Coachella hairstyles

Coachella is the most stylish of all music festivals. Fact.

So if you’re looking for some hairspiration look no further.

My tips for festival hair

It’s a long, hot day at these shows so don’t fight your natural hair too much. If you’re straight you’ll be sad when your curls drop by mid afternoon and if you’re curly the frizz will be taking your focus from the scene.

Accessorise – go crazy with hats and headpieces but keep with the bohemian vibe, nothing that you would wear to the races.

Don’t overthink it – be relaxed, and go for messy over polished.

The photos fill me with festival envy as I would have loved to be there. What’s your favourite look from Coachella 2011? I adore Eliza Doolittle’s headpiece and I think I would wear my hair like Diane Kruger. Love her hat.

How can I curl my fine hair? - Ask Hair Romance

We always want what we don’t have. For hair, straighties want curls, and curlies want straight. I love my curls but love straightening them out too.

Hair Romance reader Emily asks –

I have had fine, thin, and straight as a board hair my entire life. Some of the hair styles you show do not work for my hair because there is so little of it. My hair has started getting to the point where I can curl it and it will stay for half a day, but it slowly goes back to being straight.

I have tried everything that might help keep some volume. I use volumizing shampoo and conditioner. I blow dry my hair upside down. I use hair spray ( a lot) when I curl my hair. I have tried many things. The only thing I have not done is extensions and I am not open to that idea at all.

If you could please give some tips and maybe even some hair styles that will suit thin haired people that would be great!

Well Emily, I’m planning some different styles for my upcoming 30 days of Twist & Pin hairstyle challenge that will work for all hair types so stay tuned...



Clive Allwright & Kelly Grant from Our Place Salon

As for curling straight hair, I turned to KMS International Artistic Director, Clive Allwright from Our Place Salon for some expert advice. Clive says -



If you are putting the curl in thermally and mechanically i.e straightening iron, curling irons, hot rollers etc, after you have washed your hair with a volume product like the KMS Add Volume Shampoo you need to use a heat styling product that has hold, as opposed to hairspray. Hairspray can get heavy and sticky and weigh the hair down. 

I recommend using KMS flat out Hot Pressed Spray applied to dry hair before each section is curled, then pin the curled section up to the head to cool. So many people let the section drop too early and hair does not set by heating up, It actually sets from the cool down process.

The cool-down process takes a minimum of 10 minutes per section. Once the hair has cooled down release the sections then loosen them and apply KMS California hairstay Medium Hold Hairspray to hold.

Also, when we are styling and shooting for people with thinner hair, we recommend using a smaller than usual curling iron as it will drop eventually and you are left with the correct curl around an hour later.

Thank you Clive!

How to get longer lasting curls in fine hair

• Use a volumising shampoo & conditioner
• Apply a heat styling product first, rather than heavy hairspray
• Use a smaller curling iron or roller
• After curling, pin each section to your head and allow curls to cool - at least 10 minutes
• Once cool, unpin and loosen your curls and use a medium weight hairspray

The trick is definitely how you set the curls and letting them cool in place. This is one of the reason’s I love Cloud Nine’s TheO as it has a heat indicator on each roller to tell you when they are ready to take out.

Even if you’re straightening your hair, a blast of cool air from your Parlux Cool Shot button will set your hair in place.

Do you have fine hair? How do you style it? Do you have any tips for curling fine hair?

 

How to wear a turban

I have always admired turbans but wasn’t sure if I could wear one. Now I have two and I wonder how I ever got along with them!

Turbans are now a permanent fixture in my hat wardrobe and a must for bad hair days.

Turbans are like beanies for girls. Don’t get me wrong - I own two beanies and love them, but really have only worn them to football games. Turbans are more comfortable than beanies and infinitely more stylish. Case in point - I wore a turban to work today – Turbans 1 Beanies 0. 

Here’s how I wear my turbans.

Look number one – Winter turban

Turban from Sportsgirl $19.95

Look number two – evening turban

Turban from Sportsgirl $29.95 includes brooch

Look number three - "I vont to be alone darling!" turban

Turban from Sportgirl as above.

I had to try with all my hair up as it reminds me of glamourous actresses from the 30s and 40s. It’s untouchable, reserved glamour.

