Growing Pains

~ HOW TO MANAGE YOUR JUVENILE DELINQUENT HAIR ~

Growing your hair out can be gruelling. In the past, I’ve faltered with finding ways to keep my mane in check as it goes through the awkward stages of ‘hair puberty’. For reference, please enjoy a few less-than-cool stages I’ve suffered through, this year, while growing out my hair, below. Please also note the irony that my growing-out-phase hairdos actually match that of a boy who is probably going through legit puberty!

As a veteran of growing out many different hairstyles, I have educated myself on methods to help (s)nip any bad hair day in the bud. The best part, they don’t involve expensive hair products or the painfully slow approach of just waiting for your hair to grow out.

To save you from having to see any more photos of my mushroom top, I bring you screen shots of celebrities and influencers mastering six different techniques for quashing any bad hair day, month or even year!

CLIP IT IN THE BUD
Hair clips have been a saviour of mine, while my locks navigate their way through the hair equivalent of adolescence. And it originates from a time in my life when I was an actual adolescent —the late 90s/early2000s.

Fear not, you don’t need to commit to a multitude of mini butterfly clips if you’re not ready for that. Although, Solange showed that it could still be done, in 2016.

Fast forward to 2019 and the hair barrette has clipped firmly onto the heads of many beauties. Clips are great for adding a bit of bling, and the right barrette can really dress up an outfit.

HEAD-SET ON HEADBANDS
Along with hair clips, there has also been a resurgence of elasticised headbands. Man Repeller predicted the return of the ‘face wash headband’ back in December (see article here), and French label, Maison Cleo — famous for their handmade statement blouses — ruminated on offering a free headband with every top purchased.

On the runway Tom Ford’s models ‘banded’ together to showcase the renewed hair trend, just this February.

Miu Miu has also adopted the headband as part of this year’s Spring-Summer collection.

Even Kim agrees it’s a photo-worthy accessory.

Don’t own a stretchy headband? A ribbon works just as well, as shown by Andreja.

SCARF ACE
Don’t let your neck have all the fun! Scarves are also great for keeping your hair in check. They can be worn in a multitude of ways, making it hard to get boring but easy to cover your uncooperative hair. See ten ways to style a scarf here. And see below for how some of the cool kids are doing it.

BRIMLESS HATS STARTING WITH ‘B’
This is a contentious option for me as I often struggle to find hats that fit my tiny pea head (see my post on sunglasses for small craniums, if you can relate). But the rise of the beret, over the past few years, has been a favourable addition to my wardrobe and a great way to keep any fledgling strands of hair at bay. And it looks as though I’m in good company.

The humble beanie is also always a warm welcome come winter time, and is also a great way to flatten boofy hair. Please also note some very sound advice from Jazzelle Zanaughtti (below) 😉

DO IT LIKE X-TINA
Maybe not for everyone, but I find that when I’m growing out my short hair it looks ten times better when it’s dirrty.

The oils help flatten down the frizz and fluff so it doesn’t look a mushroom cloud has sprouted from your hair follicles. It also gives you a bit more grit to style and manage any rebellious-teenage strands. Sure, there are hair products out there that do the same thing but I’ve not found one that works quite as well as simply pushing hair-washing day in the calendar. It’s also good for your hair to not be constantly stripping it of its natural oils. How many days you skip the shampoo suds obviously depends on how oily your hair gets, and how quickly.

BARRACK FOR THE BALACLAVA
If you’re having a bad everything day then a balaclava has you covered, literally.  Designers such as Gucci, Calvin Klein and Preen by Thornton Bregazzi are all on board with the face-hugging trend, as seen during AW2018 fashion week.

Political activists and punk rock group, Pussy Riot, have also launched their own line of balaclavas as part of their new collaborative clothing line.

WHERE TO SHOP
There are some really great, affordable, hair accessories out there right now.

Etsy, ASOS and JCrew all have a wide selection of hair trimmings. Hepburn & Co, found at David Jones, do your classic snap clips.

US label, France-Luxe offer a wide range of hair adornments including beautiful barrettes with a pearly sheen (also available on Nordstrom who have a wide range of headbands and head-wraps too).

Anthropologie have a pretty good selection of hair accessories.  

Kanel and Lelet ‘hair candy’ are a little bit more pricey but oh-so pretty. And if you’re willing to splash some real cash, check out Simone Rocha’s glass beaded flower barrette or get yourself a gold leaf headband by Jennifer Behr. I fell in LOVE with Ashely Williams‘ fun range of sparkly, written word hair pins.

With a bit of patience, and a lot of the above, I hope to avoid hair-adolescence and grow my hair out gracefully!