The perfect hair selfie...
How does it happen?
How do you get that Instagram money shot?
Why am I struggling to take a good hair selfie even though my hair and makeup is on point?
Surely, my face isn't this round.
Why is the camera making my face look round?!
You're not alone babe.
We've all been there.
It's why we thought it's about time someone exposed everything you need to know to create the perfect hair selfie.
So here we have it;
This is your definitive guide to the perfect hair selfie.
As illustrated by some of our fav Instagrammers that we frequently stalk.
Because, #selfiegoals.
You will need:
1. Yourself.
2. A smartphone.
3. A Sitting Pretty Halo if you want thicker, longer hair.
Speaking of hair...
Tip #1: A good hair selfie starts with perfect hair.
[Image: @negin_mirsalehi]
It's true.
Who's ever taken a perfect hair selfie on a bad hair day? It doesn't happen.
Ideal hair selfies happen when you're feeling your best.
Which means your hair looks it's best.
So, at this point I'm assuming one of three things about you:
A. You're hair has a Sitting Pretty Halo. You look like you've got natural volume. And you're ready for a perfect selfie.
B. You've just discovered our Halo Hair extensions are missing from your life. And now one is being ordered to your door.
or
C. You've been genetically blessed with thick hair, and you can skip to Tip #2.
For my babes with a Halo:
Using a 32mm curling wand to add a natural wave to your Halo Hair will give you extra volume for your perfect selfie.
Tip #2: Use natural light in your selfies whenever possible...
[Image: @kenzas]
Hair selfies in natural light are prime;
Your eyes shine bright.
Your hair looks healthier and shiny'er.
Your skin gets a natural glow.
Take your hair selfies in the morning for the perfect lighting. It's the best time to avoid unwanted shadows.
The sun is high and the bright rays will do wonders to your complexion.
Tip #3: The secret to perfect hair selfies at night...
[Image: @clarawisley]
If you do want to take a hair selfie at night...
(and you do, because everyone needs to see how perfect your hair and makeup looks before you head out on the town)
...then a mobile beauty ring light will change your life selfie.
They clip around your phone camera lens and add a bigger, more diffused light to highlight your whole face.
Unlike the aggressive phone flash...
Which tends to make you look more ghost than human.
Tip #4: Avoid busy backgrounds.
YOU and your hair are the stars of this hair selfie babe.
Don't let your 'post-getting-ready' bathroom situation or a wardrobe full of clothes steal the attention.
Find a white wall.
Or a bright, neat space to take your best hair selfie in.
Tip #5: Know your 'side'.
[Image: @stephaniempeterson]
Our faces aren't 100% symmetrical.
So know which side of your face is 'The Side'.
And stick to it.
Note: This only becomes a problem when you and your BFF are taking a selfie together, and because you're basically the same person you also have the same 'side'.
Tip #6: Try these camera angles...
[Image: @saskiateje]
Capital letters are necessary because I can't stress this one enough.
No matter how amaze' you're looking, remember this:
The wrong camera angle can make you never want to take a hair selfie again.
There are two angles that prove to be guaranteed to flatter your face.
-
Above Angle: Hold your phone level with your forehead and tilt your phone camera down slightly. It makes your face all angular and slender. Yes, please.
-
The Front On Head Tilt: Stretch your arm out directly in front of you (play around with moving the stretched arm more to the left or right). Then tilt your head to your 'side'.
Tip #7: Your phone needs this selfie accessory.
Stick a Selfie Socket on your phone.
Gone are the days of holding your phone in all sorts of awkward ways to try get the best angle and press the capture button at the same time.
A selfie socket makes it 10x easier to hold your phone whilst taking your best hair selfie.
It's also impossible to drop your phone with a selfie socket.
Maybe not impossible...
...but difficult :)
Best practice?
Put your camera on 3-second timer, then hold your phone in place for the perfect hair selfie.
This way you'll avoid the blurry photos; from trying to press the capture button whilst getting the perfect angle.
Tip #8: Edit your hair selfie with these apps...
[Image: @tess_homann]
If you've followed the previous steps, your selfie is probably picture perfect by now.
But;
Since we don't have a team of people holding lights and styling every whisp of hair like Kim Kardashian...
...a photo editing app is our equivalent to a Selfie-Squad.
When it comes to hair selfie editing, here's my number one rule:
Less is more.
To edit lighting, shadows, colours, blemishes and hair strands that have gone rogue; use Snapseed
My personal favourite.
Snapseed has everything you need to enhance your hair selfie.
Aside from all the regular editing features (brightness, saturate, sharpen), Snapseed has two amazing features for editing your selfies:
1) Brush Tool - This allows you to tap to edit a selected area of your photo.
Lighting made your hair colour look a little dull?
A quick tap, and exposure adjustment will bring your hair colour back to life in seconds.
2) Blemish Tool - You've taken your perfect hair selfie. Then you realise a random piece of hair has gone astray.
Or maybe there's a breakout that makeup is just not covering.
Thank the app-gods for the blemish tool.
Here's what to do:
Just use your finger like an eraser to remove anything ruining your perfect selfie.
For enhancing your features, use; Facetune2
[Image: @thanhtheman]
PSA:
Babes, first thing's first; You're all gorgeous the way you are.
Please do not use FaceTune to become an entirely different person.
For example:
Take the photo above of our babe Abbey Stockwell wearing the THICK Halo in Dark Brown #2...
The original photo is on the left.
And on the right;
We've used FaceTune to soften the shiny light reflection captured on her face and bring out the detail in her eyes and hair, slightly.
The perks of FaceTune should be limited to;
Removing blemishes.
Making your teeth a little whiter.
Making your eyes a little glossier.
Making your hair a little more true to colour if the camera didn't do it justice.
Fixing whispy bits of annoying hair because you don't have a personal hair stylist to do these things for you (yet...).
So;
There you have it.
Your perfect hair selfie is now at your fingertips.
Need a little more selfie inspo before you get started?
Check out our favourite selfies on our Insta here.
