Bad hair days, tips for newbies!

[lapushka]

We all have them: bad hair days. Some are *so* bad during the growing out process however, and during certain awkward stages, that we tend to want to grab for the scissors. I'm TBL+ now, so haven't had that issue in a long time. So... How to you get past that "stage"?

My n°1 tip is, if it lays badly, try and comb/brush it. If that doesn't work. Try and put it up in some way. If need be: wash it. A new wash, a whole new hairdo. Trust me on that.

What are your n°1 tips? Please share!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

If you are having a bad hair day where your hair just won't behave - then - either do a French braid - they always look good. Or - put it up with a claw clip or a pretty barrette or a bow. A pretty hair toy can distract from the bad hair. Do this daily until your hair will behave.

Chances are that you are being over critical of your hair anyway and others won't be seeing it as being as bad as you do. They will be thinking about their own problems.

And always remember that your hair is growing more beautiful daily; that it is longer today than it was yesterday. :)

[KittyBird]

Put it up in a bun or a half-up with a pretty hair toy! That's pretty much the only tip I have. ;)

[missblueeyes]

Whenever I have a bad hair day, I just ask my BF what he is thinking about my hair. If he says it looks good, I know that it's just my perception and my perfectionism playing a trick on me. If he says it doesn't look too well (which honestly only happens when it's greasy) , I usually go for a braid. :)

[Katlette]

My n°1 tip is, if it lays badly, try and comb/brush it.!

Brushing with a boar bristle brush works particularly well for me. If I've slept on it oddly or I'm further on in my wash cycle and I'm starting to get misbehaving waves: BBB to the rescue!

For more serious bad hair days (frizziness in the length, bad scalp cleavage with all possible buns), I lightly oil the length and dutch braid it. For some reason, dutch braids save my bad hair days better than french ones, possibly because I'm better at making them smooth.

[Arctic]

Most of my bad hair days are caused by my cowlicks at the crown. Or sometimes the ends have dried weirdly and look dry. For the latter, I apply a bit of leave-in conditioner (which is my normal conditioner), and for the firt one, uh oh. Sometimes nothing works, often a french type braid or tight-ish bun does the trick. Or put on a cool hat!

[missrandie]

During the awkward growing out of pixie stage, headbands are a lifesaver. I can't really do thick headbands, but the cheap 4 pack at Walgreens of plastic narrow headbands has saved my bacon.

[Hurven]

When my hair won't behave I just put it in two pigtail braids and forget about it until washday.

I'm in the progress of growing out my fringe and I'm in a really awkward stage at the moment, so I just twist my fringe away from my face and secure them with one or two bobby pins. It always works for me. :)

[YvetteVarie]

My bad hair days consist of my hair just poofing up and making my head bigger. My solution is to just bun, and use a lot of gel to make it lie low. Then have a cowash the next day and wetbun :)

[elea]

I just do the hair-do that works with the hair i get up with or reach for the spray water bottle.
No point faffing right? So many hair-dos to choose from, someone has to decide... I let the hair choose.

[butter52]

I can speak for wurly short ackward stages where brushing and puting it up is a no-no:

bobby pins are your best friends
changing the hair part sometimes makes a big difference

[sarahthegemini]

My number one tip is: WASH YOUR HAIR WHEN IT NEEDS WASHING. Don't be scare-mongered into thinking that washing your hair more than twice a week is a huge hair sin. Because it isn't.

[laceyfairy]

Realize not every day can be a good hair day. Get it out of the way. If it's being especially bothersome, I go for a bun high enough up that I can slouch in bed and get distracted online or in a book

[Grond]

I often have days when my hair wont behave properly, and those days. the hair gets the hat/buff, If its loose and I don't have the patience to un-nest it properly, i wont even bother. being frustrated and pressed for time when untangling a mess makes for a bad time. i set it in a loose braid+bun and pull a buff-tube over it, and leave.

