Cute Hairstyles for School

Just a few more months and school will be over for another year but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still plenty of girls out there looking for cute hairstyles for school. Let’s be honest. Getting out of bed for school just doesn’t allow the average girl much time to fuss with her hair so anything elaborate is pretty much out. Fear not! There are still plenty of quick, easy and cute hairstyles for school you can pull off even with minimal time in the morning.

To start off, let’s talk necessary hair care products. All of these fast, easy hairstyles require very little product, but there are some basics you should invest in.

Straightening Gel: Straightening gel isn’t just for curly hair as the name implies. It can help tame your mane and make it more manageable for styling. Straightening gel is also extremely easy to use. Just put a little in your hair after you shower (when your hair is damp – not still ‘straight from the shower wet’ but not completely dry) and make sure you get it distributed evenly through your hair. I recommend using something light and inexpensive like ‘Scruples Smooth Out Straightening Gel’. It’s low cost but also very effective and has a pleasant scent. You should be able to find it at most drug or department stores in the health and beauty section. If you can’t find it there, check out your local hair salon or buy it on Amazon (Scruples Smooth Out Straightening Gel (8.5 oz)).

A Decent Brush: Not all brushes are created equal. You want a brush that isn’t going to abuse your hair. I personally like massage paddle brushed like the Healthy Hair Bamboo Large Ionic Paddle Brush, Olivia Garden Eco from Amazon (one of the wisest hair investments I’ve ever made) but I would recommend checking your local drug or department stores first. You don’t want to pass up on a good sale, after all. You might always want to check dollar stores or the clearance section at your grocery store. Before my bamboo paddle brush, the best brush I ever owned was a $2.00 brush I bought in the clearance bin. You never know what you’re going to find. Regardless, you want to look for something with gentle but firm bristles that is lightweight and won’t break your hair.

Ouchless Elastics: You can find ouchless elastics at just about every discount store out there and in the health and beauty section at any drug or department store. Ouchless elastics are an absolute necessity for many hassle free cute hairstyles for school. So what are ouchless elastics? What you’re looking for is an elastic with a decent amount of stretch and a coating of some sort over the actual elastic that has no metal clip. The metal clips can snag your hair causing it to break. Elastics in general aren’t wonderful for your hair but ouchless elastics are the worst. I would recommend Goody Ouchless Hair Bands. Goody hair products are top notch. Their ouchless hair bands are a little more expensive than some of the other products on the market but they’re excellent. They last a lot longer than many of the other brands as well. Real quality stuff and available just about everywhere hair products are sold.

Headbands and Hair Claws: One of my absolutely favorite quick and easy hairstyles involves nothing more than a hair claw (we’ll talk more about that in a moment). Headbands are also terribly underrated in the world of hairstyles. Whether you prefer thick bands or thin bands, headbands can definitely come in handy when you’re looking for cute hairstyles for school.

A Multi Setting Hair Drying: Blow drying your hair is generally considered a bad idea but if you’re in a rush, you may have no other choice. For that reason, investing in a decent dryer with multiple heat settings is a very good idea. Getting a decent dryer doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of money. I bought the Conair 225R Blow Dryer for $24.99+shipping and have been pretty impressed with it so far. I’m the clumsy sort so I need something durable. I dropped this sucker three times (different occasions – I’m not that clumsy) and it’s still entirely functional. It has three heat settings and two speed settings so it’s pretty functional. You can buy this model from Amazon but you may also be able to find the same basic model at a local department store. If you can’t find the exact model, you can likely pick up something similarly priced with the same basic options.

A Bun on the Run!

Not everyone is going to have perfect hair when they get up in the morning. If you’re having trouble getting your hair under control, pull your hair back into a messy bun. All you’ll need is a little bit of straightening gel, an ouchless elastic and a headband. The photo above really shows you what kind of style you’re looking for. So how do you do it? Simple.

