At our core, most women want to look as cute possible with as little effort as possible, am I right?
This is why we all love a good hair hack.
From 2-minute style savers to frizz tamers and more, I have rounded up 12 handy hair hacks to help you nail the mane game.
Styling Hair Hacks
1. No Hair Tie?
No worries.
This hair hack is a touch more sophisticated than the old rubber bands we used to rock when we ran out of hair ties in high school.
But, it is of the same origin.
Tale as old as time, you're getting ready to go out.
You're running late because you are who you are as a person.
And two minutes before you're meant to leave the house you realise, despite buying at least 40,0000 hair ties in your lifetime, there is not a single one in your home.
Now, while I don't know the magical land where all the hair ties seemingly flee, I do know a handy hair hack to tie your strands back sans snaggy band.
While there are many ways you can throw your hair back without an elastic, the most on-trend RN, involves silk or linen scarves and kerchiefs.
These can be used to create low ponytails, high buns, and if you're a particularly skilled stylist, even braids.
2. Body Boost
Sick of your strands feeling and looking a little limp?
Take them from blah to bootylicious in seconds with Halo Hair Extensions.
This might be the simplest and sneakiest hair hack yet.
Halo hair extensions make even the thinnest strands look thick while adding subtle, or not so subtle length, depending on the look you're after.
And best of all?
They literally take seconds to put on.
No more complicated clips or harmful adhesives.
Just, easy, breezy beautiful hair in seconds.
Read: 10 Hairstyles You Can Achieve With Halo Hair Extensions
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3. Beachy Braids
We all want beautiful beauty waves minus the effort, of course.
And while we wish we could spend every day soaking our strands in the salty sea, unfortunately, life, ( work and the weather) often disrupt our mermaid dreams.
Rude.
But, here is a simple style tip to get salty strands sans seawater.
Oh, and did I mention you can also do this one while you sleep?
Hair hacks don't get much hackier then literally sleeping!
Just spritz your slightly damp locks with some sea-salt spray and braid them before bed.
But, if you're in a hurry, you can use the blow drier to create this effortless look instantly.
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4. Perky Pony
No more pony-fails, just phoney-tails...
(Shhh, we won't tell if you don't).
Perk up your ponytail with a little extra oomph.
And by extra oomph, I meant extra hair.
The best-kept secret of all those insta influencers and their envious ponytails is hair extensions.
So as the old saying goes, if you can't beat em, join em.
Boost the volume and length of your pony to take this from laid back look to seriously stylish.
Want more ponytail inspo?
Read: 10 Ponytail Hairstyles You Can Do At Home
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Frizzy Hair Hacks
1. Handy Hack
Literally, hand lotion makes one hell of an anti-frizz.
And, if you're a true adult, you should already be keeping a tube of this hydrating honey stashed in your bag.
If not, grow up.
This makes taming your frizzy mane as easy and breezy as the wind that is probably to blame for the frizz in the first place.
Simply smooth a coin-sized portion of your favourite hand lotion through the mid-lengths and ends of your hair and say bye-bye fly aways.
But use with caution, too much will make your hair heavy and look greasy.
Image Credit: Mecca
2. How You Like Them Apples,
Apple cider vinegar is the biggest things to happen to hair hacks since coconut oil.
Frizzy hair happens when your hair's pH is off.
ACV contains acetic acid which helps balance your ph, reduce frizz and dryness, and as a bonus, it will also make your locks hella shiny.
To avoid smelling like the fish and chip shop, mix 2 tablespoons of ACV with half a cup of water and an essential oil of your choice.
Spray your mane as needed when the frizz flares up for smooth strands.
Read: 10 Frizzy Hair Home Remedies You Can Try At Home.
Image Credit: Golden Gloss
3. Silky Strands
How to get silky strands while you sleep?
Sleep on silk, of course.
DUH!
Cotton pillowcases snag and tear your hair while you toss and turn, which causes split ends.
