weird hair tricks that really work

A long tail comb: Using the extra long tail to section off hair and the thin tooth comb to tease near the root, the long tail comb will be your best friend when it comes to hair volume.
Hairspray: Using a flexible hold hairspray will keep your teased hair in place without it looking too stiff. Apply hairspray during and after styling your hair.
A long hair clip: You can really use any kind of hair clip youre comfortable with, but the idea is to be able to section off your hair easily.

Part hair and section off the top: Depending on what kind of hairstyle youre trying to achieve, decide where youll want to part your hair. If youll be styling it straight back, you wont need a part. Next, section off your hair by creating a toplayer and an underneathlayer. The idea is to tease the underneath layer and lay the top layer over it, leaving hair looking finished and polished instead of messy.
Take the underneath layer and begin teasing with comb: Clip the top layer away from the underneath layer. Taking your long tail comb, gently tease the underneath layer by backcombing towards the root. Begin by combing about two inches away from the root, then move to three inches away, and so on. The bigger the tease, the bigger the hair, so its up to you how much to comb.
Smooth back the front section over the teased section: Once youre finished teasing, unclip the top layer and comb it smooth, laying it over the top of that bottom layer to cover the teased hair. This way, your hair looks like its got a ton of volume, but theres no evidence of teasing.
Spray with hairspray: Once you style your hair, spray the flexible hold hairspray to get the look to stay in place. Voil?!

Gently brush out the teased hair: When wet hair is brushed, strands are more likely to break, causing major hair damage. Using a brush, gently brush out the teased hair working from the ends towards the roots (its the entire process in reverse). If you cant get it all, the next step will help.
Apply loads of conditioner: For hair thats just not allowing a brush to do its job, use a lot of conditioner in the shower (before shampooing!) to smooth out hair. Wash out the conditioner to reveal smooth, good as new hair.
Give yourself a deep conditioning treatment: If youve got extra dry or damaged hair, teasing can take a toll. Treat yourself to a deep conditioning session to get your hair looking great again!

MAKING THE CUT DOESNT MEAN YOU HAVE TO GO SHORT SHORT As evidenced by just about every celebrity this year, cutting off eight inches of hair just as easily means you can try this season’s trendiest haircut, the long bob. And because it’s 2014 and the hair gods are shining down on us, the long bob looks great with just about every hair texture, as evidenced by some of my favorite styles.

I think the number one concern holding women back from cutting their hair is simple: what if it looks terrible? What if my face is too round/long/short/wide for short hair? Which I totally get. The last time I went in for a drastic cut was just after our wedding. I had been growing my hair out for two years and was suddenly… scared. The truth is, most women look smokin hot with short hair. The key is to find a style you like to inspire your cut, and a stylist you trust to make it look awesome on you. A good stylist will know how to modify your inspiration so that it suits your face and hair’s texture. As for the too round/too long/too short/too wide for short hair nonsense? Patently untrue. If you look good with your hair pulled back in a ponytail or in an updo, then you look good with short hair (and for my fellow plus size ladies looking for hair inspiration this tumblr has a ton of before and afters that have me convinced everyone should have short hair.) Bonus tip: Even though Ive had short hair since forever, I still get a little panicky about how my hair is turning out while I’m still in the stylists chair with my smock on. So I dont judge the final look until Ive got a pair of earrings in, and a regular shirt on my back. Smocks are unflattering, yall.

The shorter you go, the more upkeep your hair is going to take. Hair grows fast. Super short hairstyles (think pixie) require trims every six to eight weeks to avoid the dreaded mullety Florence Henderson stage that comes from when the nape of your neck grows out faster than your bangs. But there are ways to make it work without breaking the bank! First, ask your stylist if they offer free bang or neck trims. You don’t usually need a full-on haircut every six weeks, just some general shaping and cleaning up around the edges. Some stylists will do this for free (mine does. Thanks Yesenia!) Also, while I find it is usually worth shelling out the cash for a good “base” cut (especially if you’re going from long to short), ask your salon if they have assistants or trainees who are available to do upkeep. My old salon used to offer trainee cuts for $20. And finally, if the idea of regular upkeep is super daunting, just ask your stylist to take the back up shorter than they normally would. I naturally have a low hairline, so this trick usually affords me a few extra weeks between cuts. Or you can always opt for a short hairstyle that’s more uniform in length, like a bob. Bonus: if you want a bob haircut and you live in a major metropolitan area, you can also get free haircuts from really reputable salons that are training new stylists in classic techniques (I used to go to the Aveda and Bumble and Bumble salons on training day when I was a broke college kid. Check Craigslist for model calls.)

Pastels? Baby bangs? Ombre? Yes, yes, and yes.

The biggest mistake I made when I first cut my hair short was refusing to take the 5-10 minutes each morning to style it. You know, with tools and stuff. While a good hairstyle should really do most of the work for you, a little heat and product will make a huge difference (for me it’s not even about how it looks, it’s just that my hair listens better after I’ve thrown some gunk in it.) Product is also protection; you don’t ever want heat to touch your hair without a barrier (what kind you need will depend on your hair’s texture and how you like to style it. Your stylist will be able to make a recommendation.) The good news is that since your hair will be short, you won’t end up using much product, so it can last forever (a medium sized bottle usually lasts me six months with everyday usage). If this is your first time going short, ask your stylist to set aside a few minutes at the end of your appointment for a mini lesson on styling.