September is back-to-school month and many mums will be all too familiar with the struggle of getting their hairdo looking fabulous during the mad morning school dash.
But social platforms like Pinterest and TikTok are a goldmine for time-saving hacks to solve this problem. In fact, Pinterest Trends show a 10,000 percent increase in searches for back-to-school hair inspo and 24 million people have trawled TikTok in the past seven days.
Alice Dawkins, Hair Expert at Milk + Blush, reveals the best hair hacks and styles for time-restricted mums.
For quick glam – overnight curls
With 2 billion views, the #overnightcurls hack took TikTok by storm and is still worth its weight in gold for rushed-off-their-feet mums.
The hack sees people using a variety of tools, such as gym leggings, socks, and headbands, to wrap their hair around and wear overnight for effortless curls by morning.
To achieve the look, start by parting your hair down the middle and applying a styling spray, gel, or foam to minimise frizz and maintain the longevity of the curls.
Then, wrap one section around the fabric, slowly adding more hair with each wrap, like a French braid, until the hair is all wrapped around.
Secure the ends with a scrunchie and leave them overnight or for at least eight hours during the day.
Once the time is up or you wake up, remove the scrunchies and then the fabric.
Finish with some hair serum to break up the curls and smooth any frizz, and you’ll be good to go for the mad morning rush, looking chic and effortlessly glamorous.
For a quick fix – the ‘mum bun’
Commonly associated with mums, buns are a stylish look and are now a go-to style for many as they are the perfect quick fix for jumping out of bed and into the car.
Days-old hair that is flat and oily can be easily styled into a sleek bun, a popular hairstyle seen on TikTok, with 50 million views for #slickedbackbun.
First, hair should be parted down the middle, and smoothed into a low or mid ponytail using a backcomb brush and some gel, finish by twisting the ponytail into a bun, secure it in place and add hairspray for extra hold.
Alternatively, mums with natural volume to their hair can rock a messy mid or high bun, which looks put together and textured instead of frizzy and unruly, as highlighted by the popularity of #messybun, with 2 billion views.
Start by pulling the hair back into a ponytail, taking some hair from the crown area for before securing it with an elastic.
Twist the remaining hair into a bun and secure it with pins, before pulling loose some of the hair to make the bun look slightly messier and larger.
To finish, spray with hairspray for hold and if you prefer some face-framing, pull the front pieces of hair loose from the bun.
For easy volume – full looking ponytails
Keeping your hair out of your face is a must for efficient driving, especially on days when you’re late on the school run. A full and bouncy ponytail is the way to go.
#pontailhairextension is a popular TikTok hashtag with over 5.2 million views and sees users sharing their favourite hacks to create thick and stylish ponytails with hair extensions.
Ponytails also feature prominently on #mommyhairstyle with 15.1 million views.
The simplest way to achieve this look is with clip-in ponytail extensions.
Start by straightening your hair, so it will blend easily with extensions, then pull your hair back into a high ponytail and secure it with an elastic. For added volume, comfort, height and security, tie an extra elastic an inch away from the other and begin attaching the clip-in ponytail by wrapping it around your natural pony, securing the clip or velcro and wrapping a section of hair around the top of the ponytail to conceal it before fixing it in with a bobby pin.
But if you want to try a ponytail with a twist, then a clip-in braid extension will give you an added sleek and sophisticated touch.
For in-between washes – A quick rinse on top
Wishing you had washed your hair the night before as you look at your flat and greasy locks in the mirror is never ideal, but one genius TikTok’er has found a solution to this problem which takes just five minutes.
Start by parting your hair down the middle, and using a comb, section the top centre pieces, before tying the remaining locks into a ponytail and dipping the top into a sink of warm water.
Squeeze the excess water and shampoo the section as you normally would in the shower before rinsing again and ringing out the excess water.
Then, take a round brush and hairdryer or a round brush dryer and blow-dry the washed hair, wrapping the hair away from the face for framing and volume.
You should be left with a clean and voluminous section of hair which covers any flat or oily-looking locks underneath. Kiss your little one goodbye looking like you’ve had a fresh blow wave.
To add extra volume to other sections, use a dry shampoo and work it into the roots.
