If your hair is thick, coarse, or curly, you are in luck. This look is going to be easy for you. All you will need is a styling product to keep the frizz in control. If your hair is wavy, this look will be pretty easy for you. A little texture cream should be all you need. If your hair is fine or straight, do not worry. With the right products, you can add texture to your hair that will make sure the messy look stays put. Get some styling products that add texture (like sea salt, volumizer, or texturizing pomade). You will probably need to use those with some blow-drying and curling.
Short and medium length hair look best with both tousled messy hair and curly messy hair. Tousled messy hair is done with your fingers. If you are going for the curly messy hair and you have short hair, be sure to use a smaller barrel size of curling iron. [2] X Research source Long hair can also do both types of messy hair but generally looks better with curly messy hair. You will use a larger barrel curling iron because you want loose curls that you can tousle with your fingers. [3] X Research source To get the best messy look, start off with a great haircut. The foundation of any hairstyle is the shape.
If your hair is wavy or curly you can achieve any of the messy effects without much extra effort. [4] X Research source Curling the hair first will help maintain the messy hair effect longer. Just tousling the hair with your fingers will not be enough, even with product in your hair. It will benefit you to have the heat styling help of a curling iron. [5] X Research source
If your hair is curly, a curl-forming cream will keep your curls under control without weighing them down. Avoid using texture sprays and anything with alcohol. If your hair tends to frizz you can try a lightweight frizz control product as well. If your hair is wavy, try a sea salt spray to add texture and keep your messy look lasting all day long. If your hair is fine and straight, you will want a texture wax or molding balm. This will help your hair stay in place after curling and tousling. You will also need a brush, a blow dryer, and a curling or flat iron (unless your hair is already curly).
Some products are designed to go on damp hair, while others are meant for dry hair. Read the product label to make sure you get the most out of your product.
If you want controlled curls you can use a wide barrel curling iron (½ inch to 1 inch wide). Curl sections of your hair, settings them aside as you go. When you have curled all your hair, spray the hair with sea salt or holding spray. Tousle it a bit by running your fingers through it and scrunching it. You can also achieve this using a flat iron as a curling iron. [1] If you want more casual curls, spray a section of your hair with sea salt or holding spray. Twist the section until it twists into a small bun, and clamp it down while it dries (or dry it with your blow dryer). Do this until all your hair is clamped down. Release all the twists and run your fingers through them. [2] If your curls are too controlled you can pull them apart with your fingers. This will create a looser look.
If your hair is fine you may need to tease your roots. You can do this by pulling apart the top layer of your hair and running a comb or brush through it backward. Start from midway through the strand and comb to the root. Keep doing this until a knotted mess forms. [10] X Research source
If you have curly hair, you may want to use spray gel after towel drying your hair to maintain your curl. Put a few dollops of the spray and run it through the bottom section and the roots of your hair. [11] X Research source If you have straight or fine hair, you can use a large dollop of volumizing mousse in your hair to give it some body. If you have medium to thick hair, you can apply a styling cream to help control any flyaways. Use your fingers to comb it through your hair for easy, even application.
You can try flipping your hair and run the dryer through your hair to dry it quickly and efficiently.
Look for a heat protectant that is also a styling spray, as this will allow it to protect your hair and make it easier to style.
Start by curling your hair vertically, wrapping your hair on the wand, away from your face. Release it after about five seconds. Then, turn the wand so it is horizontal and wrap the hair around it, away from your face. Release after five seconds. Follow this sequence, alternating between vertical and horizontal, all the way around your head.
If you have a lot of hair left in your ponytail, you may be able to create a top section of hair that you would then curl in the same way. If you only have the small pieces that frame your face left in your ponytail, take them out and curl the small pieces in alternating directions.
