Big hair—and velcro hair rollers, more specifically—is having a moment. One scroll through TikTok and Instagram and you’ll see everyone from influencers to celebrity stylists flaunting voluminous blowouts. Blame it on the ‘90s fever that’s completely dominated beauty trends the past year (blue eye shadow and scrunchies, anyone?), but bouncy, polished hair now reigns supreme in a beauty world once owned by messy beach waves. 

Celebrity hairstylist Priscilla Valles—who styles the hair of Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber, and Dua Lipa and has her own extensions line with Glam Seamless—has noticed an uptick in clients asking for volume and is embracing the revival. “I’ve been encouraging [the look] a lot too,” she tells Glamour. “Not everybody wants that styled, curled look. I feel like I talk about [velcro hair rollers] in every interview. We’re bringing them back. I love that look. It’s soft ’90s glam.” 

Of course, not all of us can afford to get blowouts on the regular or shell out the cash for a Dyson Airwrap, but velcro hair rollers can achieve the exact same look at a fraction of the price. They’re also accessible—you can easily pick them up at the drugstore or Sephora. The only problem? If you aren’t experienced with velcro rollers, they can be pretty intimidating. As someone who has leaned into the blowout trend, I got my own set of velcro rollers hoping to recreate the bouncy magic. They’ve been sitting in my closet collecting dust ever since. 

But Valles assures us that using it isn’t as scary or difficult as it seems. Her only warning? Make sure the rollers aren’t too small. “You really want to have that natural look,” she says. “If you think of the little ladies with their roller sets, they are so small. They have so many of them. You want the opposite of that.”

Ahead, Valles breaks down how to use velcro hair rollers, along with her best tips for achieving bouncy beautiful hair. 

Start at the top of your head.

It turns out, sectioning your hair is pretty easy. Valles recommends starting at the top of your head and working your way down. “I always like to start with on top because I want that to get the most heat and sit the longest, because it’s usually where you want most of the volume,” she says. You don’t have to be exact with the sectioning, just make sure the sections have a good chunk of hair (more on that later). “We’re going to do big sections here, because we’re not trying to have a really curly look.” 

Go big or go home. 

Valles recommends using the biggest rollers in your set for the back of the head and one size down for the sides. “These are three inch, two inch, three inch,” she says. “I go for the biggest ones, just because I really just want the volume at the root with a little bend on the ends. Obviously the tighter you go, the tighter the curl is. But I don’t really want a curl.” 

Prep the hair.

If you are working with damp hair, use a volumizing mouse or spray to get that extra oomf. Apply the product to the roots and run through the ends. Make sure the hair isn’t too damp—it should be 90 percent dry. 

Out of all the protective hairstyles Black women cycle through, box braids hairstyles are probably one of the most popular. Not only are they super stylish, but they give us a chance to give our hair a break. “When natural hair is overmanipulated, it tends to cause breakage, so a protective style like box braids protects it from being harmed,” says Ursula Stephen, celebrity hairstylist and global ambassador for Suave, Tresemmé, and Dove. 

Over the last few years, some of our favorite celebrities have made box braids their go-to hair style for red carpets or social media appearances with It girls like Coi Leray, Rihanna, Zoë Kravitz, and Zendaya all rocking the protective style. 

What are box braids?

In short, they’re braids that get their name from the square shape in which your hair is sectioned off. They’re most often installed with extensions and come in a range of lengths, sizes, and colors (as you’ll see ahead).

If you’re thinking of getting the style yourself, there are a couple of things Stephen thinks you should know. First, you should treat and trim your hair prior. Natural hair is often blow-dried out beforehand to make the installation process easier for your stylist, so you can have your ends cut then. Speaking of stylists, Stephen recommends that you research yours beforehand and be conscious of the sensitive parts of your scalp during the braiding process. “If you have a thin or weak hairline, then you shouldn’t put excess tension on those areas,” she warns.

