How To Nail The Messy Hair Look
There's a reason rocking a messy hair look is considered stylish. When your bun is perfectly slicked back or your ponytail has absolutely no stray hairs, you certainly look buttoned up. You might look ready to face the day, but by that same token, it might also look like you're possibly trying a bit too hard. One of the easiest ways to combat an appearance that comes across as too standoffish or snobbish is to let your hair down a little. There's absolutely nothing wrong with making sure every detail about your hair is totally symmetrical and perfect, but there's also a lot of excitement that comes into play when you let loose with your hairstyle choices.
All Things hair explains that mastering the messy hair look can help you appear irresistibly charming. For this reason, it's not surprising to see professional models and actresses wearing their hair in messier styles on runways and at red carpet events. Sure, you might not be interested in wearing a messy hairstyle to a majorly formal event such as a graduation or a wedding, but there's always an acceptable time and place for everything. In fact, The Right Hairstyles mentions that messy hair can be both fun and incredibly easy to manage. Here's how you can accomplish a messy hair look that still looks totally effortless and amazing.
Have the right products at your disposal
Perfecting the ideal messy hair look is much easier to do if you have the right products lined up to use. Garnier notes that the last thing you want is for your hair to look squeaky clean and totally product-free. The cleaner your hair looks, the sharper you look, and that's not exactly what you're going for if you're trying to achieve a messy hair look. Garnier suggests using putties, clays, hairspray, and mousse. That lightweight products like sprays and mousses can provide tons of bouncy volume without dragging your hair down with extra weight makes a huge difference.
TikToker @LizzyMWong, for example, uses hairspray on her freshly wet hair, aimed directly at her roots. In her video, she praises the fact that the product smells really good, isn't sticky, and is refreshing. Ultimately, she raves about how much additional volume her hair has since it never naturally looks so bouncy and full of life.
Utilize your blowdryer
Without a good blow-drying session, your chances of achieving the perfect messy hair look are rather low. Typically, people use blow dryers to dry their hair after a shower in preparation for straightening or curling. It turns out that you don't necessarily have to move forward with straightening or hot curling steps when you're trying to achieve the perfect messy hair look. All you really need is a strong blow dryer that will get the job done. The Right Hairstyles says that one of the first steps you should follow for this look is blow drying your hair while running your fingers through it instead of a separate comb.
TikToker @DafneMuilwijk says that people should always use the special attachment that comes along with their blow dryer. If you have straight hair, you should be using the blow dryer attachment that looks skinny and narrow. If you have curly hair, you should be using the attachment that has several thick bristles sticking out in a circular shape. Then, you can get the perfect messy look.
Add some sea salt spray
Sea salt spray works wonders when paired with medium hold wax for messy hair looks. Although plenty of people might think of sea salt as an ingredient that can be used in edible recipes, sea salt you'll find in spray form can actually be used to create an incredibly trendy appearance. Latest Hairstyles explains that sea salt spray contributes to some of the voluminous definition you might be looking for by hoping to bring out more of your texture. Since messy hair is fun to play with and easy to style, using sea salt spray is one of the easiest tricks to rely on.
TikToker @BellaMaarie explains, "Get this if you have frizzy and ugly wavy hair," referencing the spray. In her opinion, the right sea salt spray will help turn frizzy hair into a messy hair look that's sexy and appealing.
A few loose strands go a long way
According to All Things Hair, messy hair is not only sexy and chic, but it also offers a playful and fresh vibe. This means that stressing over having a single strand out of place is totally unnecessary. When you pull just a few loose strands out of your hairstyle of choice, it makes you look less polished — and more fun! TikToker @HeyTishy pulls the majority of her hair back into a bun. After that, she makes sure that there is still enough hair left out in the front to frame her face in the perfect way. To her tutorial, she jokingly added a caption that reads, "Knowing which strands to let loose is a different kind of skill." Now that is something we'd like to add to our resumés!
Tease your roots with hyaluronic acid
According to Grow Gorgeous, hyaluronic acid helps boost the appearance of your tresses by making your hair strands swell up. When your hair strands are swollen, they look gorgeous and more voluminous than ever. TikToker @KatilynRoundtree shows off just how dull and damaged the tips of her hair once were. In her video, zooms in on the split ends sprayed out over her fingertips. Then, she shows off how healthy and beautiful her hair looks after two weeks of hyaluronic acid usage. She explains that she would wet her hair and apply the acid every night like clockwork. After the first day of use, her hair already started looking healthier than before. After two weeks of use, her hair was visibly more manageable. It's nearly effortless to achieve a messy hair look that's actually sexy with hyaluronic acid.
