London Fashion Week was a while ago now, but it’s that time of the season where I’m starting to think about all the upcoming holiday parties – and more specifically, how I’ll dress at these parties. (Confession: I recently impulse bought a sparkly bag and skirt because I’m sure there will be an event to wear them to in December. As long as I get party invites, that is…!)

To help get ready, ghd sent over step-by-steps of some of the hottest looks from the runway in September, and I’ve put my skills to the test to replicate a few these looks: the Teased, Tied Up and Unleashed. I picked these looks because they feature curly / wavy hair, and while this movement can be tonged in I enjoy finding new ways to style my natural hair.

Along with the step-by-step and illustrations, the team at ghd sent over two styling products to get me started: the Straight & Tame Cream* and the Root Lift Spray*.

The Root Lift Spray* is designed as a pick-me-up for hair prone to looking limp and lifeless when hair’s either towel dried or dry. Just spritz 1-2 pumps on the underside by the roots, tip your head upside down then blast with a hairdryer. Result! 

The Straight & Tame Cream* is designed to ‘bring curly and rebellious hair under control’. I found it did just this, and was useful to both smooth out frizz on second-day bed head, as well as when I worked it through towel dried hair and dried with a hairdryer on low heat. Be a bit generous with this one, starting with a few pumps and working your way up depending on length and thickness.

Two of these looks call for my hair to be up, so of course I needed an elastic. I went for a thin elastic band because I didn’t want the elastic to show. I picked these up at ASOS a while ago, but this type of elastic is available at most beauty retailers on the high street.

I also used hair grips (bobby pins in the USA, known as kirby grips in the UK, but I’m going to call them hair grips in this post!) to secure the bun and make the ponytail look a bit more polished.

1. Teased

‘The Tease’ features that half bun – or ‘Hun’ – that’s so trendy right now! This is a look that’s been growing in popularity since the spring, and the half up / half down look has me reminiscing about the 1990s.

This one is super easy to do, and is great for looking put-together / hiding bed head on the days when the alarm just hasn’t gone off. (Or maybe you snoozed through it – I’m not judging! It’s super easy to do:

1. Split your hair top / bottom and secure with an elastic in a half pony tail. (If you’re really pinched for time, you can call it a day here and head out the door!)
2. Put that ponytail in a bun! (Shortcut: don’t pull the ponytail all the way through during step one and make a kind of ‘lazy’ bun!)

My hair has a lot of natural movement so I used the Straight & Tame Cream* to smooth my curls out a bit for this look, but if you don’t have naturally curly hair then you can always use tongs or dry your hair in twists to bring some movement to the look. (But it’d also look fab with straight hair!)

For the above look I split the ponytail into two sections, and wrapped half around the elastic in one direction and secured with a hair grip, before doing the same in the opposite direction with a hair grip. This gives the effect of a messy bun with twists.

For this Hun I skipped the hair wraparound method and saved time by creating a bun by not pulling my hair all the way through when I was making the ponytail. The bun doesn’t look as polished or thick as the first one pictured, but it does meet the brief and it still looks great!

Of the two half buns I tried I’d wear the first for a night out, and think it’d look great with any 1990s inspired pieces (oh hey there, flatforms and crop tops!) and would be great for either a relaxed night at a a house party or glam evening at a cocktail bar.

2. Tied Up

The Tied Up is a simply ponytail, but with a bit more thought put into it than my typical ‘hair out of my face’ ponytail for yoga. Like the half bun, it’s also really easy to create:

1. Pull your hair back to the crown of the head, secure with an elastic.
2. Taking a section of the hair from the ponytail, wrap it around the band and secure with a hair grip.

Before pulling my hair into a ponytail I used the Root Lift Spray to add a bit more volume to the look, and worked a few pumps of the Straight & Tame Cream through the lengths to helps smooth out the curls and get it looking a bit more sleek.

If you don’t have naturally curly / wavy hair (or if you want to give your curls a different range of movement than their natural), tong in some curls starting at the nape of the neck, using 4cm sections. Repeat up to the top incorporating the sides before securing in a ponytail.

I like how sleek this looks, and just how simple it is to do. Wrapping the section of hair around the elastic band helped create a bit of distance between the ponytail and the back of my head, which a bit of definition to the style.

Like the Teased, this is also a great hairstyle for the days when you’re short on time before work. Alternatively, if you get to work and realise that your hair down style isn’t working, then this is a quick and simple solution! I’d probably wear this style for a night out dancing so that I can keep my hair out of my face while I shimmy, and also look put together for any pictures that may happen.

3. Unleashed

Out of the three, this was actually the trickiest for me to do! This was mostly because I wasn’t trying to add curls to my hair, but rather smooth them out to waves. To do this, I worked about 5-6 pumps of the Sleek & Tame Cream* into towel dried hair and blasted with a hairdryer while combing with my fingers until it was about 60-70% dry. Then I spritzed the twists with L’Oréal Professionnel Curl Contour Spray* and blasted with a hairdryer again while slowly shaking out the twists, leaving me with waves and a finished look.

However, if you’ve got straight hair or want to change the shape of your curls, you can always tong in the curls. When hair is dry, section the hair into quarters. Taking the hair in 3cm sections, wrap around the tong midway down the hair and wrap the hair flatly around the barrel, leaving the ends out. This look is called Unleashed, so don’t worry about symmetry and make sure to wrap the hair in different directions to avoid it looking too polished. Repeat until all the hair is curled, then brush through lightly with your fingers or a loose comb to encourage the curls into waves.

I like this look for a new take on my everyday ‘hair down’ look, and will definitely keep working at it to see if I can encourage my natural curls into even looser waves. I’d also wear this style for a night out, as hair down styles are my go-to look.

Over all I think all three of these hairstyles would work well for the office, as well as a night out. Which of these looks is your favourite? Which will you try?
Please note: while the products marked with a star (*) in this blog post were gifts, the views expressed are my own.