Once you have your box braids in, it’s easy to forget about your actual from-the-root hair which, yes, still requires moisturizing. “Products that have penetrating ingredients like coconut oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil are great to use while wearing these styles,” says Stephen. As for when to take them down, she recommends keeping them in for two months maximum.

Now that we have the basics out of the way, we’ve rounded up some of the coolest box braids hairstyles for you to consider. Fair warning, though: It’ll be hard to choose just one. Scroll on through for our favorites. 

Listen, we love a messy bun…but we also love the super-sleek Y2K vibe that’s seen strands get neater and a little more “done.” That pretty much sums up how we feel right about now. We’re craving comfort (still wedded to our sweats), but we also want to feel pulled together and a little bit schmancy. 

If a hairstyle could embody us right now, it would be the twist-knot bun. We keep seeing the trend crop up across our Insta grid from experts in the know who, from what we can tell, 100% understood the assignment.

The trend sees hair immaculately center-parted or combed back super neatly at the crown, then twisted up into a knot with the ends left loose and more casual. Basically, it’s a cool-girl step-up from the mullet, which is known for being business in the front, party in the back. Ditto—only this is way more wearable.

It offers the sort of versatility we like: It would work just as well for a black-tie event, paired with a slinky outfit and a kick-ass lip, as it would with a T-shirt and jeans (or those sweats we can’t stop going on about). 

Even better, the twist-knot bun honestly is so easy to do. All you need is a brush to ensure the front is nice and neat (middle parting optional). We recommend misting hair with a light hairspray to keep it snatched, or for curly or coiled hair a gel offers extra hold.

For more grip you can tie your hair back into a ponytail, just down from where you’d place a high-ponytail, at the crown. Or skip straight to twisting your ponytail from the top to the bottom. Wrap the twist round on itself like an old-school bun, then leave the end of your ponytail loose and fasten in place with a hair tie.

And that’s it. The new go-to updo is right up our street.

This story originally appeared on Glamour U.K. 

Are you still wondering if you should get bangs? Listen, we’ve all been there. Sometimes we regret the decision to commit to a fringe immediately, but sometimes, bangs transform us into our authentic selves. And maybe your own scissors have been sitting on the bathroom counter taunting you, convincing you to make the change yourself. 

Bangs come in all different shapes and sizes. There are blunt bangs (like Dakota Johnson’s), wispy bangs, Birkin bangs, curly bangs, side-swept bangs, and curtain bangs. Basically, there is a type of bang that suits anyone, any face shape, and every level of maintenance you’re willing to put up with. But the latest bang trend we’re getting hyped over is bottleneck bangs, a longer bang that requires less maintenance than most and, let’s be honest, are easier to grow out if you’re not into the final result. 

Celebrity hairstylist and European Creative Director for evo hair, Tom Smith says that the term “bottleneck bang” comes from exactly that: a bottle. “This hairstyle takes inspiration from the neck of a bottle; starting slim and short in the middle, curving longer around the eyes, and then longest following the line of the cheekbone,” Smith says. “This allows the length and angle to be adjusted depending on whether you want to make your cheekbones appear wider or stronger. Many people don’t suit a classic ‘fringe’ (the solid horizontal line across the face), but most can wear bottleneck bangs to add softness to the face.”

To get bottleneck bangs, it’s important to get specific with your stylist in order to get the style that frames your face exactly how you want. “To get bottleneck bangs, ask your hairstylist to create longer bangs that skim your cheekbones at an angle that flatters your face, curving around to create a layer that sits somewhere between your cheekbones and jaw,” Smith says. “Then ask for the central part to be cut shorter, keeping the cutting line soft and choppy, with the shortest part in the middle and getting longer on the edges.”

For more hair inspiration, check out Glamour’s list of the 25 coolest winter haircuts to try as we head into 2022. 

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Any hairstylist worth their salt will tell you that an outstanding short cut, like a bob or a pixie crop, can take the weight off you in the styling department. It’s the easiest shortcut to “I woke up like this” hair: Maximum “cool girl” points, minimum effort. Basically, the shape will do all the hard work while you kick back and chill with enviably delicious hair.

