Chic 5-Minute Hairstyles for Busy Moms
We’ve all been there. How many days have you found yourself throwing on a baseball cap or grabbed a rubber band (shudder) because you couldn’t find a no-metal hair elastic for your ponytail? Roseanne McIlvane, a California-based Member of Hollywood Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist Guild, IATSE Local 706 Journeyman Makeup Artist & Celebrity Makeup Artist offers easy tips to look your best when time’s short, including “If you shower or bath in the morning, stop it! Shower at night. Not only will it help you sleep, but you can set your hair, braid it or at least tame it so you won’t have to deal with drying and styling in the morning.”
FOR LONG HAIR:
A half up, half down look: Grab a barrette or two bobby pins. Comb your hair back and gather a 1-inch section over your ears. Pull the sections back and pin them at the center back of your head.
The ponytail flip: Make a ponytail and place the elastic about two inches away from your head. Make a space in the hair between the elastic and your head by using your thumb and forefinger then grasp the middle of the “tail” and pull it through. You can do this from underneath or on top-it’ll hide the elastic and create a pretty V-shaped “flip”.
The classic bun: Put your hair in a ponytail. Twist until it starts to spin back on itself then wind it around the elastic to form a bun. Tuck the end under and secure with hairpins. McIlvane adds, “It doesn’t need to be perfect! Make a ponytail at the crown of your head then loosely pull it through the elastic a second time. You can shape it any way you like.”
FOR SHORT HAIR
The pinned look: If your pixie cut is misbehaving, wet your hair or put some styling product in it and place barrettes where needed. Even better? McIlvane reveals, “Rhinestone bobby pins-they’re pretty and you can run wild with them. You can scatter them randomly or place them side by side for a more tailored look.”
The classic shag look: Use styling paste and scrunch your hair through your fingers. You don’t have to go all Sid Vicious, but women of all ages can actually pull this off. Throw on some funky earrings and you’re good to go.
Headbands: Pick a classic slender faux tortoise-shell band or a vibrant super skinny metal one. Just comb your hair back, spritz a bit of hairspray and headband away. You can even stack two or three together for a fresh, stylish look.
If you do opt for a hat, ditch the polyester truckers’ cap or your guy’s fave baseball cap. Rock a beret or a summery straw hat. Not your style? McIlvane adds that you can easily spruce up a quick ponytail with one or two fresh flowers tucked in “Or even a silk flower from the craft store!” That wasn’t so hard, was it?
Shelley Moench-Kelly, MBA, is a New England-based writer and editor whose freelance clients include Google, L’Oreal Paris and TheWeek.com.
