Fashion Challenge: Do Something New with Your Hair
The easiest way to boost your confidence and get your day started on the right foot is by making your hair look awesome! By now, most of you have probably figured out a tried-and-true method of keeping your hair looking great. But why not spend a little extra time this week breaking out of your hair comfort zone? After all, summer is the perfect time to experiment with a new style!
This week’s Fashion Challenge is to play around and do something new with your hair. Need a few ideas to get you started? Read on!
Fun Hairstyles to Try This Week
Seventies Volume
Characters like Snookie have given poofed hair a bit of a bad rep – but that doesn’t mean you can’t try the style yourself, in a classier way. My inner southern girl has always loved making my hair as big as possible, and no reality star will ever stand in my way!
My trick for voluminous hair? Pick up a teasing comb from your local beauty supply store, the kind that has 3 rows of teeth (they’re only a couple dollars!). Sprinkle a bit of hair powder on your roots, then tease away! Finish with light hairspray.
After your hair is good and teased, pull it into a ponytail, half up and half down, or leave it down for a foxy Brigitte Bardot-inspired look.
Fishtail Braid
Although this style looks complicated, fishtail braids are surprisingly easy to do. In my opinion, the messier the braid, the better! Let strands fall out and frame your face for the cutest look.
Click here to learn how to weave a fishtail braid!
Middle Part
Since so many of us are stuck in side part ruts, it takes a fearless girl to pull off a middle part — but I think it’s something we should all try at least once! Rachel Bilson does this beautifully with fresh-faced make up and silky smooth hair.
If you want to rock a middle part, just make sure you aren’t wearing too many “boho” type items — flared jeans, fringe, crochet, etc. — people might mistake your fashion-forward look as a hippie costume!
Retro Waves
There’s nothing prettier or more girly than soft retro waves. Ever since I saw The Notebook, I’ve been hooked on this style! This look can be accomplished with hot rollers or a curling iron, but be sure to add plenty of shine and a side part for the best look.
Not sure how to do these? Click here for a step by step retro waves tutorial!
Brightly Colored Hair
Coloring your whole head might be a little extreme for non-celebrities (although how fabulous is Nicki Minaj’s ever-changing hair?), but I love the look of a neon streak or two! You can pick up clip-in extensions at most beauty supply stores.
For tips on dying your hair a neon shade, check out our post on how to create a purple streak in your hair! Or if you want a bigger change, why not try the dyed red hair trend?
Beach Waves
Nothing is more summery than sexy beach hair! Next time you get out of the shower (or pool, or ocean) let your hair part naturally and spray some salt spray into damp hair. After five to ten minutes, spray your hair with a little more hairspray or salt spray and scrunch again. Repeat until you get the curliness you desire.
This hairstyle looks wonderful with bronzer, a bit of brown mascara, and some shimmery lipgloss!
High Ponytail
This style is so basic, but often overlooked. There is something so chic about a high ponytail (especially one with a little volume, like our girl Kim K is rocking). With your hair up, the attention will be on your beautiful face, so it’s the perfect time to experiment a bit with your makeup, too.
For the perfect bump-free ponytail, flip your head upside down, spray your crown with hairspray, then pull it together before flipping back over. Spray with hairspray one more time after your hair is fastened.
CF Reader Looks
Here are some CF readers who took this week’s Fashion Challenge! If you want to be featured here, see the instructions below for sending in your photos and info.
Kaile – Washington State University Vancouver
Best hairstyling tricks: If you try a bright color, make sure to bleach it first! I left it white for a time and then decided to go for a brighter color for summer. I’ve found that using shampoo for color treated hair really does make it last longer. Also, the way I get my hair to not be stick straight: leave it wrapped up in a towel for a little bit after your shower, then let air dry, without brushing. My hair dries in slight waves and seems to have more volume. Plus, not brushing it every day cuts down on breakage!
Took the Challenge? Send Us Pictures and Tell Us Your Story!
