Tease Me

My sad, tired hair.

What's a gal to do when her hair is looking a little tired in between blowouts? I certainly do not jump for joy every time I have to re-start a hairstyle (drying my hair is my least favorite beauty task BY FAR).  My go-to quick fix is a little teasing. I normally tease on a daily basis to add a little life to my hair look. I know that some people don’t like to tease on a daily basis and that's fine. My hair hasn’t been damaged by daily teasing, but to each her own hair. Anyhow, when I tease my hair, I think…”the higher the hair, the closer to heaven.” Kidding, I absolutely DO NOT live by that mantra. I believe that there is a fine line between voluptuous volume and well…a bee’s nest. Sorry, someone has got to say it and it might as well be me. 

No, just no.

When I tease my hair, I use a backcomb similar to this from Ulta that cost less than $5. I keep one of these combs in my car, at work, and I tend to find them in every purse I own. What can I say, my hair is my “thing” and I come prepared. I like to have a comb like this around because it can work some serious hair magic even if I don’t have hairspray on hand.

My favorite hair comb.

First thing first, I style my hair if needed. Sometimes I tease without using a heat tool on the bottom of my hair. In this case,  I was in serious need of a curling iron.

After curling my hair, before teasing.

After styling, I skip the hairspray. I save that for the end because I don't like to weigh my hair down or dry it out with spray. Okay back to the fun part! Take inch thick sections of hair starting at the crown of your head using the pointed end of the comb. I tease the hair near the root using 6 strokes. I count it out so I don’t over-do it (cue bee's nest reference). Keep working forward, repeating these steps until you reach the front of your hairline…and VOILA. You’re done!

This is about where I start teasing my hair, working my way forward.

Haha, so pretty!

Haha, I am sorry but no matter how many times I tease my hair I laugh a little LOT at this step. I mean come on, hair and beauty is fun, it doesn’t hurt to laugh at yourself. After I create this beautiful bouffant, I use the comb to smooth everything out and part my hair. This is really important because it is at this point that you smooth out any knots that are showing from the teasing. This step really Polishes the look.

Combing Polishes the look.

Also, don’t ignore that ends of your hair. I find that backcombing the ends throughout my hair helps add some volume throughout. I don't wear extensions, so I count on this step to add some texture to my hair.

Add some volume to the ends of your hair by brushing upward.

Finally, shake it out and spray it. I tell my friends all the time and I will say it again, DON’T OVERSPRAY. Unless you are on your way to tryout for Hairspray the musical, there is no excuse for creating a hair helmet. And think about it, how is a certain someone supposed to run their fingers through your hair if you put a spray shield over it? Trust me, just don’t.

All done!

I'm wearing NYX Extreme Lip Cream in Dolly Girl.

For those of you who don’t like to tease I have used a powder product to add some volume. Powders such as this one by Got 2 Be, add some volume to your hair with just a little sprinkle. A hairdresser once recommended this to me to give my hair a break from teasing and I use it every once in a while. I can’t help but stay loyal to my trusty backcomb, which has never let me down. The only problem I have with these powders is that they make my roots really dry and when I touch my hair I can feel the powder. It leaves almost a rubbery feeling to my hair that I don’t love. However the look is great and is a good alternative to traditional teasing.

If you already tease, you know how much it Polishes a look. If you don’t tease, I hope that this helps you to get started adding that finishing touch to your look. Just like a great necklace or bracelet, a great head of hair can make you look and feel like a million bucks!

Enjoy!

--Courtney