I love it.

You’re convinced and need to have one? Here’s my shopping guide:

Top it off with a turban by hairromance featuring printed hats

Hair accessory
$48 - shopnastygal.com

Vintage shade
atelier-mayer.com

River Island printed hat
15 GBP - riverisland.com

Vintage style hat
rokit.co.uk

So, are you going to wear a turban? How will you wear yours?

How to wear a headscarf like Blake Lively – extra tip

When I added Blake Lively to my list of Hair Idols my friend loved the headscarf and asked how to do it. So I posted a how-to on this Gossip Girl hairstyle here.
 

Then Eliza asked a question in the comments about how I hide the pin at the back.

My best tip for pinning hair is to try and weave the pin through you hair, catching the section you want to pin and the hair underneath. If you try for too much hair it always falls out, but weaving the pin through smaller sections twice makes for a secure bobby pin. 

Looking at these photos now I’m not sure if they really explain how I put the pin in (as it’s hidden underneath) but think about weaving the pin through and I hope it works in your hair. 

I have a blogging challenge in mind that I hope will have you all Twisting & Pinning. Stay tuned…

Do you have any hair questions? Drop me a comment or email thehair@hairromance.com

How-to Easy Braid Hairstyle – Hair Romance Reader Question

Q:

I would absolutely love to know how to do this following hairstyle: it’s the third picture, on the right.
Could you possibly tell me how to do it? thank you!! :)

Here at Hair Romance we love a braid or two.

I haven’t seen this style before so I was happy to try and figure out how it was achieved.

It’s a backwards braid (or inside out braid) that’s only adding in sections from the top. It’s done by braiding the top half of your hair around each side to meet at the back to make this super cute half-up-half-down hairstyle. 

Don’t worry, I’ve broken it down even further with some how to step by step pics below.

What is a backwards (or inside out) braid?

Normally with French braids you have three sections that weave together over the top. Backwards is simply weaving together from underneath. You still add in sections just braid underneath and this leaves a plait on top.

Step 1 – Part your hair – I did mine on the side but this style is also cute with a centre part.

Step 2 – Take a section at the front and split into three.

Step 3 – Plait together in a French braid, bringing the sections in from underneath.

Step 4 – Braid in section from the top only, leaving the rest of your hair to hang down under the braid.

Step 5 – Finish the first side in a plait and secure with an elastic.

Step 6 – repeat steps 2-5 on the other side.

Step 7 – Tie the two sides together with an elastic. Hide the elastic by wrapping a section of hair around it and pinning it underneath with a bobby pin.

Step 8 – Loosen up the braid to give it a messier finish and you’re ready to go.

I think my braid is a little too neat compared to the original picture but both styles work. 

What do you think? Would you give this style a try? Do you have any hair questions you need answering? Drop us a comment below or shoot me an email at thehair@hairromance.com

Cloud Nine TheO and my love of big hair

I love big hair.

Despite fighting my curls for so long, I have always loved big hair. I was poker straight for a while but I have since come back round to the idea that volume is a good thing. Plus, I have a theory that the bigger the hair, the smaller your hips look. It’s all about proportion, ladies.

So, if you’re not blessed with lots of hair, what do you do?

Meet TheO by Cloud Nine. It’s genius.

Ever since I heard about TheO, I have wanted to try it for myself. I have lots of hair but making it bouncy and shiny does not come naturally. I experienced TheO last Friday by the lovely Danae at Headcase Hair in Paddington and I am hooked.

What is TheO?

TheO is a heated Velcro roller system from the brilliant minds at Cloud Nine. Sounds simple but it’s a revolutionary hair idea. Basically they have cleverly redesigned the humble Velcro roller to heat up from the inside out using an induction heating system. Pop a roller in the pod and in 4 seconds it’s ready to roll and heats up in your hair, not in your hand.

Why is this such a good thing?

TheO is faster and easier than hot rollers. And it uses less power. It’s a triple threat.

There’s no burning your fingers as with hot rollers, and rushing to put them all in before they cool down. There’s no fiddling with clips and then having to apply heat as with traditional Velcro rollers. I have both hot rollers and Velcro rollers in a box gathering dust as they are fiddly and I never have the time to use them.

