How to update your hair without visiting your hairdresser

Sometimes you just can’t get to your hairdresser for a cut and colour (thanks coronavirus/no money/zero time). The good news is you don’t need to wait until your next hair salon visit to try a new look.

These hair hacks will have you looking as good as new without reaching for the scissors or hair dye.

Play with your part

They say change is as good as a holiday, and since holidays aren’t so easy to come by right now, a quick switch of which side you part your hair will make you look and feel as good as new. Parting your hair on the opposite side to where you usually do adds instant volume: Hair has a memory, so it gets used to growing in the direction it regularly lies, so when you change sides the roots lift up and away from the direction it naturally wants to go.

Tip: A deep side part alters which facial features you’re bringing attention to. Our eyes are drawn to where the part is, so skewing it left or right can help highlight - or hide - certain features.

Change up your curling technique

There are hundreds of different ways to use your hot tools to style your hair. You can create tight ringlets, brushed-out curls, vintage waves, messy waves… it all comes down to the barrel size, the way you wrap your hair around the wand, the products you use and the finishing touches you make.

For soft waves, use a curling tong with a big barrel and only loosely wrap the hair around. Create tight ringlets with a narrow barrel, only work with small sections of hair at a time, and leave your hair wrapped around the heat for longer (remember to always use a heat protectant first!). For that messy beach hair look, curl each section of hair in different directions. And if you want bouncy, brushed-out curls, start at your ends and roll the curling tong up to the roots at a horizontal angle rather than holding the tong vertically. 

Parting in line with the outer corner of your eye helps lift the look of the face. Hello, instant facelift!

 

Try a faux bob

You don’t need to fully commit to short hair if you want to try a bob - it’s an easy hairstyle to fake in a flash. Style your hair straight, with vintage curls or bedhead texture, depending on the look you’re after. Next, divide your long hair into two loose pigtails (secure each one below at the height you want your bob to fall) then tightly braid the ends - this will make it easier for you to secure it into a faux bob. If you have fine hair, you may only need to work with one ponytail. Tuck the braided ends up and under at the nape of the neck and secure them with bobby pins. Try criss-crossing two bobby pins for a budgeproof hold. Now, gently pull at the curled-under ends of your new bob to tease the shape how you want it. 

Experiment with hair accessories

Hair accessories offer up a wealth of versatility when styling your hair. And you don’t need a lot of styling skills to make them work for you. They can dictate the vibe of your look (a thick ponytail says ‘70s while a bandana is boho chic), hide regrowth (hello, headscarf!), elevate your look (pearl pins and embellished headbands are your friend) and disguise a fringe whenever you feel like taking a break from your bangs.  

Embrace your natural texture

Good news - natural hair is in, so there’s no need to work up a sweat running a straightener through your curls or twisting your length around tongs in the name of tousled tresses. Embrace what you were born with. The first step is making sure you’re using the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type, to bring out the best in your hair’s natural texture.

Next up, you need a few good styling products to help get the best results from your hair. For those with straight strands, a smoothing serum like Muk Hot Muk Smoothing Serum will help you keep flyaways at bay. For curly hair, if frizz is getting in the way of you achieving perfect curls then scrunch a curl-defining creme like Eleven Australia Keep My Curl Defining Cream and leave your hair to air-dry. If you want to enhance your wavy hair’s texture, spritz it with sea salt spray.