I’ve been wearing my hair half-up a lot lately; it’s mostly because until a couple of days ago (when I re-cut them in celebration of the end of The Scourge Of Summer Humidity) my bangs were doing a horribly awkward, sort of flippy in-between-stage thing, and the only way to make them look halfway decent was to yank as much of them as I could into a ponytail and then to let the rest do a little tendril-y thing that I could make look semi-intentional.
But that’s not to say that this look is a last resort for the bang-challenged, not at all: A pretty half-updo (as in, not the pulled-back half-pony you’d wear running, but rather a ‘do you’d take out for cocktails) is a must for your style repertoire, because it’s a great shortcut to looking finished: it’s casual enough for day and fancy enough for night, and it’s a neat way to add a little lift at the roots if you’re feeling flat.
To start with, let’s talk end-of-summer hair-health.
The summer pretty much ravages your hair, what with all the chlorine and sun and salt water, so this is a nice time to take a moment to switch up your hair care routine and give it a little nourishment boost.
My favorite shampoo-and-conditioner combo: Dove’s Nourishing Oil Care line*, which contains natural almond and mineral oil and is what I’m going to go ahead and credit for the fact that my hair now reaches to the actual mid-point of my back (which is crazy; never in my life has my hair gone past my shoulder blades).
1. Start with a blowout, but don’t worry about creating perfectly sleek locks: a little bend in the hair gives this look pretty texture.
2. Spray hairspray (try Dove’s Strength & Shine Flexible Hold Hairspray*) onto the roots of your hair and brush down through the length of your hair to distribute the product (this will give the style better hold).
3. Pull back the top quarter of your hair into a ponytail, allowing a couple of pieces to fall around the face. Secure with an elastic.
4. With a 1″ curling iron, curl random pieces of hair around your face and in the half-pony, then pull on the curls while still warm to ensure that they’re loose, natural-looking, and blend well with the rest of your locks.
5. Finish with a small amount of Frizz-Free Shine Cream-Serum* on the ends of hair.
*As Dove’s Hair Brand Ambassador, all products referenced in this post were provided by Dove.
