Hairband, Chanel
You can wear a pretty, sparkly hairband without looking like a cartoon princess. Use a thin hairband, placed 2.5-5cm from your hairline so it doesn’t look like a tiara. Says session hairstylist Sean Ang: “Apply styling cream and, with a mason brush, evenly distribute the product from mid-length to end. Pull your hair into a messy knot or low ponytail, position the hairband, and keep the look in place with a strong-hold hairspray.”
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• Ouai Finishing Creme
• Shiseido Professional Stage Works Powder Volume Air
• L’Oreal Professionnel Tecni Art Air Fix
Hair tie and earrings, Hermes
This chic look can be worn to Sunday brunch or the office. Pick a thinner silk scarf or bandana so there isn’t too much excess fabric. Sean says: “Start with a regular ponytail and wrap or tie the scarf around it from the base, then secure it. You can also work it into a braid by using the scarf as one of the hair sections. Mist a light hairspray over to hold it in place.”
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• Shiseido Professional Stage Works Beach Air
(Read also “Try These Braided Hairstyles Worn By Cecilia Cheung, Blackpink Jennie And HyunA“)
An easy, fast-to-do style that works best on naturally wavy or curly hair. “Work one pump of hair serum through the entire length and brush out tangles. Spritz a lightweight volumising or texturising product through the mid-lengths to create that out-of-bed look, then loosely gather hair into a half-do or ponytail. Secure with a strong barrette clip or bobby pins,” says Sean.
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• Mise-en-scene Perfect Serum
• Shiseido Professional Stage Works Powder Shake
Earrings, Kate Spade New York
Styles from the ’80s and ’90s are back, including crimped hair. To modernise the look, limit the crimping to the ponytail itself. “Use a large zigzag crimp iron as smaller ones will leave hair looking like a tangled mess. Apply a finishing cream or leave-in conditioner to dry hair, and crimp from mid-length to ends. Spread matte hair clay over your palms and fingers, then gather the hair into a ponytail,” says Sean. If you want to create more texture, work a wide-toothed comb over the ponytail ends.
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• Ouai Leave In Conditioner
Earring, Prada
If there’s one look that’s about sleek control in the wilting heat, it’s this one. Start with damp hair and liberally apply a firm-hold styling gel through the lengths, says Sean. “Using a fine-toothed comb, find your parting and comb from root to end in a continuous motion, working out any knots and tangles. Arch the fringe back where it reaches the eyebrow, and use control clips to hold the style in place until the gel has dried. Set with hairspray, then rub some hair oil or serum between your palms and smooth it over the surface to create a sheen.”
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• L’Oreal Professionnel Tecni Art Fix Max Shaping Gel
• L’Oreal Professionnel Liss Control Oil • Kevin.Murphy Session.Spray Flex
“For the braid, use a matte clay to help with control and surface texture. Starting with dry or blown-out hair, thoroughly coat your palms and fingertips with the clay and work it into the hair while braiding,” says Sean. Create a deep side part, then grab a segment of hair from the crown near the hairline, split it into two, and criss-cross the sections. As you work your way down, continue to add in more hair from the hairline. Once past your ear, braid the twisted section in with the rest of your hair.
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• Kevin.Murphy Rough. Rider Strong Hold Matte Clay
• GHD Smoothing Brush
This article was first published in the June 2021 issue of Her World.