3 Low-Maintenance Air-Dry Haircuts
By Devin Toth, REDBOOK
The key to low-maintenance hair is to embrace your hair's natural texture. If you know what your hair's natural texture is, then you already know its natural style tendencies (i.e. "My hair tends to fall flat!").
From there, it's just a matter of choosing the right haircut that will help your hair do what it does best and choosing hair care products that enhance your hair's natural tendencies rather than downplaying them. Here is the recipe for a low-maintenance haircut that can air-dry.
Low-maintenance hairstyle formula:
Hair texture + proper haircut + tendency-enhancing products = an easy, air-dried style.
High-maintenance hairstyle formula:
Hair texture + improper haircut + products that downplay tendency = a forced style.
Related: 30 Days of Fall Outfits for Under $250
Thin, straight hair likes to stay flat. This type of hair doesn't like to hold volume, so why fight with it? Instead of cutting layers to create volume, you should just get a one-length haircut: no layers, no graduation, and no bangs. The hair weighs itself down which naturally smoothes the cuticle. One good celebrity example is Gwyneth Paltrow, who often sports this one-length hairstyle.
A good one-length haircut is simple, yet polished. This cut has a very simple shape, but the shape is cut with extreme precision. It's like a chic Hermes bag that lasts forever.
If your cut is meant to smoothe the hair, then use a proper tendency-enhancing product. One example of a smoothening product is "Tame It Shine Lotion" by Ted Gibson.
Related: 3 Ways to Snap Out of An Afternoon Slump
Curly hair tends to curl wherever it wants. This type of hair doesn't like to stay flat; it only likes to be curly. When curly hair becomes too long, gravity pulls out the hair's wave. Play up your curls by choosing a haircut that is either short or has short layers. When you cut layers, those shorter pieces release the texture and give your hair freedom to curl. Just as the one-length haircut helps straight hair fall smooth and straight, so the short-layer haircut helps curly hair spring up and curl. Two good examples of celebrities with either short or short-layered hair are Maggie Gyllenhaal and AnnaLynne McCord.
Try curl-defining products, such as "Spirale Extreme" by L'Oreal, to enhance your look.
Related: The 5 Outfits Guys Secretly Hope You'll Wear
Thick hair begs to be noticed. It's there, present, and not going anywhere, so you shouldn't try to hide it. A hairstyle with point cutting shows off the hair's thick texture. This technique removes weight from the hair ends, which can give your thick hair a healthy appearance. Proper point cutting creates a "piecey" texture that gives thick hair buoyancy and life. One good celebrity example is Sofia Vergara, who embraces her thick, "piecey" hair with point cutting!
For your thick hair, try products such as "Tea Tree Shaping Cream" by Paul Mitchell.
When you let your hair air-dry, you are embracing your natural style and trusting your hair to look good. It's about working with what you've got, without truly working at all.
And remember: Let straight hair fall, let curly hair spring, and let thick hair be.
Devin Toth is Lead Stylist at the Ted Gibson Salon in New York City.
More from REDBOOK:
Connect with REDBOOK:
Permissions:
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