• Step One: Apply your straightening gel. You only need to use a little bit – just enough to work evenly through your hair. Start at your roots and work it through your hair to the ends.
• Step Two: Separate your hair into sections and blow dry each section. Because blow drying can damage hair, you need to be careful. Keep the dryer roughly three to four inches from your hair and only use medium heat.
• Step Three: Brush out each section of your hair so it’s nice and smooth.
• Step Four: Gather your hair into a loose pony tail at the crown of your head. Keep it in place with one of your ouchless elastics but don’t pull the elastic too tight. You’ll need to loop your hair through it when you’re done.
• Step Five: Twist your hair into bun. Since you’re going for the messy look, it isn’t necessary to make the bun look perfect. Push the ends of your hair through the elastic once your bun is in place.
• Step Six: Loosen up the bun by running your fingers through the front of your hair. This makes the bun a little messier looking and gives it a nice texture.
• Step Seven: Add a head band just behind your hairline. While a lot of people prefer using a skinny black head band, I like thicker headbands. Use whichever you’re most comfortable with.

The messy bun is fun, youthful and easy to do. If you have a little extra time, you can add a hair clip or two to make it a little more interesting but this one is pretty interesting all on its own. Fast, easy – definitely one of my favorite cute hairstyles for school.

Casual Elegance with a Hair Claw

The hair claw has been one of my favorite beauty secrets since I was just a teenage girl constantly looking for cute hairstyles for school that a lazy girl like me could handle. I still wear this one on a regular basis whether I’m going out with friends or sitting at home working. It’s easy, accentuates the neck and works with any face shape. You can also switch it up a little to whatever works best with you. It couldn’t be easier to do, either. All you need? A hair claw!

• Step One: Brush any tangles or knots out of your hair. It doesn’t matter if your hair is wet, damp or completely dry.
• Step Two: Twist your hair around your fist and pull it up to the back of your head.
• Step Three: Decide how much, if any, hair you want hanging in your face. I usually leave a few strands on both sides to frame my face. Pull that hair separate with your free hand.
• Step Four: Put in the hair claw. You want to make sure that the claw is securely in place. If you have thin hair like I do, that may mean keeping the claw more toward the center of your head. If your hair is thicker, you can pretty much put the claw anywhere you like.
• Step Five: Shake your head a little bit. This will give you an idea as to whether the clip is secure and will also help loosen it up a little bit – giving the style a little more body and personality.

Easy, right? You can add a little extra flair to this one by using anything other than a flat colored claw. There are a lot of awesome designs out there. I have a whole assortment of hair claws – all of them purchased for under $5 at drug stores and discount stores. There’s no need to spend a lot of money on these until you want something extra special. Even then, check out discount stores first. You might be surprised what you can find.

The Braid Veil

This one’s easy to do, cute and keeps your hair out of your face while you’re trying to do school work. It’s unique, fun and is something that you can do with only a few minutes to spare. All you’ll need for this one is your brush and six ouchless elastics. I would also recommend doing it when your hair is still somewhat damp although you can do it with dry hair.

• Step One: Brush your hair so it’s smooth and straight.
• Step Two: Pull three sections of hair away from the rest of your hair at the hairline. You only need small, two inch sections of hair . You’ll want one section from the top, one section from the right and one section from the left. Pull all three sections toward the back of your head and secure them with one elastic each.
• Step Three: Separate the top section into two smaller sections. Take the section on the left and join it with the pony tail on the left side of your head. Do the same with the section on the right and the right ponytail.
• Step Four: Take the ponytails on the right and left and pull them into one ponytail at the bottom.

If this one seems a little plain or bland to you, dress it up with hair clips or more brightly colored elastics. You can also add a little more flair by braiding the ponytails together but that can be a bit more complicated and time consuming. Better to experiment with the braids when you have a little more time. If you have trouble with this one on your own, ask a family member to help you out or test it out on your own when you have more time to perfect your skills.