Forget about any hairstyle rules
If you intend to pull off a messy hair look, it's time to discard any rules you thought you had to follow. There are so many rules that come into play when you're trying to wear a hairstyle such as "half up, half down." You need to know where to part your hair to keep things totally even. If you pull too much hair from the left side and not enough hair from the right side, the hairstyle will look totally lopsided from behind. If you place the ponytail too high up on your head, it might look awkward and separated. If you place the ponytail too low, it can look lazy and sloppy. This is what makes wearing messy hairstyles so much more enjoyable.
TikToker @KelseyGriffin posted a video sharing a list of all the hair rules she religiously follows. One of the rules on her list says you should brush your hair before getting into the shower. Another rule says to start from the bottom and start working your way up while brushing. Her list goes on and on, but where's the fun in that? Garnier says to abandon the desire to follow any step-by-step processes. Instead, do whatever you want to do with your hair with ease by avoiding overthinking. When it comes to your hair, it might be easy to overthink the small details, but this is your chance to totally let it all go.
Chop and layer your hair
Long hair can certainly look amazing when it's messy, but there's something very special about short and layered hair in all of its glory. The Right Hairstyles says that tons of layered haircuts in this generation are purposely shaped to look messy, right off the bat. Since this laid-back trend has become so popular, it's a common salon request. The reason why is that it's possible to maintain a feminine vibe without creating too much maintenance or hassle for yourself down the line.
TikToker @Nxt.Level revealed what happens behind the scenes when a hairstylist is chopping locks away to create that short, layered look. She takes a pair of scissors with a comb and slowly cuts the tips from each chunk of hair. When she drops the layers of hair down together, they combine in a way that looks both messy and sexy. Haircuts aren't necessary when it comes to achieving a messy hair look, but this is the ideal haircut to consider for anyone who is ready to try something new, exciting, and transformative.
Just wash and go
Sometimes, the simplest way to achieve a messy hair look in all of its glory is to wash and go. Simply shampoo and condition your hair in the shower, and let it air dry on its own. Latest Hairstyles says that when you just wash and go, it's possible for other people to deem you're having a good hair day even if you don't perfectly agree with their opinion. It's always possible to use curl-defining cream, but simply washing your hair to let it air dry is one of the easiest things you can do for the perfect messy hair look. TikToker @AwasTheree posted a video showing off her natural hair on wash-and-go days. On day one, her curls look like small ringlets that fall over her shoulders. By day seven, her curly hair has expanded in a way that looks powerful and stunning.
Let your bangs misbehave
If your bangs aren't cooperating with you or laying down the way you generally want them to, it's not the end of the world. Leaving them alone to do their thing (and lay in whatever direction they want) might be just what you need for a sexy look with messy hair. Cutting bangs in the first place definitely isn't necessary if you want to achieve the perfect messy hair look. If you do intend to try bangs out, or you already have them, it's important to realize that they don't always need to look completely perfect.
All Things Hair says that if your bangs are misbehaving, simply leave them be. It's totally fine to keep your bangs looking wispy without perfectly smoothing them out. Meanwhile, TikToker @AmberCSong shared her personal experience of trying to handle her bangs at home. In the video, she twists a group of hair in front of her forehead together and takes a pair of scissors to the tip for a chop. When she lets the hair go, it falls over her forehead in a way that's not exactly flawless, but it still looks totally amazing.
Loosely braid your hair before bed and shake it out in the morning
A loosely braided head of hair at night can take you far the morning after. A loose braid or two will train your hair to take on a wavy pattern overnight as you sleep. When you wake up, all you have to do is shake out your hair and revel in its wavy glory. You might be inclined to add a bit of product to your hair, but it won't generally be needed if you choose to fall asleep with braids in your hair at night.
Grow Gorgeous says falling asleep with a loose braid in your hair makes busy weekday mornings much more manageable. The waves that come from sleeping with a loose braid or two typically always look ready to go for anyone trying to achieve a messy hair look. TikToker @Nayomi.Dream adds that anyone who deals with greasy, tangled, electrified, or damaged hair will appreciate their morning results if they braid their hair at night before falling asleep. Ultimately, this is the perfect hack for women who have really fine or straight hair.