Did you do something different with your hair this week? Take a few snapshots and send them the fashionchallenge AT collegefashion.net along with your name, school, the URL of your blog if you have one, and some of your best hair styling tricks. We’ll feature your photos here, and drive a little extra traffic to your blog as well :)
What do you think?
Do you stick to a usual routine with your hair, or do you like to change it up? What are your favorite go-to hairstyles when you’re in a hurry? Have any neat tricks you can share with us? Leave a comment and tell us your secrets!
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Posted on on June 16, 2011 / Filed Under: Beauty & Hair / Tags: Brigitte Bardot, Celebs, Diane Kruger, Fashion Challenge, Hair, Hairstyles, Kate Hudson, kim kardashian, nicki minaj, Rachel Bilson
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Beautiful Stranger
Diane Kruger looks absolutely gorgeous! I love her fishtail braid too-perfectly laidback(:
Sade
Good post really want to do something to my hair for summer !!!
Thinking about colouring it or adding feather extensions :)
Melissa
Can you wear a centre part with glasses??
Christy
In December I wanted to do something new with my hair.. so I cut off 14 inches. I should have just done something like this. Can’t wait to try one of these- when my hair is long enough :(
Hadeel
I love changing my hair style every no and then. Even though not all fit into what I personally like, but I’ll definitely try some!
great article! :)
Corynn
You guys should really do a post on short hair. Ways to style, inspiration, something. Anything, really. A lot of women (and girls, and celebs, as we know) are cutting their hair super short this summer. Think Emma Watson and Michelle Williams. I recently cut my hair short, and trust me: there are a ton of ways to style short hair. It would be great if you guys did a post about short hair because I feel like every single hair post on this website is the same: make your long hair wavy or put it in a braid.
Add some variety. please. I love this place, but sometimes it gets boring seeing the same post with just different celeb pictures.
thanks.<3
alex
I love doing something different w/ my hair every now and then!!
I currently have a blue dip dye job. It’s not too hard to do and it looks awesome.
shaina
That volume is def a 60s thing–Bardot was most famous in the 50s and 60s. I love the fishtail braid and natural looking waves idea. I’m spending my summer doing childcare, so those are perfect.
Zephyr - CF Editor
Hey Corynn, thanks for the feedback! We’ve definitely done quite a few long hair posts lately, mostly because many of the hottest summer hair trends are for long hair. However, we have done posts on short hair – not sure if you know! Here’s our most popular post on the subject: http://www.collegefashion.net/beauty-and-hair/5-fabulous-tips-for-styling-short-hair/
Also, we just did a post on the ’60s mod trend where we talked about the pixie cut: http://www.collegefashion.net/beauty-and-hair/beauty-by-the-decade-the-1960s/
We’ll keep your suggestions in mind, though – we definitely want CF to include everyone, so thanks for the feedback on what we could do better! As always, your comments are definitely appreciated :)
Elizabeth
Thank you for including Haley Reinhart in this post. She is absolutely beautiful. I’d love more insight into how to achieve some of the various hairstyles worn by her throughout the Idol season and at some red carpet events. She is just so gorgeous!
Tori
Feather extensions are what I just did that’s “new”. I love them! They were kinda hard to find where I live, I literally went to over 25 different salons and stores before I found some! But all the searching was definitely worth it.
Sarah
You’ve got the wrong decade on Brigitte Bardot! That photo is from the 1960s.
Love the idea to try something new with your hair though; the fishtail braid is my favorite!
sara
-I am a natural-middle-part for my hair. And I dont think its that hard to pull it off! :D
Kelly
I’ve always loveddd the classic Kim K ponytail – how do you get that volume up top to stay? Teasing?
Taylor
I cannot wait to master the fishtail braid, theyre such a fashionable braid that blows a regular braid out of the water. As for the neon colors, you should look into fusing. Strips of neon hair can look really cool with all shades and its alot better than bleaching and dying your hair!
maxine
Out of all of these, I like the middle part which I already have and I cut my hair into a bob which is so 1960′s or it could be part of the flapper era.