This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hofstra chapter.
Finals week is a stressful time when one of the last things you are thinking about is your appearance. Your clothing choices consist of whatever you can find quickly so that you can grab some much-needed food or get back to studying. And I know for myself at least, the only thoughts given to my hair is if it’s clean or not. I am here to tell you that despite your lack of time there are still ways to look cute during your finals without having to exert too much effort. Here are six potential hairstyles that might make your finals week a little easier and better looking.
- Ponytails I know that a ponytail isn’t everyone’s favorite hairstyle but, it is a classic and one of the easiest things to do with almost any girl’s hair. A ponytail can keep hair out of sight and out of mind, and it can be dressed up in a number of ways. Scrunchies have made a comeback and they can add a pop of color and sparkle to your overall look. The idea that a low and extremely loose ponytail looks weathered and disheveled has been thrown out the window; it now gives off a playful and carefree vibe for a more laid-back look. A high ponytail draws attention to your face and it can add a more sophisticated twist to your normally plain jeans and blouse combination. A ponytail is like a trustworthy friend: it will always be an option and it can even accommodate to your mood and your specific outfits. Photo by Bruce Mars on unsplash.com
- Baseball Caps Waking up and throwing on a hat might not really seem like a hairstyle worth mentioning, but I think it is a cute look and a great bad hair day cure. If you don’t have a baseball cap or some other cute hat, I think they are a great investment that will come in handy for many lazy days down the road. You can get baseball caps that rep your favorite sports teams or your frequent vacationing spots If that’s not your style you can just get ones that have silly little pictures of dogs or tacos on them. Whatever you fancy, with your hair up or down, a hat can cover hair that you would rather others not see or enhance the outfit that you have managed to put together. My baseball cap style is either a middle part in my hair or a ponytail to keep it out of my face, but you can choose to wear your hat any way that you would like. Photo by Nicolas Postiglioni on pexels.com
- A Braid There are so many different and interesting braids out there that can be considered but, to keep it simple you can never go wrong with a traditional braid. I personally prefer a French or a Dutch braid but, my lack of braiding skills leaves me with one or two traditional braids fashioned to the best of my ability. If you have talented roommates like I do, or you know someone who can do them for you in a few minutes, your hair problems are solved for the day. Braids keep your hair out of your face and they always turn heads especially if you don’t braid your hair very often. Each type of braid can be reserved for different looks hat you have too so you are not always relying on the same hairstyle; if you were planning on doing your hair the same way every day, you really don’t need advice from me. Photo by Toni Cuenca on pexels.com
- The Half Up, Half Down Look If you don’t want to leave your hair down, but you don’t want to put it up in a ponytail either, there is a solution. The best name for this hairstyle is the half up, half down look. It was always common for girls to gather the top layer of their hair closest to their face into a ponytail. It’s a cute look that moves those annoying “bangs” that you have been growing out for years away from your face. Recently, girls have been making this little ponytail into a bun on the top of their heads. This look saves girls the hassle of trying to make a cute bun out of the mountain of hair that rests on some of our shoulders. In general, the half up, half down look is easy and fun; it’s a style that leads people to believe that you put more effort into your hairstyle than you probably actually did. Photo by Jon Ly on unsplash.com
- Overnight Braids This style is more for girls with straighter hair because overnight braids give your hair a wavy, even slightly beachy look. I know I personally would love to have curly hair, and my hair is almost too thick to use a curling iron, so these waves are the next best thing. Overnight braids are also extremely easy to do; they have been my go-to lazy hairstyle since middle school. Taking a shower at night can be very relaxing after a long day but, sleeping on wet hair can lead to some interesting looks the next morning. If you put your clean and wet hair in a bunch of braids all starting at the crown of your head and then sleep on them, you will wake up with subtle and natural waves. You can make more braids and make them tighter to change the appearance of the wave as long as you make each braid the same size in order to wake up to even waves. If your hair didn’t dry the whole way through the next morning, all you have to do is use a blow dryer for a few minutes and you’re set. I would also recommend not brushing your hair the next morning so your hair doesn’t get frizzy and because it would be one less thing you have to do. Photo by Katarina Milosevic on unsplash.com
- The Classic Messy Bun The messy bun has grown in popularity throughout the 21st Century, and it has evolved in many ways. For people with longer hair, like myself, a messy bun is the easiest way to keep your hair out of your face and to stay cooler in the heat of summer. In a way, it has replaced the ponytail as every girl’s go-to hairstyle, but it can still be hard to achieve. Despite the name, we all know that a messy bun still has to be the perfect balance between put-together and messy. It might seem impossible to perfect the messy bun, so I have developed two different ways to go about the task that usually work for me, even on the worst hair days. The first option is the one I find most common when you start with a normal ponytail and then wrap the hairband around your folded hair once or twice, depending on how much hair you have. This one proves to be a little messier with hairs seeming to sprout from all sides of the bun. The other option works much better for me; I usually hold my hair like I’m going to put it into a ponytail and then I twist and wrap it around my hand, securing the little, wrapped bun with a hairband.
Photo by Thought Catalog on unsplash.com
In order to free up your mind for studying, and hopefully not too much stressing, try these six hairstyles. All of these hairstyles I consider to be easy and effortless yet still cute. Each one is different enough that your stressful finals week can still be interesting and enjoyable in a small way. So study hard and don’t worry too much about your hair!
Cover photo by Gratisography on pexels.com