Freshly washed hair is usually soft, and styles can fall out of it easily. Hairstyles work better with dirty hair as it holds the style longer. If you’re in a rush and need to get out of the house, try some dry shampoo for a quick fix, but if you have a little time, here are just ten ideas of hairstyles for dirty hair that you can have some fun with…
1. The braid
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The great thing about a braid is that it can be as messy or neat as you like and you can experiment with how thick or thin you want to make it. It is also the perfect way to disguise the fact that you haven’t had a chance to wash your hair, or simply couldn’t be bothered!
Separate your hair into three sections and braid the three over each other (this might take a bit of practice or the help of a friend if you haven’t done one before, and there are loads of tutorials online).
Braid right to the ends and secure with a hair tie. If you want, you can thicken the braid by teasing the hair out of it a little. This style keeps hair off your face and tied back nicely. If you choose the messy option, leave wispy hair loose around your face, or if you want it neater, use grips and hairspray to secure in place.
2. Bed head
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This one is cheating a little because it’s not technically a hairstyle, especially if your hair naturally acts a bit on the wild side. The idea of ‘bed hair’ is to style your hair as if you have just woken up, but make it look trendy!
Spritz volumizing spray all over the hair before you start. Use a backcombing brush to gently mess up your hair, giving it plenty of volume and an unruly look. It will fall down during the day, so go a little bigger at first. You can use grips or funky clips to section pieces. Finish the style with plenty of hair spray.
If your hair is unwashed, it will already be half way there when it comes to this style, and it is really fashionable at the moment. Be careful when backcombing, don’t get too rough with your hair (it’s delicate and it needs to last you a while)! If your hair is super fine, it might be a bit flat if it is on the greasy side. In this case, go for hippy hair … gentle waves and a cute side clip instead.
3. The bun
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Long or short, most hair types can fit into a bun of some sort (and if the hair doesn’t quite reach, some can be left falling around your face in a messier bun). Use a hairspray first to get the hair working with you. Flip your head over to gather up all your hair. Scrunch it up into a ponytail and twist it tightly around itself. Grip in place securely and finish off with a hair tie (and hair net if necessary).
Just like the braid, this hairstyle keeps your dirty hair off your face and away from your neck. It’s a versatile look and can be dressed up or down depending on where you are going and what you are doing. You can also play around with the position of the bun (high or low on your head).
4. Waterfall braid
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Not as hard as it looks, the waterfall braid is basically a French braid, and dirty hair means it will hold in place for ages. Brush all the knots out of your hair and start the style from the left side of your head (by your ear).
Take a piece of hair (around two inches) and split into three pieces. Now instead of just braiding, French braid it (scoop hair from the scalp on either side as you go) and direct the braid along your head (so from left to right instead of high to low).
5. Double bun
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If it was good enough for Princess Leia in Star Wars, it is good enough for you! Simply part your hair in a straight line down the middle of the scalp so that the hair falls into two equal ponytails in the center of each half. Then just twist tightly into a bun on either side and secure. Double the fun and it keeps dirty hair well away from your neck (out of sight, out of mind)!
6. Fishtail
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Prepare the hair by brushing it and spritzing through some volumizing spray. The fishtail is a bit of a complicated braid, but it’s easy once you get the hang of it.
Separate gathered hair into two parts and hold the hair loosely in your fingers. Take the far left side of one section and braid with the far right side of the second sections and then do the opposite. Secure the style with a hair tie and spray with hairspray.
7. Double braids
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If you’re tired of just a single braid, why not double it and try two – the exact same way you’d do the one, but split your hair down the middle and braid both sides (French braid or regular).
You can even get playful and join the two braids at the bottom with one hair tie. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try two waterfall braids along the bottom of your head or one of the braids over the top of your head like a hairband!
8. Flower power
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This is one of my favorite ways to keep hair that is a few days old up and off my neck, but looking pretty and elegant at the same time. It’s also a perfect style for weddings.
First of all, scoop all the hair across and secure in a low side ponytail (around the level of your ear). From the center of the side ponytail, separate and fan out the hair so it spreads outwards. Then loop the hair away from the center and back around and under.
You will need a lot of clips and some patience, but the end result looks like a flower, where all the hair is fanned out around the ponytail. It’s a great alternative to a bun and looks and sounds a lot more complicated than it is (trust me!)
9. Twist up
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This is a timeless classic style and great for unwashed hair. The best part is you don’t even need to be able to braid hair. Just scoop the hair together in a low ponytail at the back of your head and roll it tight and upwards. Pin it in place. Simple as that!
You can use a fancy grip or clip to pin in place or lots of bobby pins. This hairstyle can look really formal and great for work or an interview and disguising the fact that you might have been in too much of a rush in the morning to wash your hair (they will never know). It is one of the quickest and easiest up styles.
10. Up and simple
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This one is probably the most obvious style to opt for it you are in a rush, but it can also look really cute. Just use a smoothing brush to brush your hair up into a high ponytail. Gather a section from the side (about two inches) and wrap this around the hair tie (so the hair tie now looks like it is made of your hair).
It’s an elegant style, but also great if you do exercise and need to keep hair up and out of the way, without worrying about sections falling out of it. It also looks great with a pretty head band or head scarf.
And there we have ten super simple hairstyles for dirty hair to use when you have no time to wash it. They are all really easy to get the hang of. Unwashed hair doesn’t need to look dirty or drab and can actually be the perfect thing for those experimental up styles.
If you wear a fringe down, it might be a good idea to wash just the fringe over a sink or use some dry shampoo, but as for the rest of your hair – simply pop it up into a style.
Of course, you can put a spin on any of these classic styles with a bit of experimenting and there are plenty of inspiring tutorials on You Tube or ideas in hair magazines. Sometimes all you need is a picture of a hairstyle to be able to replicate it. If you’re stuck, practice makes perfect.
Another great tip is to buy some nice fasteners, clips, hair jewelry, bands, ties and head scarves just to distract people away from how unwashed your hair is, and get them admiring your accessories instead!
How do you style your hair when you haven’t had time to wash it for a while? Do you have any other ideas to add to the list above? We would love to hear your comments below and see you give your fellow YouQueen readers some inspiration.