Foolproof Tips for Short Hairstyles

Just like bad hair days can overshadow an otherwise perfectly good day, so good hair days can brighten up gloomier times. While there are plenty of factors that contribute to the quality of our "hair days" that are out of our control (like the wind, temperature, or percentage of humidity), there are other factors that we can fully take the reigns of. For anyone who has shorter hair that cannot be simply swept back into a relaxed messy bun or braid on a less cooperative hair day, here are a few great tips to keeping your hair looking fine every day of the year.

1) Use a shampoo that's specifically made for whatever hairstyle you're planning on sporting that day (or until your next hair wash). For example, if you want to flat iron your hair straight, then use a shampoo specifically made for protecting your hair from extreme heat damage; or if you plan on diffusing your hair for a curly hair style, use a shampoo made for inducing curls or waves. Hair is difficult enough to manage without trying to style it against a specific chemical formula that you introduced into it for a very different hair style.

2) Go ahead and blow- dry your hair into whatever style you desire, instead of going to bed with it wet. Shorter hair tends to flatten completely or stick out at odd angles when dry if it is slept on while still wet. Save yourself the pain of trying to tease volume into your tresses the next morning or fixing stray chunks of sticking out hair by simply taking control earlier on during the drying process. If you have bangs, be sure to blow dry them in the direction that you want them to lie; parting your hair in a direction opposite to however you blow-dry it can be disastrous. If you want straight hair with volume, go ahead and blow-dry your hair as you would traditionally do. If you want to have a curlier hair style, try a curling product and add a diffuser to the top of your blow dryer. Work the product into your damp hair as directed. Scrunching up your hair close to your head, use the diffuser to blow-dry curls into your hair-do.

3) Use hair accessories to perk up your hair styles. Fashion has thrown a huge array of fun hair accessories onto store shelves, from headbands to exquisite clips. Since the variety of hairstyles alone tends to be more limited with shorter hair (as opposed to longer hair), these hair accessories are the perfect way to dress up any hair style. Flower headbands are just one of the popular accessories hitting the shelves; perfect for taming otherwise restless locks, these headbands not only hold back disobedient hairs but also add a lovely classic feministic charm to your outfit. Check out the hair products aisle at stores like Target or Claire's to find a huge variety of hair accessories.