How to Style Your Hair

Co-authored by Nick Arrojo

Last Updated: February 13, 2023 References

Styling your hair can make you look more attractive and create a vibe. It's a great way to bring out your personality. There are many ways you can style your hair, and you should find the best style for you. Although styling your hair depends on the length and texture of it, there are many ways to accomplish a look that suits your personality.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Treating Your Hair Properly

1
Go easy on the shampoo or your hair will look dry. Not everyone needs to wash their hair every day. If your hair’s dry, you should wash it every 2 or 3 days. Only wash it every day if it is greasy.
- Use a shampoo that fits your hair texture, thickness and porosity. Use conditioner or mousse if needed.
- It can actually be easier to style “dirty” hair that hasn’t been washed for a couple days. It will hold curl better. Brush your hair from bottom to top so there are no knots in it before you style it. Use cream and spray for styling it better.
2
Nourish your hair to keep it shiny. If your hair is curly or has split ends, it probably needs moisture (and a trim). Look for products with moisturizing ingredients like natural oils and avoid products with alcohol.
- Invest in some healing oil or hair masks to keep your hair healthy as you grow, cut, or dye it to reach the desired style. Instead of a conditioner, you could put a natural oil in your hair such as coconut oil or argan oil. Use it mid-lengths and down to your tips for shine and health. ^{[1]
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- If your hair is thin or lacks volume, look for products with biotin, collagen or keratin in them as these products help build hair’s thickness and keep it strong. You can also put conditioner in your hair, put it in a shower cap, and sleep with the cap on. When you take the cap off, just rinse your hair like you normally would.
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3
Be careful about applying too much heat to your hair. There’s almost nothing more damaging to hair than over-styling it with heat products like blow dryers, electric curlers or curling irons. No style will look good on fried hair.
- Air dry the hair as much as possible to keep it healthy. If you must blow dry it, use a diffuser. This is a product that attaches to the end of a blow dryer to lessen the damage from the heat.
- Use a heat protectant spray to protect your hair. Spray heat protectant on every part of the hair you want to curl. Don’t hold it too close to your head or your hair may become damp from the liquids, and you won’t be able to curl it.
4
Get a great cut – and the right brush or comb. If your hair is limp or doesn’t have a good cut, it’s not going to hold a style well. So it’s worth it to go to a salon every six weeks to get those split ends trimmed off. While you’re there, ask your hairdresser which brush will be best for your hair type. ^{[2]
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- There are many different shapes and bristle types that all have different effects on your hair. When starting to style the hair, be sure not to brush it too much. Brushing can cause frizz or even damage hair. Instead, try to use a wide tooth comb. They tend to be easier on the hair. ^{[3]
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- Layered cuts will bring out natural curl. If you’re looking for straight hair, wear your hair longer. Be aware that shorter cuts can be tough with very curly hair. If you’re a man, you can’t expect gel to fix everything. You need a decent haircut. For people with long hair, this is especially true if you want your hair to look styled and not stringy.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Picking a Style

1
Consult experts to get a better idea of which style works for you. There are people who are trained in styling hair. Why try to figure it out yourself? Consult someone who’s an expert. If you can’t afford to – go online. The Internet is a great place to find tutorials for every kind of hairstyle imaginable.
- Get help from a hairdresser or stylist. These are professionals who will style your hair and explain to you how to do it on your own. Ask your local salon whether they have hair stylists who will give you lessons on styling your hair.
- If you need your hair styled for a big event such as a prom or a wedding, consider having your hair done professionally. If that’s not an option, practice before the big day so you have a feel for how it’s done.
- Check out YouTube tutorials or websites. Just go to YouTube and search for the hairstyle you want. There are many how-to videos that will walk you through how to get a certain look.
2
Study a range of styles before you pick one. Think about all of the hairstyles you admire, and gather photos of them. Narrow these down to three styles you would really love to try while matching them to styles that look good for your face shape and work with your lifestyle (longer hair takes more care).
- Do you appreciate highlights or unnatural colors? Do you prefer a certain length? What color do you want? Single out celebrities with hair that’s wavy like yours or who have a face as round as yours as this will allow you to preview how the style will look on you.
- Get feedback. Ask your friends, hairdresser, and family members about their opinions on your style ideas. It is your hair and your style, but they may offer up ideas you hadn’t thought of or suggestions for keeping your style appropriate. Mix it up. Try not to fall into the rut of always wearing your hair up or always wearing your hair down.
3
Know your hair texture and length. Knowing the thickness, length texture, and growth rate of your hair can help you determine which styles are practical. Above shoulder length hair is usually considered short, and medium hair is generally at your shoulder to a bit down your back. Long is anything below that.
- You should be able to tell your hair thickness just by looking and feeling it, but there are basically 2 hair thickness categories – fine or thick. Do you have straight, curly or wavy hair naturally?
- Pixie cuts and bobs are great for short hair, while face-framing layers, one-length lines, ponytails, and updos are great for long hair.
4
Have a good sense of your own personality. Trying to copy every single new hairstyle fad out there is not the best idea. You need to pick a style that suits your personality and circumstance. There are many styles you could choose from, including braids, waves, short, permanent, dreadlocks, half shaved, designed or highlights.
- First of all, know yourself. Look into the mirror and ask what kind of person you want to be. Always select your dress first too. Consider your work circumstances. Does the style match the work environment?
- It’s often a good idea to work with what you have naturally to accentuate your beauty. Straightening curly hair or curling straight hair every day can damage your hair, and it’s a lot of work.
5
Figure out your face shape, so you pick a style that flatters you. Every style isn't going to look good on every face. That's the bottom line. So you need to figure out what looks best with your own shape. ^{[4]
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- To determine your face shape, look in the mirror, and draw an outline of your face on the mirror with lipstick. Then, look at the shape and decide what shape it looks most like. Heart-shaped faces, for example, don’t work as well with short hair but do look good with the hair pulled back. If you have a square face, you want to stick to cuts that highlight your cheekbones, and soften your chin, like layers starting from the bottom of your ears down to your shoulders.
- If your face is particularly bell-shaped, but the top half is smaller, then you want to avoid bangs and short haircuts. If your ears are particularly big, you might want to consider growing your hair out long. If you have a large forehead, some bangs on your face or a side parting are a good idea. Oval faces can go with pretty much any hairstyle but if you have stronger features, like a rectangle or diamond face shape, you may want softer lines to soften your look.
- A tight ponytail or slicked-back style might not be a good idea if you're insecure about your forehead or face shape. Bangs can be ideal to shape a face, whether straight or slanted. A bob line can elongate your neck. A bun can be very sophisticated, along with other up-dos. A ponytail can be carefree, fun and young.
6
Experiment with non-permanent options. It’s a good idea to test out styles you like before you go for a more permanent option, so you can take some photos and see how they look.
- For example, try a curling iron a few times before getting a permanent. You could even put on a wig to see how you look with a color or a look.
- Use temporary hair dye before going to the salon, and try bang clip ins or hair extensions before taking scissors to your hair or growing it out.
- You can find many free websites online that will allow you to upload a photo of yourself and try different hairstyles on it, to test out how they look. Consider the type of message you want people to get when they look at you. A good natural look says you’re easy going. If you want to look like a rebel, you can use color for effect or even shave part of your hair.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Achieving the Look

