The Christmas season! - there are two very clear camps during this time the Elves and the Grinches....
Hair Stylists tend to be more part of the Grinch camp - because let's face it, you do not get much of a life during the festive period.....
The Elves are of course the ones that come alive during this period.....
Case in point, this year while trying to be my less Xmas Grinchy-self I decided to try and organize Christmas dos, and put them in the diary - so it is not just work, sleep - repeat, this year - something I slowly feel I am so going to regret..especialy after the hangover of the first event.
I wanted to make a special effort with one of my friends who absolutely loves the Christmas season , so got in touch with some ideas of what we could do..... she came back to me with a calendar all neatly jotted with Xmas related commitments and I was instructed to choose one of the dates that are free and go ahead .... she continued with saying ...and I quote: 'Sure you decide - you are the one with the difficult calendar in December!'
Putting a side the cheek of all that, all I could think is, how does she deal with so many events - what dress to wear - long skirt, short skirt, or should it be a trouser look, what shoes? ....and what about the hair? - how do you change it up with a gazillion of commitments?
I clearly thought about it for way too long, so here is a round up of the coolest Xmas party-inspired easy (and not) dos for this year's Xmas party season!
Slicked back Chignon
Probably the most elegant option. The Chignon has been a staple of the season for years probably because it works for all hair types!
Of course this style can make you feel exposed so make up is going to need to be on point... emphasis on the eyes for day time is essential, but evenings should be paired with a strong lip too. Accessorizing can really turn up the glitz here - sparkly earrings can really become show stoppers with this style. But the one thing you need to keep in mind is that this is a style that needs to scream glam, so make sure that hair is shiny. Prep the hair with some seriously moisturizing products such as a leave-in and finish with serums and hair sprays alike.
Hollywood Glamour
Hollywood glamour always goes down well during the Christmas season.
So, ok this is definitely not one of the easy ones to do, unless of course you are already blessed with ridiculously amazing waves naturally of course.... but if you do not you would need to head to your hair tools cabinet. Tongs and Wands can work here, but in reality Heated curlers will give you that more organic bounce which gives this look that serious glam. Start with prepping the hair with some heat protection spray (we love the Maria Nila Heat Cream spray) place it in a side parting and start the curling process.
Once you go through the hair with Tongs or Curlers tuck one side behind the ear spray some hairspray on to a paddle brush and brush the hair lightly. Once everything is in place Spray all over the hair to lock in the style.
Add some extra bling with some sparkly earrings.
The Pony Bow
This is an easy one.... but it does not mean that you need to get sloppy with it!
It of course does with it says on the tin: it is a pony tail with a bow... but it always look great if the hair is prepped. Go through the hair with a hair dryer to smoothen,.. or use some staightening irons for a seriously slick look. Put it in a pony using some form of elastic band to keep it secure and then top it up with a bow. You can go for different looks depending on the material used. Velvet always makes it look somewhat more elegant, but equally shiny scarves can work as do glittery numbers and if you dare seasonal prints too!
Faux Hawk
Chances are if we said Banana clip to anyone under 35, they would say 'excuse me what?' but the weird trap like / instrument of torture looking gadget was pretty much revolutionary in the 80's and early 90s.... if you had curly hair this was a game changer as it gave you a different dimension to the curly mop in one simple motion.
Fast forward to 2022 and this little gadget of yesteryear is making a comeback to create something more edgy - and the faux hawk has well and truly landed.
Tip for a serious mohawk: use two clips to go all the way to the front for more drama.
Bouncy Blow dry
Of course here you can just cheat and go to your stylist or a blow dry bar instead of having a go at it yourself... but if you are feeling creative you want to start with using a light mousse or a volumizer to start. Section the hair while keeping in mind what parting you want to have. Start blow drying the sections pulling up to create volume - for a flick out do circular motions outwards - for extra set grab each blowdried section and secure it with a sectioning clip and then move to the next.
Once it is all done give the hair a bit of a shake and add spray - for extra volume you could even use a dry shampoo at the root or a texturizing powder.
The Bardot Bouffant
This is a great way to amp up the glamour....and yes this is definitely easier if you are blessed with thick or at least plenty of follicles!
You can cheat by simply clipping at the back of the head quite high - think Adele back in the day... but if you want to go for the full on authentic 60s fantasy you will need to go down the back-combing route. Section the hair from the middle of the top of the head into roughly 2 inch sections going back to the base of the crown and back comb each section. Once the whole of the top and crown area looks like a cloudy mess of hair comb lightly and then tuck under, secure it all with hairpins ans spray the look.
Sicked back Glitter hair
Not a wall flower? Are you a person who thinks there isn't such a thing as too much sparkle....Want an absolute show stopper.... well this is the one for you!
add glitter to your tresses and you will so be the talk of the party!
The great thing is that it really is not difficult to do, albeit maybe a bit messy and you will have glitter all around the house for a few weeks... but hey it's Xmas so what's the problem with that - right?
If your hair is not naturally straight you might want to blow dry or straighten first, once that is done slick back. You can opt for keeping the hair down for a serious fashion forward look, but equally this can work with a pony tail or a bun.
Once everything is in place put some gel at the front and apply the glitter, comb lightly and once that is done add another layer at the front to create a cool graduation you can top up with another layer of gel or spray with a strong hold spray - but keep the spray can well away from the hair not to disrupt the glitter too much.
If your hair is quite fine skip the gel and go for strong hair sprays not to make the hair look any thinner.
You can of course get a spray with glitter in it too - but it really does not create quite the same effect.
Have a great Xmas party!
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