Lock your hair with luxurious colour and nostalgic styles
Party the night away with luxurious colour, nostalgia-inducing hairstyles, and party-proof texture that will last as long as you do.
- Jumbo box braids: When it comes to braids this season, we want them extra-long, chunky, and not time-consuming. Ditch the full head of micro-braids and go for jumbo box braids reminiscent of the 1990s cool-girl aesthetic, sported by celebs such as Rihanna and Zendaya. Keep things slick by brushing a medium-hold gel into the base of the braids and lay down edges with an edge-control gel.
- Luxury copper: Step aside blondes, copper-heads are having more fun this season. The most covetable hair colour has to be copper — a warm, rich, and luxurious brown with red undertones that’s very complementary to darker skin tones and an easier colour to transition to than blonde, which needs more bleaching and colour lifting.
- Retro headscarfing: Headscarves are the summer hair accessory we didn’t know we needed. Reminiscent of 1950s movie stars, silk headscarves wrapped around the head and neck are ideal for the poolside, a day party, or riding in a car with the top down. They not only create the perfect retro fantasy but also protect locks from the elements. Go for bold, printed colourways and complete with a bold lip and a pair of statement sunnies.
- Dancing-queen texture: Somewhere between grungy mullet and beach-textured waves lies the ultimate style to try this party season for wig and weave lovers. Recreate sweated-out, slightly dishevelled party-girl hair with some loose curls in a straight wig using a curling wand, and make it look more lived-in by scrunching in some styling wax or salt spray. For added party-girl appeal, cut wigs into a soft mullet, with shorter face-framing lengths and longer pieces at the back.
After-party reboot
When the lights go up and the music fades, nurse your partied-out tresses back to health
Throughout the festive season, we will be trying out all the trending hairstyles that we haven’t had the opportunity to rock during the year, so there is bound to be a lot of styling, curling, braiding, and slicking involved.
Condition, then detangle: If you use hair gel or a holding spray on your natural hair or wigs, slather on a generous amount of leave-in conditioner before combing it out to detangle strands, soften knots, and prevent breakage.
Quick refresh: Sweat, confetti, braai smoke, or beach sand — any one of these is bound to land up in our hair during the season, so give hair and scalp a quick refresh with a few blasts of dry shampoo at the roots or in-between braids to remove excess oil, odours, or product build-up.
Bye-bye build-up: Use a scalp scrub before washing with your normal shampoo or keep a minty, clarifying shampoo on hand to help lift build-up, soothe the scalp, and refresh hair.
Heat-protect: If you curl or straighten your relaxed hair or wigs, a heat-protectant spray needs to be part of your arsenal. Excessive heat styling without any protective styling aids can leave locks dry, lacklustre, and vulnerable to breakage. Apply a heat-protectant spray and use a wide-toothed comb to work the product through the strands before introducing heat.
Hit and mist: Whether you’re sporting wigs, braids or natural hair, add something extra to your locks by finishing off your styling with the application of a hair mist in a light, subtle scent. It will not only refresh tresses but also add a lingering fragrance bubble around you.
Party rehab: Put your hair in serious hangover recovery by applying a deep-conditioning hair mask that will restore moisture and nutrients that may have been diminished by over-styling and late nights. Bring wigs back to life by generously applying a deep-conditioning mask, place wig in a plastic bag and leave in a warm, sunny area to help conditioner penetrate. After 30 minutes, remove from the bag and rinse out with lukewarm water as normal.
