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With fashion veering towards the ladylike and elegant this fall, one key hair trend is a sleek, shiny, and structured low-anchored pony tail or a refined chignon. Both styles are professional and chic.
Get Started: Slightly dirty hair usually makes for a more secure and manageable updo, but if your hair has been freshly washed, blow it out or flat iron it for the smoothest finish. Make sure to apply an anti-frizz serum–Phytodefrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm ($34) is an amazing two-in-one smoother and shiner–and use a large round bristle brush to create a smooth finish. I recommend the Conair Protech Boar Bristle Brush ($8) with a color smart heat indicator and hair-healthy tourmaline, ceramic, and ion technology.
Choose Your Part: Side parts are universally flattering, but a severe center part is more impactful and hot for fall (a great choice for longer faces). If you have a round or squarish face shape, soften a center part by tousling hair at the crown and only parting the front two inches of hair. Nexxus's Root Volumizer ($12) helps give hair the necessary lift. When slightly tousled at the crown of the head, a center part looks delicate and sexy. You can also position your hair down over your ears or let wispy bangs drape around the face for a romantic touch.
Anchor and Finish: For a pony tail, use a No Damage hair band ($10.30) to secure your hair at the nape of the neck, making sure to leave a small under section free to wrap around the hair tie. Scunci makes some fabulous No-slip Grip Pins ($2) that are perfect for pinning the strand around the pony tail. For a chignon, secure all the hair in a low pony tail, apply a chignon cushion ($3) – also known as a hair donut – and wrap the hair around it, pinning into place as you go. To finish, give your head a quick spritz of hair spray to minimize fly-aways.
