How to style straight hair

FORGET the plain ponytail. Jessica-Anne Lyons shares some quick and easy hairstyles that are perfect for girls with long and straight hair. 

Having straight hair is both a blessing and a curse. While it means you’re able to simply brush your locks and be out the door, it also means that most styles you try either go limp or become undone.

So if you’re tired of having bobby pins slipping out of your hair or you’ve had to dash off to the ladies’ to redo your ‘do, here’s from one straight-haired girl to another, three easy styles that will last all night.

The Waterfall Braid

Think of the waterfall braid as the cooler older sister of the standard side braid, but just as simple to achieve. It’s casual yet romantic and can be worn as a day or night style.

1. Brush your hair to get rid of any knots, then gather your hair onto the side you want your braid.
2. Split your hair into a front and back section. Begin dutch braiding (also known as plaiting) the back section, and after each braid, take a small piece of hair from the front section and work it in.
3. Continue braiding the back section while incorporating pieces of hair from the front section in until you have no hair left to braid. Then secure with a clear rubber hair tie.
4. 4. For a more ‘undone’ look, loosen the braid by gently tugging at small sections of hair.

The Low Rolled Up-Do

A lot of girls with straight hair complain that their up-dos never stay put. If you’re one of them, the elegant and understated low rolled up-do is a style that will stay in place no matter how straight your hair is.

1. Starting with brushed knot-free hair, gather your hair into a loose ponytail at the nape of your neck and secure with a hair tie.
2. Above the hair tie, create a space by parting the hair in two. Then loop the ponytail up and underneath, and thread it through the hole to create a twist.
3. Repeat step two until there is no ponytail left to loop.
4. With bobby pins, secure the loose end of your ponytail into the twist. Then evenly distribute the hair in the twist to create a wide bun and secure with bobby pins. Bobby pins falling out? Try spraying them with hairspray first to give them some extra grip!

The New High Ponytail

It’s likely the typical ponytail is a well-used do in your hairstyling repertoire, but if you think this style is just for keeping your hair off your face while you work out or head to class, think again! This high ponytail is super sleek and very chic, so it’s a great style to wear for cocktails or to a fancy event.

1. Begin with clean hair and brush out any tangles. Using a 10-cent piece-sized drop of smoothing serum, massage the product into the ends of your hair to eliminate any frizz. Smooth the remaining serum still on your hands onto the lengths of your hair.
2. Using a brush, gather your hair into a high ponytail at the crown of your head and smooth back any lumps of hair into the ponytail – the sleeker the better! Then secure with a hair tie.
3. To hide the hair tie, take a small section of hair from the ponytail and wrap it around the hair tie until it is hidden. Then secure that section of hair by pinning it into the base of the ponytail.

My top products for straight hair

For those wondering what products to use for styling straight hair, here are a couple worth trying out:

• Smoothing serum: This gel-like product is great for eliminating frizz and flattening any renegade hairs that stick up on top of your head. But don’t go overboard. Using too much can make your scalp look oily.
• Dry shampoo: Having straight hair means that it’s more obvious when your hair is oily or dirty. Revive your roots between washes with a dry shampoo, which will not only suck up the oil in your hair, but also mattify any shine.
• Volumizing powder: Straight hair can often mean limp, lifeless hair, which is no fun for anybody. Massaging a volumizing powder into your roots will make your hair look fuller rather than flat.