It draws moisture from your hair, causing it to become dehydrated and break, which, as we know, means FRIZZ.
So, basically, cotton bedding is your hair's worst enemy.
And silk on the other hand, well, she's your BFF.
Silk is literally everything cotton is not.
It's, well, silky surface, allows your strands to glide smoothly without snagging no matter how rough you sleep.
It also helps your hair to retain moisture, keeping it hydrated.
So, by simply swapping to a silk pillowcase, you can ditch the frizz while catching some ZZZs.
Which is a seriously good hair hack if you ask me.
Read: 5 Science Based Reasons You Should Sleep On Silk
Image Credit: Glossier
4. Mask up
Dehydration is the biggest culprit when it comes to frizzy hair.
But there are easier ways to give your thirsty strands a sip than drinking bulk water.
Although, that does help too, so drink up.
But doing a twice-weekly hydrating mask is the ultimate frizz freer.
Switch the conditioner out every now again for super deep cleansing and hydrating hair mask.
And the best part?
You don't need to drop top dollars to see top results!
You can DIY a heap of hydrating hair masks at home to help de-frizz your mane.
Check out some of my favourites here.
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Shiny Hair Hacks
1. Scrub-a-dub-dub
Shiny hair is clean and healthy hair.
And a clean, healthy hair hack you might be sleeping on is scalp scrubbing.
Exfoliating your head might not be something you've heard of before, but it definitely something you should be doing.
Scalp scrubbing helps remove dirt, grime and grease that clog your hair follicles and make your strands look dull and flat...
Not cute.
This can also seriously hinder hair growth.
If you're new to the concept of scalp scrubbing, let me give you the low down.
Caffeine is where it's at.
Not only does caffeine have a heap of skin benefits, and make me able to function appropriately in the world, it is also seriously good for your hair and scalp.
So when mixed in with scrubby goodness, the shiny results are all kinds of wonderfully blinding.
Image Credit: Frank Body
2. Oil Be There For You
Whether bought over the beauty counter or from the supermarket, oil is a superfood for shiny hair.
Oil not only helps smooth frizz but also cleanses your scalp, strengthens your strands, improves the overall quality of your hair, and is hydrating AF.
This slick substance can be used in many forms from those specifically formulated for hair, or starlight outta the cupboard.
They can be added to masks or applied directly to your strands.
My favourite shiny strand hair hack is to mix 1 part coconut oil with 3 parts water in a spray bottle.
That way, I am armed with a shine spray for whenever my hair lacks lustre.
Image Credit: Olaplex
3. Ditch The Products
If you're doing all the right things and your hair is still seeming dull, you might be doing too much.
Surely packing in all the good products can only be good for hair, right?
Wrong.
'There's such a thing as too much of a good thing' definitely applies to hair care.
Too many products, even lightweight natural ones, can weigh your hair down.
This creates a dull and lifeless texture, which is not what ya want.
So to get shinier strands, ditch some of the products.
Use maybe 2 -3 products tailored to what your hair actually needs.
Less is more, trust me, you'll feel the difference.
Read: How To Hydrate Your Hair By Hair Type
4. Brush up
Brushing your hair too little or too often can both lead to lack-lustre trusses.
Too often can cause hair breakage, while too little can cause oil build-up.
So it is important to strike the right balance when brushing, and use the right brush.
So, How often should you brush your hair?
A good brush, once or twice a day is more than enough to help spread your hair's natural oils around and detangle the ends.
If you have particularly thick hair, you might find as little as every second day to be enough, but make sure you don't skip brush day too often.
Now we know how often we should brush our hair, let's talk the best hair brushes for shiny hair.
Boar bristle brushes are best when it comes to getting smooth strands.
Thanks to their thick bristles they easily draw oils from your roots right down to the ends of your hair, spreading moisture and sealing in hydration.
This particular bristle helps seal the cuticle, which allows for maximum light refraction, therefore creating maximum shine.
