Hot Hair

This spring’s grooviest dos may look elaborate, but they’re so simple, even we could manage them!

Bad news for fans of low maintenance: the all-day, all-night bed head we’ve been sporting recently has had its day. But don’t panic: the big up-dos and slick ponytails gracing the catwalks can be created effortlessly at home. “It’s about messing around with textures and looking like you mastered your style in couple of seconds,” says session stylist Malcolm Edwards. Sounds like music to our cars…

Hippy shake

Woodstock was alive and well on the catwalk, with hair twisted, tonged, curled and crimped to create luxurious waves that looked natural, not coiffed. For hair as glorious as our model Hatti, work a volumising mousse like Garnier Fructis Volume Amplifier Mousse, £2.99, into damp hair and blast dry, then mist with a styling spray like L’Oréal Professionnel Tecni.art Hot Style Constructor, £10.25. “Curl hair haphazardly, leaving some of it untouched,” says Malcolm. “Hold tongs close to your roots and coil medium-thick sections, avoiding the end half. Unravel, then curl the bottom-half section in the opposite direction. Rub a little Aveda Be Curly Curl Control, £9.50, into your hands and scoop up your curls, squeezing the product into them, This will give your hair gloss and messy texture.”

Twisted sister

Side-partings will be everywhere this spring, often teamed with simple, twisted up-dos. Top stylist Sam McKnight says, “A side-parting prevents an up-do looking too ‘Princess Anne’.” And where you place it depends on your face shape, according to Malcolm. “If you have a round face, part your hair closer to the centre,” he says. “Long faces are better off with a deep parting close to the ear. Strong feature are softened with a sweeping, side-parted fringe.” The other essential is to give hair ‘guts’, as Malcolm puts it. “If hair is too clean and soft the parting will slip.”

For this cute bun, “scrunch a mousse through damp hair or mist with setting lotion (try Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumising Spray Mousse, £10.75, or Redken Fabricate 03 Heat-Active Texturizer, £11.20), then let it air-dry for natural texture,” says Malcolm. “Part hair, then rake it back with your fingers and tie in a low ponytail. Braid the tail, twist it around its base and secure your bun with Kirby grips.”

Show pony

“For a ponytail that says “glam’ not ‘gym’, hair needs a little bit of prep. That means giving it texture, pliability and grip with styling products,” says Sam. Apply Schwarzkopf Professional Osis Grip, £7.35, to damp hair and blow-dry with a barrel brush to create volume. If your can’t be bothered, tip your head upside down and use a vent brush with wide-set bristles to untangle hair as you blow-dry, with the nozzle turned towards the ground. Once hair is dry, Sam uses a natural-bristle brush to gather it in a ponytail halfway down the back of the head. “use a light touch, especially on top of your head – you want to smooth hair back, not flatten it,” he says. Secure with an elastic band, then wind some hair around the band and pin tit under your pony for a touch of simple chic. For a perfectly groomed tail, brush it through. Or, suggests Sam, “ tie the pony at the nape of the neck and backcomb it in sections for sexy volume.” Finish with a mist of Wella Shockwaves Power Hold Hairspray, £2.79.

Sugar spun

Amy Winehouse has a lot to answer for. Versions of her towering beehive threatened to topple ever everywhere you looked at the fashion shows, and the style is spreading. “It’s easy as long as you load you hair with lightweight products,” says Sam. Apply Charles Worthington Shine Results Heat Protection Spray, £4.49, to damp hair and blast dry, then use a teasing comb like the Comare Mk IV, £2.19, to backcomb in small sections, starting at the back of the head. “For best results, pull a section tight, push the teeth of the comb up against it and comb vigorously towards the scalp, then mist each finished section with Pantene Pro-V Smooth & Sleek Anti-Static Hairspray, £2.99. Continue towards the forehead, then the sides. Next, lightly brush hair back and grab the whole lot at the nape of the neck. Roll it sideways, like a loose and messy French twist, tuck in the ends and fasten with pins. Do it properly and you’ll only need a few, arranged in a vertical line: stick them in one direction, then twist round the other way and secure. Finish with mist of hairspray, but keep the look undone and messy.” Frankly, we laughed at Sam when he insisted that anyone could manage this look until, half an hour later, we saw a girl putting up her hair this way while strutting down the street!