3 Seriously Crucial Hair Items
by Catherine Q. O'Neill
You know that feeling when you're motivated to try a new recipe, only to find out it requires so many expensive ingredients that you'd be better off just eating at a restaurant? Well, Allure Hair: The Ultimate How-To Hair Guide is the opposite of that. You can try all 41 of the in-depth hair tutorials--and almost any other hairstyle you could dream up--with only a few key items. These are the hair all-stars:
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Volumizer. You won't be able to get through the first chapter (it's on blowouts) of Allure Hair without it. That's because this wonder product gives hair the gorgeous, luscious texture you could never get with a teasing comb. Work it from roots to ends, then dry your hair immediately up and away from your head. Otherwise, the product will backfire and dry flat against the scalp, says Matt Fugate, a hairstylist at Sally Hershberger Downtown in New York City.
Elastics (preferably flat black ones). No, they're not just for ponytails. You also need elastics to master braids, updos, and some crazier hairdos. Why? Because gathering your hair into a ponytail first gives you a base for the rest of so many styles--and a place to secure bobby pins. You'll never look at one the same way after reading this.
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One-and-a-half-inch curling iron. Give or take a few inches, a one-and-a-half-inch curling iron can get you pretty far. (Just adjust the amount of hair you wrap around it if that size is too big or too small, says hairstylist Garren.) You'll need it for beachy waves, Hollywood curls, and just about every other gorgeous look that requires a bit of bend.
For tons more hair ideas and inspiration, check out Allure Hair: The Ultimate How-to Hair Guide, available on newsstands now.
More from Allure:
50 Beauty Products to Try Before You Die
Find the Best Haircut for Your Face Shape
5 Short-Hair Styling Mistakes to Avoid
Celebrity Hairstyles That Will Make You Look 10 Years Younger