A bonus I noticed with TheO was that it imparts more shine to my hair than I expected from rollers.

The lovely Danae at Headcase Hair

TheO in action

My big bouncy curls

How do I use it?

1. Put a roller inside the pod and it heats up in 4 seconds. The rollers heat up from the inside out so you can handle them easily.
2. Roll sections of hair around each roller, starting from the top of your head. Continue with the back and sides from the top down.
3. Spray your hair with a medium weight hairspray and let the rollers cool down in your hair. This only takes about 10 minutes. You can tell when it’s done as there is a little dot at the side of the roller that turns red when it’s hot and back to black when it’s done.
4. Remove the rollers, gently brush and style.

Why do I want it?

I love big hair.

I also love volume and movement in hair.

This is the styling accessory for me.

If you like the same things as me, you will love TheO.

But TheO is not just about big hair.

It’s for bouncy Victoria’s Secret hair, gorgeous Hollywood hair and it’s also perfect for rolling beach waves. Depending on the size of the roller you can get tight Mad Men curls, soft Marilyn Monroe waves, or Blake Lively big beachy waves.

TheO is all about volume and body in the hair. You can curl your hair with irons or wands but it won’t give you the same root lift and all over body unless you blow dry it really well before. And if you’re going to go to all that trouble, TheO is quicker, easier and smarter.

My husband loved this hair and I received a lot of compliments. Now, just to get TheO at home…

Have you tried TheO? What did you think? Do love big hair? 


Note: My necklace is from Polli - check out their gorgeous jewellery and they have a cute blog too

Sweet twist and pin variation

This is another of my favourite twist and pin updos. It’s deceptively simple to do and looks both sweet and stylish.

Like the French roll twist and pin, this is a great hairstyle for when you are don’t have time to dry your hair. You can easily do this style in wet hair and it will dry with a nice wave in the ends. You can even cheat by just blowdrying the top of your hair to keep it smooth. This hairstyle will hide the rest away in these sweet twists on the nape of the neck. This updo is also perfect for a second (or third!) day blowdry.

Hair product tips

• Starting with wet hair? Run some Moroccan Oil through your hair from midlenths to your ends.
• If your hair is a little dry you may want to use a serum to smooth down any flyaways.
• A spritz of hairspray will make it last all day.

Step by step

1. Part your hair on the side.
2. Take a small section of hair at the left behind your ear and twist and pin on your neckline.
3. Do the same twist and pin behind your right ear and pin on your neckline.
4. Then separate the rest of your hair into equal sections and repeat, twisting into little buns and pinning on the nape of your neck.

Through many attempts I found that if you do the left and right first, it’s easier to keep a straight line. If you start at one side you tend to go up and it’s hard to keep the sections even. This hairstyle looks best if you have hair all one length or long layers. It will be hard to style with short layers unless you use a lot of product. 

As always I recommend using good hair pins in the same colour as your hair.

Have you tried this style? Tweet me a pic or tag Hair Romance on Facebook. Drop me a comment below to let me know how you go.

French roll twist and pin how to

French rolls were a huge trend on the red carpet so far this season and here’s a twist & pin version I’ve been wearing for a while. 

I love this hairstyle for when I don’t have time to blowdry my hair. It’s easy to do in wet hair and means my hair dries smoothly with a nice wave through it. This is another fabulous hairstyle for after the gym in the morning as a great work hairstyle. 

This is my third day hair after a brilliant style by the Follicle Oracle so this is also great hairstyle to hide the kinks and get another wear out of your straight hair.

Hair product tips

• Starting with wet hair? Run some Moroccan Oil through your hair from midlenths to your ends.
• If your hair is a little dry you may want to use a serum to smooth down any flyaways.

Step by step

1. Pin back your fringe, or the front section of your hair. I like a little bit of height but not too much of a bump.
2. Taking a section from each side of your hairline and bring together into a twist at the back of your head.
3. Twist the section around your finger and pin into a small bun
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until all your hair is twisted and pinned into a line.

Today I did four twists but that’s the beauty of the Twist & Pin, there are endless variations. Try up to seven twists for this style.

Have you tried this style? Tweet me a pic or tag Hair Romance on Facebook. Drop me a comment below to let me know how you go.