In fact, our love of effortlessly chic short haircuts is why curl-by-curl cutting has blossomed, to give curly girls a bespoke shape that’s custom-created to make the most out of their texture. And it’s why the ultra-blunt “sliced bob” is a masterpiece for girls with fairly fine and straight strands. Then, if you wish, you can add a little dedicated styling time on top.

Case in point is Karlie Kloss’s chin-length bob, created by hairstylist Jacob Rozenberg, then styled to perfection by celeb hair guru Harry Josh. It’s short, it’s sexy, it’s sleek, and it’s effortless.

We asked Josh what the magic ingredients for this cut are so you can copy and paste to your hairdresser, then zhuzh it up yourself at home.

Why would we choose this style over a choppier bob?

A bob isn’t a one-cut-fits-all. There’s the French bob, the asymmetrical bob, the collarbone bob, the hacked bob—each offers a little something different, so why choose this sleek, sliced look? “If you have finer hair, this helps create a cleaner line,” explains Josh. It looks instantly pulled together and pretty, but without looking too prim.

What makes this style more modern?

There’s less in the way of layers, and it looks largely the same length, which makes it look more sleek and uniform, but “it’s ever so slightly longer at the front and almost A-line,” says Josh. That longer length at the front gives you the room to style and shape those front pieces into a framing halo around the face.

Why is it a good style for autumn?

Sounds counterintuitive, but cutting your hair short in the summer can actually be tricky. It means that you don’t have the length to tie it up and out the way when it’s hot. That’s why a bob shape really comes into its own in autumn and winter. Put simply, “short hair is chic and looks great with turtlenecks and sweaters,” reckons Josh.

What should people be aware of before getting this cut?

This style works better for straight and fine hair. If you have a natural wave or curl, you’ll probably end up spending more time styling it. Either way, the main thing is to “go to a great haircutter,” says Josh. It’ll make the difference between a mushroom cut or a perfectly balanced bob, so spend some time scouting your hairstylist’s Instagram first.

What styling products would you need for this at home?

To maximize this shape, you’ll want to look for something that adds a bit of lift. Josh recommends a volumizing or texturizing spray to take it to the next level. Lift sections of your hair, then mist the spray upward from below the section and use your fingers to tease a bit of volume near the crown. Also: An ear tuck will never fail to look chic.

How to style it?

“If your hair is already straight, don’t worry, you won’t have to do anything,” says Josh. “If it’s wavy, blow-dry it and flatiron it.”

Here’s how the celebs and the influencers are wearing the sliced bob:

We live for simple hair hacks that take less than a minute to do, but make things look 8,000 times better. The ‘pinch hair hack’ is one of those, and we can’t believe we’ve only just been introduced to it.

Over on makeup artist and hair stylist, Emma Chen’s Instagram, we’ve noticed there’s a simple trick the pro puts to good use again and again to create that incredibly tousled and airy texture that she’s known for. And, even though we don’t profess to have her hair skills, this pinch hair hack is a technique we’re pretty confident we can master. 

Chen explains that there might be a better way to encourage some oomph in hair, without blasting it with too much texturizing spray and dry shampoo. “Do you over prep hair?” she asks. “Using too much product can sometimes be as bad as not using any product at all. Hair becomes weighed down,  limp and over-processed,” she adds.

The alternative? “The key to adding volume and texture without relying on product is creating different shapes in the hair. It stops the hair barreling into itself and creates dimension,” Chen says. 

One way you can do this of course, is with styling tools. Styling your waves in alternate directions helps to add a mussy texture. But, when it comes to framing your face and adding extra lift, movement and shape at the front, that’s where “the pinch” comes into play.

Pinching together the two sections of hair at the front of your parting brings the top part closer together while the rest can swoop further apart, which gives a cool-girl curtain fringe shape. It adds a little extra root lift at the “pinch” and when paired with some tactical waves that curve at your cheekbone it gives our facial features a little extra definition. The best part? You don’t need to be in front of a mirror with all your styling tools to hand. It’s a trick you can use anywhere at any time to refresh your style  and add some pretty dimension. 

