Battling bad hair days

MONSOON TRESSES

Ankita Sengupta tells you how to make your hair look great this season.

With perfectly blow-dried hair, you step out of the house confidently. It’s a bright sunny day but before you know it gets windy. Initially, you don’t let it bother you, casually sweeping the hair into its place again but soon, when the wind gets stronger, you can no longer help it. And lo and behold! The perfectly blow-dried hair becomes terribly windswept hair.

So, next time, you are prepared. Armed with a scarf, you are confident that no wind can ruin your hair. Just the time for the rain gods to play the spoil sport! Even if you do manage to escape the unexpected shower, you can hardly escape the moisture in the air. As a result, your carefully protected hair becomes frizzy and is no longer the glossy, bouncing mane that you stepped out of the house with.

This unpredictable season is also referred to by most as the season of bad hair days. No matter how elegant the hairdo and how hard we try to protect it, there is always the chance of the weather ruining it.

However, there are some haircare products coupled with a few easy hairstyles that can not only withstand the temperamental weather but can also make you look stylish and in cue with the current trends.

One of the best hair dos this season is the elegant bun. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan flaunted the look in Cannes, and as have Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. A bun, whether at the nape of the neck or tied up high, always looks elegant. It is a refreshing change from the common ponytail or loose hair. The elegant bun looks chic, and can make you look ultra feminine. 

Tying a bun is also a very functional hairstyle, for it takes only a few minutes. Be it messy, or smoothened with every hair in its place, this hair style is ideal for both formal and informal occasions. At work, a bun can keep the distracting stray streaks of hair away from the face. While at a casual gathering, it can accentuate the neck and the facial features.

Buns work great anytime. However, to avoid the frizz, it would be better to apply haircream wax on the hair before it is tied up. Haircream wax will not only help hold the stray bits of hair in place, it will also smoothen the hair, giving the bun a perfect finish. For a wet look, hair gel is a perfect option. Just apply some of it on the hair before tying the bun and transform the elegant bun into a grungy look.

Apart from creating “spikes”, hair gels also help in holding the hair in place. It resists frizz and is thus an ideal product to be used during this season. There are different kinds of gels available, some make the hair stiff to hold a style in place, others may give a wet look. While the wet look can be used this season, avoid gels that make the hair stiff. Hair sprays too help maintain a hairstyle, but they make the hair feel stiff and it becomes quite a task to restyle the hair once it stiffens up.

For sleek and elegant buns, ideal to wear at work, the hair gel or the hair wax needs to be applied throughout the length of the hair. However, for a casual look, the hair styling product could be applied from the roots of the hair to the nape of the neck. A few loose strands in the bun can add more charm to the look and make it look more feminine.

Since plaits too help in keeping all the hair from getting windswept, it can also be tried this season. But stay away from the conventionally styled plaits. Go ahead with a side plait or make one with four or five strands instead of three. For a more intricate look, the hair can also be braided from the front and the rest gathered up into a bun at the back.
The bottom line is be it a braid or a bun, remember to hold the style in place with haircream wax or a hair gel to ensure that the unpredictable weather does not wreak havoc on your lovely tresses.