This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
Canada: 
Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
In addition to the fact that about a billion stylists have beaten us over the heads with the warning that our blow dryers are frying our hair, we’re also just plain lazy with our locks. All that brushing and styling and heating — we’re exhausted just thinking about it. So, when stylist Bethany Brill told us she had some great ideas for how to fashionably style wet hair, we jumped at the opportunity.
Taking inspiration from Alexander Wang and Chanel runways, these oh-so-simple tutorials will teach you some fashion-forward ways to make wet hair look impossibly chic, saving you time and effort in the a.m. What’s not to love about that?
The Swooping Bun
Modeled after the pearl-bedecked manes seen at Chanel’s spring ’12 show, this ladylike coiff effortlessly marries sophistication with cutting-edge style.
Add some gel to your hair and create a slightly off center-part using a wide-tooth comb. Since this ‘do is all about sculpting, Brill recommends using a stronger hold gel. She likes to use a drugstore brand — Krystal Eco Styler Alcohol-Free Styling Gel — because “cheap gel is always the best kind of gel for styles like this, where you want a more defined look. It stays wet-looking and helps hair maintain texture, so you don’t show up to work with your hair looking one way, then have in-between frizz by lunchtime.”
Comb back the sides around the ears; hold it parallel to the part, then comb down to the temple and sweep toward the back of the hair around the ear to sculpt the hair into an artistic shape.
Gather hair into a ponytail at the nape of the neck and secure with an elastic.
Run your fingers through the top of your hair — where the comb lines are from earlier — and wiggle them to help define those lines even more.
Loosely twist the hair.
Hook your fingers near the top of the twisted tail and wrap the hair upward.
Continue twisting the hair into a loose figure-eight. It should be a bit droopy and hanging down. Pin in place.
By keeping the comb lines very defined, it ages down the look and roughs it up, keeping it from looking too prissy or matronly, according to Brill. The sculpting combined with the styling gel helps create a defined, dressed-up ‘do that’s practically a work of art.
The Edgy Pony
We don’t normally think of a ponytail as avant-garde, but lo and behold, it can be done. This textured tail is a riff on that chic coiff that adds a dash of daring to your ‘do. The extreme pieciness is modeled after the look at Alexander Wang’s spring ’12 show.
Start by spritzing the surface of your hair with spray gel. Scrunch hair all-over to create pieciness, then let hair air dry for five minutes in order to lock in texture and add a touch of volume to the roots — as hair dries, it will expand and plump up.
Create a center part, then lean your head back and gently pull hair back at the nape of the neck to create a low ponytail. According to Brill, leaning your hair back to gather the hair helps to create volume behind the ears and above the ponytail. While hair is gathered back, shake your head to allow some front pieces to naturally fall out. Secure hair with an elastic.
Spray hair again with spray gel, and scrunch loose front pieces to refresh the texture if it has fallen. The gel will also help keep frizziness at bay when hair starts to dry.
If you want more volume, Brill suggests lightly tugging the hair at the crown in a pinching, upward motion. “This style is pretty edgy because of the texture — the wetness and the messiness,” says Brill. “It’s a really nice texturized version of a classic style that’s reflective of what’s happening on the runways. It’s a way to wear a trend while getting out the door faster.”
The Bun Ladder
This style is a unique, funky twist on the basic bun. It can be left up or let down once it dries to create wavy, surfer-girl texture. The trick is to keep the style a bit loose, so that hair actually dries.
Spritz some spray gel (Brill likes Kérastase Texture Expert Lotion Densitive GL) from root to tip to give hair pieciness as it dries. Using a wide-tooth comb, spread the gel throughout the hair as you comb it backward, away from the face. Brill says it’s important to use a gel that doesn’t flake, because when it dries and you take it down, you’re going to be shaking around the roots and you don’t want to look like you’ve got dandruff.
Place your pointer fingers at your temples and section off the hair by pulling it straight back toward the crown. Where the fingers meet at the back of your head, this will create your first section.
Twist the sectioned-off hair tightly, until it starts to fold in on itself, creating a bun.
Use a small pin (or two, if you hair is really thick) to secure the bun.
Place your pointer fingers just above your ears and draw them toward the back of your head to create your second section. Repeat the prior steps to create another bun.
Take the remaining hair and create your final bun, directly below the first two.
Spray your hair again with the spray gel to reactivate the tackiness and texture, then use your fingers to scrape through the hair, all around the head. Finish with hairspray to hold.
Thanks to the stacked effect of the buns and the texture and volume through the front of the hair, this look elevates a traditional style into something a bit more daring and fashion-forward.
While it looks good as is, if you don’t want to leave your hair up all day, you can take this down once it dries. To style, Brill says to take the buns down, but not brush through the hair. Instead, shake out with your fingertips, moving slowly around the face. This surfy texture is beautiful on its own, but Brill also likes the idea of pulling it back into a thick, wavy ponytail. Just be sure not to over-touch your hair or it will lose the pieciness.
Photographed by Winnie Au,
Hair by Bethany Brill,
Model Taara Sajnani
Click HERE to read more from Refinery29.
Be the first to comment