Might not be for everyone, but Its nice to just stall for a few hours, cough* (days)

[meteor]

1) Realizing that no real hair on the planet can always looks good. Even Rapunzel had bad hair days. :lol:

2) If you don't care or don't have time, put it up and forget about it. ;) Adding an accent braid/twist or two or even changing a part and adding an accessory will help. :)

3) If you have time and really want to make your hair look great, do a heavy pre-poo oiling for a few hours, clarify and follow up with a deep treatment like SMT or gelatin mask or conditioner + oil + honey. Then set hair in rollers or do some other damp-setting technique. On hair in good condition, styling is usually all the difference between a "good hair day" and a "bad hair day".

[Nadine <3]

Braids. I braid my hair, and pin my bangs back and add a pretty bow or a headband or something, that seems to help. If it's really really bad, I just wash it or re-wet it and condition it.

[lapushka]

If it's really really bad, I just wash it or re-wet it and condition it.

Yep, I agree re-wetting, esp. before washing it fully, is always a good option.

[Spun gold]

Grond. I love your method!! As. Newbie I think it is so helpful to remember EVERYBODY has a bad hair day sometimes. My fringe is growing out at the moment so mine are happening a lot. I put my bad hair day hair up in a chameleon bun because it stays the best for me. Then I come to LHC and look for kindred spirits who have long hair love and plan for the future. Sometimes if I've been busy at work, I don't even realise I've had a bad hair day until it's too late.

[Robot Ninja]

Dutch or French braids. If your hair is long enough, practice practice practice until you can do them. They are extra helpful on those "my hair just does not want to be up" days, since they help to anchor a bun and of course can be worn on their own; not as protective as a bun, but you can show off your length and pretend you are Lara Croft.

[Entangled]

English braids for me actually. French and Dutch braids are horrible if your hair is stiff and tangly--too much sectioning. I'll put it up and ignore it. Recently I've been into benign neglect and my tangle teezer went missing, so my solution is to wash all of my hair (I usually scalp wash every other day with one full wash a week), detangle in the shower with conditioner, and use coney detangling spray. Don't mess with your hair when it's annoying; leave it be and put on some nice clothes or earrings. Impatience just breeds frustration. Of course, for me, my solution to bad hair was growing it to a manageable length. Waist length hair is way easier than any of my other lengths.

[Agnes Hannah]

Smooth it all down, swirl it up into a nautilus, or french pleat or a simple fold up, then fix it with a ficcare or claw if it really wont behave!

[gwenalyn]

For me, there are two categories of bad hair days: greasy hair, and failed no-heat styling hair.

Greasy hair:

Dry shampoo. I feel like I beat the dry shampoo drum a lot around here, but I guess that's just how much I love it.
Water only wash/rinse. I do this if I'm about to take a shower anyway.
Updos. Slicked back ponytail/bun. It's not really *my* look, but it's *a* look when I can't do anything else. Lace crown braids are great for just "forgetting" about my hair for the day.
Anything to keep greasy bangs off my face: pins, headbands, mini claw clips, even a pair of sunglasses, in a pinch.
A full wash, if necessary


Fail hair:

Half-ups. I get triangle head when I try to curl, or only the ends curl, or only the sides curl, and a simple half up (with a claw clip) is transformative.
Braids & buns--this is actually the only way I can get reliable volume.
Water only wash.

[RainbowBowser]

This happened to me on the trip I took last weekend actually.
I made the mistake of using a coney serum that is meant for curly hair.
My hair really tangled up all nasty and I didn't want to wash my hair again so I just did CO (I just used the conditioner at the hotel, I just needed the stuff to at least be partially rinsed out).

[Princess_Anna]

What usually works for me is:
1. Dry shampoo if greasy (most of my bad hair days are because I've not washed it)
2. English braid to the side if enough volume to keep my head from looking like an egg
3. If that fails, cinnabun with spin-in-pins. Keeps it out of my face, looks relatively formal, doesn't take much time, and will stay all day

I often find french or dutch braids make my hair look more greasy than it is. If I do the cinnabun with bobby pins or a hairband I find it falls out a lot.

[Upside Down]

Dry shampoo for visible parts, style the front (poof, twist...) bun or braid the back.

However, when too short to bun or braid, twists were my friend. I'd do two twists and end in a single elastic then turn that into a bun or gibson tuck.