (especially when your scalp heats up and hair's ripe for restyling). Second, even the gentlest rubberbands cause breakage-high-impact workouts (bouncing, bobbing around, running) put stress on your strands. All of these problems, and more, are solved with the Goody Spin Pin. It's basically a beefed-up, coiled metal bobby pin that you twist through hair, securing it into a bun. Here's what you do: after pulling your hair back into a low-ish ponytail, make one ropy twist and coil the hair around itself to create a bun. Then grab a Spin Pin and dig it into the bun where it meets your head-the pin will twist through the hair along your scalp to hold things tight-and twist all the way through. My hair's getting long, so I've been using an extra pin.
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Refresh your waves with Velcro. As with Spin Pins, the Velcro rollers' x-factor is their subtle gentleness. Grab a six-pack of rollers 2.5 inches or bigger (the larger the size, the less tight the curl) and some pins (I use these little duckbill clips). Here's my technique: After the workout, brush your hair out, taking care to pull the brush forward toward your face. This avoids that wind-blown look along your hairline that can prevent waves from falling the right way. Work around the head in tiers, starting from the top. Grab a 3 inch section of hair and lay the roller on top so hair's coming out from under it; slowly roll backward and up, away from your face, securing the roller against your head with a pin. The beauty here is in the imperfection-the more you vary thickness of sections and placement, the more natural of a look you'll have. Blast your whole head evenly with a hairdryer on high heat-a nozzle attachment will focus the heat. Go get dressed and forget about your hair-as your head cools off, the curls "set." Gently remove rollers, starting with the bottom layer, and mist with a light-hold hair spray to combat static and guard against wind. These'll be some very soft-focus curls, so don't disrupt them with much brushing or fussing.
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