For a few months there I was really enjoying living downtown. I felt like such a stylish city gal walkin’ everywhere I needed to go. “I’m like a cool New Yorker!” I thought to myself as I strutted my stuff down the streets of Austin (which are of course nothing like the streets of New York). Now I sit here with an almost empty bottle of baby powder by my sink, contemplating getting in my car to drive two blocks to get a sandwich. Even if you are a hermit and have been hiding indoors, you would still know it’s hot from all the twitpics and Instagram photos everyone has been posting of the triple digit temperatures.
A couple of days ago I walked a few blocks with my hair DOWN (mistake). The mermaid length hair I once longed for and cherished is now nothing but a curse. My hair is thin and fine so when it’s down and I begin to sweat, things start to get ugly fast. I went home and dumped a bottle of baby powder onto my head to soak up the grease as best I could (this is a necessary trick!) It worked pretty great, but I also had to get my hair up in order to feel like I might actually be able to go on with my life.
While I obviously pay attention to aesthetics, I truly am a no-muss no-fuss person, particularly when it comes to hair. I gravitate towards quick and easy hair techniques year round, but the summer especially is all about being laid back and having fun. Who wants to waste time worrying about hair? Ain’t nobody got time for that!
I called on Martha Lynn of Mirror Mirror Salon to help me show y’all 3 super easy hairstyles that you can effortlessly rock with your dirty summer hair. To give you an idea of how easy these hairstyles are to do on yourself, you should know that we did all 3 styles and photographed them in just 45 minutes! The first style includes my signature Heidi style braids which I continuously get asked how to recreate. People are always so surprised at how easy it is…
The Heidi (or Joanna) Braids:
1) Part your hair down the middle
2) Braid one side
3) Braid the other side
4) Secure one side with bobby pins
5) Bring over the other braid (hiding the tail from the other braid) and secure with bobby pins
For an even quicker version of this, you can do the same steps but instead of doing full braids, just do a twist!
The Messy “Whatever I don’t care what I look like (but I secretly kinda do care what I look like)” Side Braid:
1) Loosely braid hair to one side
2) Hold one piece of the tail of the braid with one hand
3) Use the other hand to push the braid up on itself, this makes the braid a little more interesting!
4) Keep pulling, moving upwards vertically on the braid
5) You can lightly pull apart some of the braid horizontally as well to make the braid appear a little fuller and messier
The “My Hair is Extremely Dirty But I Don’t Have Time To Wash It” Messy Pony/ Top Knot
1) Tease the entire head to add lots of texture
2) Gather hair in a VERY high ponytail and secure hair with a bungee band (the bungee band wraps around and is easier to control than a rubber band)
3) Wrap a piece of hair around the band to conceal the band and secure with a bobby pin
4) Tease the pony a bit
5) If your hair is like mine and doesn’t have a whole lot of body you’ll probably just wanna take the pony a step further and throw it up into a messy top knot. Just wrap the hair around and secure with bobby pins.
If you are interested in getting some hair rehab from Martha Lynn you can go see her at her beautifully decorated salon, Mirror Mirror.
photos by Patrick Meredith
goofy hair modeling by me
hair styling by Martha Lynn Kale
Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish