Tight Spirals
Solange Knowles knows how to rock her natural curls on the red carpet. Why does this exaggerated style work? Her hair is full, but not frizzy.
To work her look: The secret to these perfect curls is using a diffuser attachment on your blow dryer. By cutting down on the amount of wind that hits your hair, curls dry soft and defined, not fuzzy and frizzy. Don't scrunch your strands with your fingers though—you'll disrupt the curl pattern. Instead, cup spirals with the diffuser, moving it up toward your roots.
Try T3 Soft Touch Diffuser, $21.45, amazon.com.
Voluminous Waves
We heart Lucy Hale's soft, touchable waves. Not only are they gorgeous, they're also super-simple to create with this shortcut.
To work her look: Apply a dry shampoo to give your hair extra body. Try Aveeno Pure Renewal Dry Shampoo, $7.99, ulta.com. Next, part your hair to one side. Then, using a large-barrel curling iron, curl only the face-framing sections away from your face. Brush through to soften the curls and blend with them rest of your hair. Easy!
Shaggy Chic
Alexa Chung’s cool-girl hairstyle says, “I didn’t try too hard.” And she probably didn’t because getting this sexy look is as easy as it gets.
To work her look: Put down your round brush—this style is all about rough texture. Start by spritzing your hair with a sea-salt spray and blowing your strands dry, tousling them with your hands. Try Sachajuan Ocean Mist, $21.99, amazon.com. Lastly, separate your bangs in the middle, if you have them.
Bouncy Blowout
We’ve always heard that models have damaged hair due to all the on-set heat styling they endure, but model Miranda Kerr pretty much shot down that theory with this healthy, shiny look.
To work her look: Rough dry your hair (aka use your hands as you blow dry instead of a brush and flip your head over) until it’s 85 percent dry. Then, give your hair polish—and a slight bend at the ends—by using a round boar-bristle brush as you finish drying. Try Sephora Collection Boar RoundBrush, $22, sephora.com.
Half-Up With a Twist
Kerry Washington wore this cool ‘do on the red carpet. But in real life, it’s the perfect look for a morning when you’ve hit snooze one too many times. It looks special, but it’s effortless.
To work her look: Part your hair down the center and gather two thick sections from each side of your part at your hairline. Twist each section (like a rope) and secure it in the center of the back of your head using two bobby pins per side, sliding them into your strands in an “X” formation (to keep them in place). Tame flyways around your hairline with a light-hold hairspray. Done!
Try Dove Style + Care Strength and Shine Flexible Hold Hairspray, $4.89, drugstore.com.
Sleek and Straight
We're totally crazy about Mad Men star Christina Hendricks's super-sleek ‘do. Even better: It's not as high-maintenance as it looks.
To work her look: Break out your flatiron. To go sleek without singeing your strands, set your straightener to the right temperature. If your hair is fine, like Christina's, go with a temperature of 300-350 degrees. For medium to thick hair, increase it to 350-400 degrees. Then, iron small sections, starting a few inches from your roots.
Try Hot Tools Pink Vintage 1” Salon Flatiron, $64.99, ulta.com.
Slept-In Strands
Kate Bosworth knows how to rock bed-head hair. And like the term suggests, this style works best on slept on, second day—slightly dirty—hair.
To work her look: Wrap big sections of hair around a jumbo curling iron—about 1 and 3/4-inch. Once the hair has cooled, coat your palms with a styling cream and rake your hands from mid-shaft to the ends to loosen up the curls. This gives them that piece-y, tousled look.
Try Remington Instant Curls 1 3/4” Curling Iron, $17.99, target.com.
Retro Glam Waves
Ashley Greene’s low side part and retro waves scream sexy—making this one hot date-night hairstyle.
To work her look: Create a low side part and roll five or six sections of hair around hot large rollers. Clip them at ear-level. After 10 minutes (do your makeup while you wait), remove the rollers and pin your curls to your head. Once your hair has cooled, loosen up your curls with a brush.
Try Conair Infiniti Pro Argan Oil Hot Rollers, $39.99, ulta.com.