Amazing braids at Sass & Bide by Renya Xydis

Love these braids! Think this might be a little hard to do in my own hair but one for the inspiration files when my hair is mermaid length.

Here’s Renya’s step by step instructions:

1. Part the hair in the middle.
2. Work GHD Fat Hair Lotion into mid lengths to ends and shake it through with your fingers, then dry the product into the hair.
3. Tip head forward and lightly mist GHD Ultimate Hairspray through the hair to set the texture.
4. Braid the hair from the bottom of the head upwards.
5. Tie both ends into a knot at the front of the top of the head.
6. Use GHD styler to give texture and movement to the hair in the ponytail.
7. Twist the hair into a loose bun and tie it off. Keep some hair hanging free and spread it out to give the look of a swept fringe.

Via http://www.ahj.com.au/

How to wear a headscarf like Blake Lively

My lovely friend, whose name I shall protect, does not know who Blake Lively is. The shame!!

I caught up with her for dinner and drinks Friday and she kindly told me she’d been reading my blog and loved the girl with the long hair. She said, I am going to do my hair like her, how do I wear a scarf like she does?

I did take her request seriously and will give a how to wear a headscarf like Blake Lively below, but I can’t get over her not even recognising Blake since she has foxtel and watches tv. I think my poor friend is stuck in SATC mode and needs to upgrade to Gossip Girl.

Anyway, I digress.

How to wear a headscarf like Blake Lively

The key to this look is that the headscarf is purely a hair accessory. It’s not holding back any of the hair, it is merely placed around the finished style.

1. Tease your hair at the crown of your head by gently back-combing
2. Leaving some hair loose around your hairline, take a small section from each side and pin at the back to keep some volume in your hair. I did this twice, twisting the sections together and hiding the pin underneath.
3. Take your headscarf and tie in place between two sections of your hair. Leave some hair loose underneath.
4. Tuck the top of your ears under the scarf and play with your fringe until you are happy and you’re done!

I used a square scarf folded on the diagonal but almost any size scarf will do as long at it fits around your head.

What do you think of this look?

Maybe you’ve got a how-to hair question? Shoot me an email at thehair[at]hairromance.com or write in the comments below.

Valentine’s Day Romantic Hairstyles

I don’t buy into all the Valentine’s Day hoo-ha. I think you should show your love all year round, not on a Hallmark holiday. Plus I hate going out for dinner on Valentine’s Day. My husband and I have only been out to a restaurant once on Valentine’s years ago and it was awful. It was a great restaurant we’d been to before and loved but on V-day they had a reduced set menu which was awful and we spent the night laughing at all the awkward couples sitting around us trying to pick what stage of a relationship they were in. This year I caught him looking at one of our fave place’s Valentine’s menu and I told him not to bother.

Our tradition instead is to celebrate our “miniversary” every month. See, we got together on 15th September and so we do something nice together or get little gifts on the 15th of every month. So we’ll be enjoying a quiet restaurant with a full menu on Tuesday night!

Anyway, it’s all about the hair and that’s what I’m meant to be writing about.

Despite my dislike of Valentine’s Day, many of you will be going on dates and may need some hair inspiration. I’m splitting my advice into three categories:

1. Newbies – first dates (god forbid on Valentine’s Day – are you crazy??), newly dating and still in the flush of love
2. Together – in a relationship but starting to get in a rut
3. Long-termers – in a long term relationship or marriage but past the rut and happy

Newbies 

Touchable hair is important for date hairstyles. Go for something soft and approachable and hair that has lots of movement so you can flick it back and keep touching it all night long. It’s a great accessory for flirting.

Together

You need to shake it up with your look and get out of your rut. Put some effort in and pump up the volume and sex appeal for a red hot Valentine’s Day

Long-termers

You need to remember the excitement of when you were first dating. When you looked forward to seeing each other and spending time together. I would go a bit nostalgic here and take inspiration from hairstyles you had at that time. If this was last decade that may not be a good idea, so here are some hairstyle ideas so you don’t go too retro. 

Enjoy Valentine's Day (if that's your thing) and hope your hair looks gorgeous. 

Do you have anything special planned? Or are you boycotting V-day?