This story originally appeared on Glamour UK.

If there’s one hair trend we’re seeing pop up time and time again in 2021, it’s the modern beehive. While we undoubtedly have Amy Winehouse to thank for the ’60s beehive resurgence of the ’00s, this year the retro hairstyle has been seen on countless Fashion Week catwalks (think the likes of Moschino, Christian Cowan, and Batsheva), on various awards-season red carpets, and more recently on Anya Taylor-Joy who stars in Edgar Wright’s upcoming psychological horror film, Last Night in Soho.

Taylor-Joy’s blonde beehive hairstyle, featuring a blunt fringe and soft waves, makes sense—the new film is set in the Swinging Sixties, and the actor plays wannabe singer Sandy. The official description reads, “A young girl, passionate about fashion design, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But 1960s London is not what it seems, and time seems to fall apart with shady consequences.” Last Night in Soho recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and will be released in cinemas on Friday, October 29.

We first saw the style making a welcome comeback at the Brit Awards in May, when Dua Lipa wore dark hair pulled back into a high voluminous bun with long strands framing her face. Then, at the BAFTA TV Awards in June, Aimee Lou Wood’s chic up-do served all the modern beehive drama.

The 26-year-old Sex Education star, who picked up the award for best female performance in a comedy, wore a flowing floral dress with statement collar by Miu Miu, her signature winged eyeliner, and her hair in a subtle beehive with face-framing bangs. 

Literally what era are we even in right now? Katy Perry’s hair is straight and dark again, but instead of the dramatic long locks she used to rock, she’s chopped them into a blunt bob. And she’s paired this new ‘do with a garment we honestly thought we’d seen the last of 15 years ago: the popcorn shirt.

Oh, do you kiddos not remember the popcorn shirt? Well, join us on a walk down Memory Lane, The popcorn shirt, also known as a “magic bubble” shirt, was a brief Y2K trend of stretchy, puckered, shiny, basically un-washable fabric Because of its size it was easy to pack, and because it didn’t really wrinkle, it seemed like a go-to for trips. That’s very different from saying they were good or cool. They were not. Much like a belted tee or a mini-vest, this was a trend best left in the past. But Katy Perry’s resurrecting it. 

Makeup artist Michael Anthony posted an Instagram of the singer and American Idol judge in her trailer, looking totally blue. Not blue as in sad, but blue the color; she’s sporting blue nails, blue eye makeup, and, yes, a blue popcorn shirt. Or is it a blue popcorn dress? Either way, it’s poppin’. (Should I see myself out? I should see myself out, right?) 

Anthony tagged stylist Tatiana Waterford in the post, who last week outfitted Perry in a skintight red leather number.

For a power performer like Katy Perry, life is a series of costume changes, some with the help of her longtime partner Orlando Bloom. At a recent event, he helped loosen the corset she wore beneath her gown so she could sing properly. At least this popcorn one stretches on its own? Honestly, it’s perfect material for singing comfort. Should all pop stars where popcorn shirts?

Topknots are the ultimate, everyday hair style. They sweep hair off our faces in an elegant yet nonchalant way, and can be dressed up with a headband or decorative ribbon or kept casual with a few face-framing tendrils.

In theory.

In reality topknots leave us looking like Miss Trunchbull half the time. Either we pull our hair back too tight and it’s slick to the head, making our hair look far greasier than it actually is, or the bun is so tiny and poky it could never pass for the lustrous topknots of our Instagram feeds.

And yet it doesn’t stop us from absentmindedly whipping our hair into a topknot every afternoon. After all, when we get it right, it’s worth the mishaps.

Luckily, there’s a new technique going viral on TikTok, which supposedly guarantees the perfectly placed, just-messy-enough topknot every single time.

Posted by Quinty Mirjam de Vries, who has more than 44 million likes on the platform, the hack demonstrates how a simple flick of the wrist is all that’s needed to secure the perfect topknot.

