Hair

5 incredibly easy summer hairstyles

When it comes to summer beauty, everything including your hairstyle should be easy and carefree – here are 5 styles to get you through this hot and steamy season.

by : Karen Kwan- Apr 1st, 2015

This summer, follow the KISS principle—keep it simple, sister—when it comes to your hair. After all, there are pool parties, beach BBQs and romantic summer dates you have to get to. There’s no time to fuss over your hair. These five simple but pretty summer hairstyles will get you straight through to fall.

Easy summer hairstyles: The sleek ponytail
The flirtiness of a ponytail will never go out of style—and it’s such a relief to pull all of your hair back and off of your face and neck, isn’t it? This look (as seen on the Nina Ricci runway, is playful but polished, which makes it just right no matter what you have penciled into your busy social calendar. To do it right, Rabi Bazzi, a senior hairstylist at Bruno Desjardins salon in Montreal, says that it’s best if your hair is a little bit damp (so either after you’ve washed your hair and it’s still a bit wet, or simply spritz dry hair at the roots with a bit of water). “This will help control tension to help make it sleek when you pull your hair back,” he says. Add the tiniest bit of gel for a touch of control to your hair, then using a fine tooth comb, comb hair back. To find the right positioning of your ponytail, Bazzi says to aim for it to be at the middle of your earlobe in terms of its height. “Then, just check that the tension is equal all around—it’s there more volume on one side, then comb it out to be even—then secure with an elastic.”

Easy summer hairstyles: The chunky braid
All the curly (and wavy) haired ladies, consider this look your summer saviour. You may covet the stick-straight hair of your besties, but their hair can’t pull off this cool look as seen on the Rachel Zoe runway. Even better? It works great on day-old unwashed hair. To get the look, Bazzi says to start with parting your hair. Not sure where your natural part is? “Pull your hair back and then let it fall—your natural part will reveal itself.” Says Bazzi. Then, grab big sections on either side of your head and pull to the middle back (where you have your third section). Start your braid and as you place each section, add more hair to each piece to create the French braid. Keep your hands off your comb and brush—you don’t want a perfected braid, after all. Pieces that fall out are part of the slightly disheveled look, but if you find there are too many, then you can pin the excess ones to the centre with a bobby pin.

More chic and easy summer hairstyles on the next page…

Easy summer hairstyles: Pretty, loose bedhead
This look is all about “I woke up like this” hair – it’s bedhead, that is, piece-y and slightly untamed and dirty (but in a good way), and it calls for a little bit of work to make it look as good as it did on the Proenza Schouler and Alexander Wang runways. You can use a curling iron with a big barrel to achieve the look, but Bazzi prefers to use rollers that are 1.5 to two inches in diameter to create this romantic, loose look. “With a curling iron, it can sometimes end up looking too precise. I think people often find rollers easier to apply—they’re not as hot as a curling iron, for one, so they’re easier to handle,” he says. He recommends applying a bit of mousse to almost dry straight or wavy hair, and then applying the rollers in any order. “To get some volume light at the roots as much as possible when you put the roller in,” he says. Let the hot rollers sit for about 15 minutes (do the rest of your makeup or get dressed in the meantime), remove the rollers and then use your fingers to brush out the waves. Bazzi recommends a paddle brush with natural boar bristles, too—the natural bristles won’t create static. Finish with a flexible-hold hairspray (his personal favourite is Sebastian Shaper).

Easy summer hairstyles: Messy topknot
There is so much to love about the messy topknot – which the models rocked on the Kate Spade catwalk. “This is perfect for the girl on the go to get your hair that’s not done out of your face and look presentable,” says Bazzi. To get it on the very top of your head, he recommends leaning over so that your head’s upside down and pulling your hair to the very tip of your hair and gathering it there. Stand upright, and start twisting your hair. It’ll start to naturally twist down onto itself into a serpentine roll on the top of your head. “It’s okay that you have flyaways – this look is about not being too perfect,” he says. Using a hair pin (that’s the open type of pin – not to be confused with a bobby pin, which is closed) loosely secure the topknot with four to five hair pins by placing the hairpin down towards your scalp and then twisting it to lie parallel to your scalp as you push it into your hair. Then, with a bobby pin, trap the hairpins into place by inserting it across each one.

Easy summer hairstyles: Hair accessories
Any of these four easy hairstyles can be elevated with a pretty hair accessory. The loose, piece-y ‘do can be dressed up with a boho-chic floral crown, for example. Or the sleek ponytail can be made sporty with a wide headband as seen on the Vera Wang runway, or keep it sleek and dress up what you secure it with (we adore the clasp used on the hair for the Jason Wu show).