1
Use products to shape your hair. Some examples of hair shaping products are hair wax or mousse. To make your hair more manageable use products such as curl control or de-frizzing serums for curly hair, volumizers for thin hair, or hairspray.
- Dry shampoo is your best friend. Use it for volume and texture or as a cover-up for oily hair or roots if it matches your colored hair.
- Buy good products, not the cheapest thing you can find in a grocery store. The difference will be in the finish, the feel, and the smell. Don’t put too much product in because that can lead to the hair appearing oily. Focus on the strands of the hair, rather than the top of the head. Try to distribute the product evenly by dividing the hair into sections.
- If you have fine, curly hair, use a body-building foam or mousse first followed by a curl crème or leave-in conditioner. If your hair is medium-to-thick or slightly coarse, use a gel or styling crème followed by a defrizz serum. These products will help your curls last all day!
- Try hair accessories. A well-placed gold- or silver-plated pin can elevate your entire look.
2
Don’t make your hair too stiff or over-styled. People – guys and girls – both like hair they can run their fingers through. So you want soft touchable hair that is not too crispy or greasy. Use the right products, and use them minimally.
- Use a high-quality wax. The best way to style your hair is to use a good quality wax - take a small amount and heat slightly by rubbing your palms together. Then, make sure you get it in all of your hair before styling into position.
- For men, to create a look that is bit spiky or chaotic consider using a wax or gel that won’t harden your hair and make it look more natural. If you’re a man, squirt some on your hands, spread it around, apply it all over your hair, then work it in with an upward motion, as if you are trying to send your hair to the center of your head. The spikes form on their own from you pushing the hair up. Work in the wax like a setter, and fluff it up.
3
Bring out natural wave. If your hair already has a little natural wave to it, a great way to style it is to simply bring out and enhance that already existing curl. For more beachy curls, try working a sea-salt spray into your hair after misting it over. This creates great texture, and a natural soft wave.
- After you get out of the shower with freshly shampooed hair, dry the hair and apply mousse. Be sure not to use too much. Flip your head over and apply the mousse upside down and scrunch, scrunch, scrunch.
- Then let hair dry naturally for 30 minutes to an hour. Finish up with a blow dryer on low speed and cool air. If your hair is heavy and doesn't hold curl well, after the blow drying, scrunch and tease the roots while your hair is upside down.
- Apply hairspray. Blow dry the hairspray, low speed, cool temperature. Flip your hair over and enjoy!!
4
Curl your hair to give it some bounce. There are different kinds of heat you can use – a flat iron, a curling iron, or Velcro or electric rollers. Sometimes you do need to apply heat to get some curls. ^{[5]
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- To flat iron, apply heat protectant. If you have thick hair, separate your hair into two layers and do each individually. Don’t grab more than an inch of hair, and be careful not to burn yourself.
- To use a round curling iron, use heat protectant. Alternate directions of curl or have all of them go the same way (inwards or outwards). Make sure all your hair is swept back over your shoulders, and resting on your back. As you make each curl, you should move them to the front of your shoulders to keep them separated from the rest of your hair. If you have long hair, you should be taking about one-inch sections and winding them around the curler neatly, without overlapping.
- Never curl wet hair with a hot curler, as it’s extremely damaging to the hair. Next, split your hair into sections. Depending on how thick your hair is, you may need anywhere from 2 to 6 sections. Leave a section of the hair down at a time, and pin the rest of it on top of your head. The shorter your hair, the bigger sections you can take. If you would like springier curls, leave it for 10-12 seconds. For more wavy or loose curls, leave it for 8 to 10 sections. These are just approximations, as everyone’s hair is different.
5
Try a bun or braids. These are quick options that give your hair a little more style and class. They are also pretty easy to do.
- When braiding, split the hair into three sections, and put the left over the middle, pull tight, put the right over the middle, pull tight, put the left over the middle, pull tight, etc. until you can’t anymore.
- To create a quick and easy bun, you will need 2 ponytail holders, a bobby pin, and a brush. Make one ponytail, and then grab your hair and twist it like a twister. Then, take the other ponytail holder and wrap it around the bun, and then clip the bobby pin in the middle. ^{[6]
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6
Put your hair up with creative styles. A simple style for thin hair is leaving the hair down, taking the two front pieces, and tying them in the back. Adding a flower crown gives the style a very indie-hippie feel. Curling the hair in this style looks nice if heat protectant is accessible.
- A simple style for thick hair is a half up, half down look. It’s achievable by putting half of the hair up in a ponytail, and leaving the rest down. If there are bangs, then leaving them down can give out cute vibes.
- A simple style for curly or wavy hair is the up-under ponytail. All it consists of is picking up half of the hair, putting it up, and then making another ponytail under it. This makes the hair appear longer and fuller. Adding a bandanna or headband piece fancies the style up.
7
Give your hair more volume. Although you should watch the amount of heat you regularly direct toward your hair, there are times you might want to turn to a blow dryer to give your hair more volume. ^{[7]
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- When blow drying your hair, add about a palm full of volumizing mousse and work this into the roots of your hair all over, and then bring it to the roots, scrunching it up as you go. Then, blow dry your hair upside down for more volume, continuously scrunching your ends to the roots as you blow dry.
- Add a bit of hairspray to the roots while upside down to keep the volume you just created throughout the day. Try a tangle teaser for an easier brush and added shine. Finish with some hair oil to add shine and dimension to your hair.
- For girls with straight hair who want wavy hair, shower, shampoo and condition as usual. Towel dry hair so that it is damp, and then put it in a bun at the top of your head. Go to sleep and you should wake up with nice volume.
- For girls with wavy frizzy hair. Keep a dehumidifier in your room, and keep it cold. Shower at least 2 hours prior to when you plan on sleeping so that your hair can be completely dry when you go to sleep.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you style bangs with short hair?

Nick Arrojo
Master Hair Stylist
Nick Arrojo is a Master Hair Stylist and the Owner and Founder of Arrojo NYC, an independent hairdressing brand. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in cutting and styling hair using precision-based hairdressing and educating hair professionals through Arrojo Education. Nick has become a well-known icon in the hair industry with his internationally recognized razor-cutting technique, work with fashion designers, and seven years as TLC’s ‘What Not to Wear’ hairdressing host.

Nick Arrojo

Master Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Go for something loose, messy, and choppy if you want some softness and femininity in your look. If you'd rather be more dramatic, opt for bangs that are straight and blunt.
Question

How can I make my hair longer?

Community Answer

wikiHow has a few articles relevant to this topic. Check out: How to Get Longer Hair Fast and How to Make Your Hair Grow Longer.
Question

How should I style my short hair?

Community Answer

You can use headbands or bows. You can also do a specific internet search for styling short hair styles to get more ideas for yourself.