Wash & Go: Low Maintenance Hairstyles

Ladies, we have so much on our plates to think about, am-I-right?! Between meetings, coffee dates, conference calls and networking dinners, sometimes it’s a miracle that we make it out the front door at all! And you know it’s been an especially great morning when instead of a messy bun, you’ve managed a chic, stylish hairstyle to rock all day long. But the best part about putting it all together has gotta be the feeling of confidence knowing you look totally fabulous.

The easiest way to ensure that every day is a good hair day is to keep things low maintenance. If you have an amazing haircut that styles itself, then you should only have to add a bit of product and spend a few minutes taming your tresses. There are a few key considerations for each hair type that will give you the best possible results: a look that is not only trendy but requires the least amount of time in front of the mirror.

For Straight Hair: Long layers in straight hair are the absolute best option for quick styling. They give a little bit of movement, bounce and excitement and they can be used in any texture of hair. If you have fine hair, make sure to find a hairdresser who specializes in your hair type to make sure you don’t get too many layers. For styling, these layers can be curled, pulled up into a chic ponytail or blowdried straight in a matter of minutes. They are simply perfect for the straight haired girl on the go! I also love to use rollers on my straight hair and leave them sitting on while I do my makeup. They take five minutes to put in, set while I’m busy with something else, and leave me with big, bouncy waves all day. Just make sure to run a little bit of Kevin.Murphy’s Anti Gravity for heat protection, volume and hold before styling.

For Wavy Hair: The quickest way to style wavy hair is to work with the texture you have. And since a beach wave is so in for spring and summer, I would recommend this style. Use a product like Paul Mitchell’s Sea Spray or Kevin Murphy’s Hair Resort Spray to add texture before or after any heat tools or to just scrunch up your natural wave. To get a more even curl or to add extra volume, go through with a 2 inch barrel curling iron and take large, random sections throughout the top of the head. Finish with one last spritz of your sea spray and you are all set!

For Curly Hair: Curly hair not only looks the best with a higher amount of layers like the photo pictured above, but it’s also significantly easier to style. All you have to do is comb a product like Kevin Murphy’s Motion Lotion through the midstrands and ends, making sure you’ve applied to each strand. Deva Curl also has some great products to try. Then, twist your damp hair in large sections around the head and use your diffuser to scrunch the hair up from the bottom until it’s completely dry. To finish, just break apart the twists. I also love a good braid in curly hair because it holds so well. Try adding a braid on each side of the head and pinning below the crown for a half-up look. You can also rock a classic headband braid.

Other Considerations:

Avoid hairstyles that incorporate bangs. Rocking a fringe is quintessentially chic, but requires styling every morning – and sometimes you can spend ten minutes trying to get it right before just giving up and braiding them back. While they may look great when done correctly, they do require more maintenance.

Be cautious about doing the chop and rocking a pixie. This is the same idea as with bangs. While everyone knows that short styles are really quick and easy to style, which is our goal today, they also need to be styled every single day. There is no pulling it into a ponytail when you don’t feel like styling. So while you’ll only spend about ten minutes styling every morning (which is a miracle in itself!), you will have to commit everyday.

If you have very thick hair, no matter what the texture is, make sure to get it thinned out. Your hairdresser will know exactly how to handle this, so make sure you leave this to the pros. Thinning the hair out not only allows your layers to lay soft and wispy, but it takes away a lot of the bulk that increases your drying time. Letting your hairdresser take away all of that bulk will reduce your styling time, give you a better shape and allow you to use less product, shampoo and conditioner.

Familiarize yourself with braids. They are in and they aren’t going anywhere. Best of all, they are the go-to for all things fashionable, modern and quick. Though it would be great to have even 15 minutes to style your hair, sometimes that’s not even an option and a quick french braid or fishtail can help you out tremendously.

Invest in a great dry shampoo like Fresh Hair from Kevin.Murphy. Second day hair is so quick and easy to style, but you’ll need a product to soak up any oil at the roots and turn that into volume and hold. It’s great for every hair type and washes out really easily when it comes time to shampoo.

Consider a mid-length hairstyle like a bob or long bob. We’ve seen everyone wearing these lately and they always look great. I have loved this look left straight, wavy or curly. While working with the texture you’ve been given, styling this kind of a haircut should only take you a few minutes.

Take out those extensions. I know it’s fun to have mermaid long hair, but every time I’ve worn extensions, I’ve had to spend astronomical amounts of time styling in the morning. I would usually just resort to a braid or high ponytail. The irony with this consideration is that most women actually assume they will spend less time styling when they have extensions. Trust me, it is a lot of fun to suddenly have Kim Kardashian’s long locks, but you will spend a good 30 minutes to an hour styling every morning… at least.

Finally, embrace what you have. Simply put, the best, easiest and quickest way to style your hair is to rock the texture you were born with. Any hair type can be styled in 15 minutes or under if you use your natural texture as the first step to work off of. Remember that straight hair-ed ladies would kill for curl and often spend their morning trying to achieve it while curly girls love a smooth, straight look. Learn to love what you already have and rock it with confidence. And not to mention, you’ll love that extra time spent sleeping in!