First, de Vries pulls hair back into a high ponytail, but instead of pulling hair all the way through, she pulls it only halfway through the elastic before twisting the band and flipping her hair over her hand before securing the style.

The whole style takes less than 10 seconds, which is even more impressive when you realize that de Vries has considerably slowed it down per her followers requests.

We’ve tried it ourselves, and while we’re definitely not at de Vries’s level, we can confirm it works. However, you will need a very stretchy hair tie to allow for all that wrist movement.

Once you’ve mastered the move, finish it off by tucking in any loose ends and pulling out sections at the front if you’re going for a messier finish.

This story originally appeared on Glamour U.K. 

Before you blast your hair with dry shampoo, or over-scrunch, just know, there’s a better way to create oomf in your hair, and to slay some beautiful body and movement.

Sexture—that’s sexy texture—is the holy grail condition that hair pros swear by to create the most incredible styles. Ask them, and they’ll all tell you how important it is to get the texture right when finishing off any look.

“Sexy, effortless texture goes with everything,” confirms Naeemah Lafond, top hair stylist and Amika’s global artistic director. “It can be the glue that pulls an entire look together and can also be the softness that mellows out a formal ensemble and gives it a bit of a fresh take.”

Sounds good right? And we’re all invited. “Sexy undone texture works for all hair types from coils and curls to straighter, finer strands,” Lafond says. “In all textures it delivers the same message: cool and chic. The only significant point of different is the execution.”

Getting sexture, however, is often easier said than done. “Sometimes undone texture is the trickiest to get right,” celeb hairstylist, Chris Appleton admits next to a snap of one of his high-profile clients, Kim K. “My tip is to not over work the hair—sometimes less is more.”

Hair pro Emma Chen agrees. “Using too much product can sometimes be as bad as not using any product at all. Hair becomes weighed down, limp and over processed,” she reveals in her IG series on hair education.

Before you go in with a texture spray, be tactical with your styling. “The key to adding volume and texture without relying on [loads of] product is creating different shapes in the hair,” says Chen. This could mean waving your hair in alternate directions, or incorporating different types of waves, such as S waves, beach waves or crimped waves. “It stops the hair barreling into itself and creates dimension,” she explains.

However, “where you’d use heat and product to create texture in straighter hair, with curlier hair you would use just product to enhance the texture,” says Lafond. “For curls you should start with a freshly dried head of curls and can then add some Amika Undone Texture Spray [a lightweight, dry finishing spray that creates instant volume and sexy texture] and some dry texture paste [try Moroccanoil Texture Clay] to create ‘piecey-ness’ and airiness throughout.

“For straighter textures you should first prep with the Amika The Shield Anti-Humidity Spray  to help hold the style and then create waves and bend with a straightener. Finish with the Undone texture spray [which adds a tousled texture to already-styled hair] and some dry texture paste on this texture as well,” Lafond says.

You can leave your hair down for sexy, voluminous bed hair, but when it comes to updos, this prep is key too. “My biggest piece of advice when creating effortless updos is to make sure you get the right amount of texture into the hair because then the hair pretty much styles itself,” Chen says.

“Creating sexture is the perfect base for any up style, or for that perfect undone vibe,” says James Earnshaw, pro hairstylist and Amika artistic ambassador. “It’s great to have this base to work before a ponytail or knot as it will help hold your style in place and give the pins and grips somewhere to anchor into. Once finished, spritz with dry texture spray for the ultimate lived-in sexy texture.” Try Amika’s Undone Texure Spray, Ouai’s Texturizing Hairspray or Moroccanoil’s Dry Texture Spray.

And if you weren’t already convinced, sexture just keeps getting better following wash day. “I love it because it’s amazing for those second-, third-, or even fourth-day hair needs,” says Earnshaw. “Spritz some salt spray in to your already dry hair and leave it to air-dry. This will add gritty texture,” says James. Try OGX Texture + Moroccan Sea Salt Wave Spray.

This story originally appeared on Glamour U.K.