Turn hat hair to FAB hair with these cool tricks
About this time of year, my dreams of palm trees and tropical drinks are in full force. It’s been absolutely freezing in most parts of the country and one of my least favorite things about this is that instead of wearing beach waves and cool topknots, we’re all tucking our hair under hats and hoping for the best. Practicality is no fun sometimes!
To find a perfect balance between staying warm and looking fabulous, try out these hat tricks:
Braid it up:
While hair is still damp, spritz sea salt texture spray from the roots to ends. Then, french braid your hair up in two or three sections across the head. If you don’t know how to french braid, then just braid in larger, random sections around the head from the root out. Use a blowdryer to dry until the hair is not as wet to the touch. At this point, either leave the ends out and put your hat over your hair or tuck the ends up under your hat. When you get to where you’re going, pull out your braids and enjoy cool, textured, waves for the day. To preserve them for a couple more days, just wear them up in a messy, high bun overnight and use a dry shampoo to soak up any oil in the morning.
Prep perfectly:
If you are heading somewhere that you need to wear a hat for longer than half an hour, I would recommend prepping the hair really well first. The best way to ensure you don’t have that weird little hat mark we all hate is to blowdry and/or curl the hair, making sure the hair is completely dry. Then, backcomb your crown for extra volume. Make sure your hat is not too snug around your head and is a good material like wool or cotton so that you won’t end up with static. Once you get where you’re going, you should be able to take your hat off, shake your curls out a bit, rely on your backcombing to combat flattening on the crown and look fabulous!
Rock a hat:
Another fun idea is to utilize the popularity of ’70s style chic, floppy felt hats. You can never go wrong with some loose, large waves or straighter hair under a dramatic large-brimmed hat. The felt is easy because it will help with handling static and the looseness of the hat is perfect should you decide to take it off at some point. I would recommend just rocking day old hair (with some dry shampoo help if needed) down and loose. Keep a couple bobby pins on hand so that if you need to take your hat off and your crown is flat, you can pull it into a quick, messy half-updo.
Use a turban to maintain curl:
I love the crocheted style turbans this time of year. Especially with an intentionally placed broach or just rocking a bright color, these hats can really add to your winter style. The hardest thing about wearing one of these, however, is leaving your hair out for the elements to pull out and flatten. My favorite way to combat this is to curl my hair and pull it up into a high, loose bun. Then, rock your turban around your bun and leave a few wispy pieces out around your face for that intentionally messy look. When you take off your hat, you can take out your loose bun and just have some fun, undone waves for the day.
Or, if you have natural curl, I absolutely love the way your curl can be left out and pieced around the turban. Use the front sections to keep hair out of your face almost like a headband, comb a curl cream through to maintain smoothness and let your natural curls shine.
Some more key tips:
Always keep dry shampoo on you. Transitioning from hat hair to fab hair is sometimes only possible with a little spritz at your roots. Not only will it soak up any oils or grease that’s built up, but it will give you an extra dose of volume.
Also, keep a travel size bottle of your favorite oil or serum. Static and dryness is prevalent this time of year and such a bummer when you’re trying to keep your hair looking shiny and polished. Apply some through the ends when needed.
When all else fails, a loose braid is classic and can look really stylish. Especially this time of year when most women are just rocking a big beanie or a messy bun, a cool side braid can be just the right amount of style. And, not to mention, really easy.