This Style Blogger Shares Her Secrets to Zero-Effort Curls + How to Get the Perfect Topknot
If you’ve ever scoured Instagram looking for #hairinspo, then you know those girls. The ones whose hair is just, well, ridiculously perfect and absolutely amazing (cue the jelly emoticon now). How do they do it? Lucky for you, we’re getting up close and personal with those Instababes, and asking them to spill their fab hair secrets.
For our first #HairEnvy post, a brand-new beauty series that gives you the scoop on how the Insta-hair elite keep their locks so flawless, we talked with @NYCPRETTY, aka Christine Bibbo Herr. The style blogger and Today.com spokesperson spends her days canvassing NYC and has those glossy, gorge tresses that look like she stepped out of a shampoo ad (and, since she’s an expert on working out, her gym hair is just as gorge). Her effortless regimen combines little product, nighttime topknots and plenty of dry shampoo. Scroll on to get a glimpse of her daily hair habits:
What’s the first thing you do to your hair when you wake up? It starts the night before. Because I work out every day, I usually shower and wash my hair at night, dry it, then put it in a bun. When I wake up, I take it down. Because my cut has long layers, it’s got its own natural wave. It has a lot more body in the morning by being up all night.
Take us through the rest of your morning hair routine. I don’t color my hair, which helps keep it healthy and damage-free. I think that’s why it looks and feels soft. I’m not a big product person, but my hair can sometimes fall flat. If I need extra body, I’ll spritz on dry shampoo, wrap it in a bun and let it out before I have to go somewhere.
What products do you swear by when you can only spend five minutes on your hair? Since I work out a lot, my scalp can get oily. I like Arrojo ReFinish Dry Shampoo ($29) because it has natural ingredients, like wheat, that absorb the oil and give me a little lift at the crown.
What’s your one tip to making your hair selfie-ready? A hand fluff, or hair flip. I always want that blown-by-the-fan kind of look. I’ll turn my head over, give it shake, come up and my hair looks super blown out.
What do you do when you wash your hair? My routine is very quick, a rinse-in, rinse-out and then I’m done. Sometimes I skip a day in between to keep my hair from getting too dry. When I do shampoo, I only do one wash. Other times, I’ll just wet it, then put on conditioner to refresh it from sweat. I love the Yes to Coconuts line because it’s not too drying or harsh.
Air dry or blow dry? Air dry as long as I can, then blast the hair dryer for a few minutes. I do it in spurts: I’ll dry my hair upside down with the dryer, then pin it up in a bun, and then wait for a few minutes before I do it again. I don’t like using the hair dryer too long, because it’s hot and drying on my scalp. At the end, I’ll blast the cool air setting on it, to lock in the style and take away the heat.
What’s your current go-to style? Because I’m sporty, I’m usually in a bun. When I need to do something, I pull it out and it’s got the oh-I-just-got-a-blowout look.
Favorite current work hairtstyle? The high ponytail, which looks cute and put-together always, even after a workout.
Favorite current date hairstyle? I’ll wear it down with a little bit of curl on the ends, which I do with a curling iron.
What’s the one hair product you can’t live without? It’s got to be dry shampoo.
How do you keep your hair looking so glossy even in cold dry temps? I’ll leave the conditioner in for longer and let it sit the whole time in the shower. If I have hand cream, I’ll put it on my hands, and then pat the excess on my hair to take out that static. Body oils also work, but not too much — just a drop, since it can feel greasy.
Since you work out a lot, what’s your go-to style during a workout? A pony definitely, because it keeps strands out of my face, and sometimes I’ll add a little stretchy headband around my hairline. If I’m running outside, I’ll braid my ponytail because it keeps knots away.
What do you do to make your hair look fab after a sweat session — do you use any specific products, like dry shampoo or oil? It depends. If I have to go somewhere after a workout, I’ll only wash the hairline because it’s where the sweat is. So what I’ll do is towel dry it, then blast the hair dryer and add a touch of dry shampoo.
You tend to like the topknot look. Any tips on perfecting a fast and easy one? The faster I do it, the less time I take on it, the better it comes out. I pull my hair into a ponytail, twisting three times around on the top of my head. Then I secure with a bobby pin on the bottom. It’s imperfect but looks polished.
What’s your favorite glam look? I’ll always like my hair down with curls at the end. I don’t want it ever to look too controlled and curly, but having some volume is a really good thing when you get dressed up.
C’mon show us your hair-selfie! Tag us on instagram @britandco with your favorite!
(Photos via @NYCPRETTY)
