New Hair Trends for Spring

There may still be a chill in the air, but there's a clear forecast for spring hair: It's coming undone.

As relaxed silhouettes, bright colors and textured lightweight fabrics paraded down the New York fashion runways, hairstyles also unwound -- think the disheveled glamour of Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively and Sienna Miller.

"This spring, you're perfect in a cool pair of jeans, a simple shirt and a beautiful jacket," says Jeanne Yang, who styles the likes of Keanu Reeves and Katie Holmes, with whom she also designs the fashion line Holmes & Yang. "Your hair should have the same vibe -- like you're pulled together, but not trying too hard. Nobody wants to look like they've just sat in a salon for an hour."

Hair is getting shorter, cut in long layers just below the collarbone or at the shoulders. Beverly Hills stylist Byron Williams, who tends to the tresses of Selena Gomez and Eva Mendes, has been chopping flowing hair to 2 inches below the collar bone for an "edgier, fresher" take on surfer-girl sexy. Still, says, Lori Morris, senior editor of American Salon magazine, "There's no big haircut of the season. Curls are relaxed and wild, and ponytails are loose and messy, as if you've just played tennis for an hour." Jamal Hamadi, a favorite stylist of Kirsten Dunst, says come spring he'll start with a shoulder-length cut that has jagged ends for more natural texture. "You want to look like a messy child," he says.

Want to get a jump on spring? Here's how to achieve what will be the season's big four hair trends:

1. Loose Waves

For this surfer-girl look, start with day-old hair that has some texture and body to it. Dampen your wavy locks with a texturizing spray, then scrunch random pieces while you blow-dry with a diffuser. If your hair is straight, wrap 3-inch chunks around a large-barreled curling iron. Finish with a light-hold hair spray.

2. Messy Braids

The look: braids with attitude. Spritz hair with a texturing spray, then part to the side, letting loose strands fall around the face. Gather hair into a slightly-off-to-one-side ponytail. Braid loosely and secure with an elastic band. Cover the band by winding strands of hair around it. Fasten stray strands with a bobby pin.

3. Textured Ponytails

The ponytails that bobbed down the spring runways were a bit less sleek than usual. With the tails textured and a little bit wild, they were a fetching mix of control and chaos. To get this look, smooth your hair with a dab of gel, and then brush it into a high ponytail. To texturize the tail, flat-iron hair and then mist it with sea-salt spray. Pull clumps apart for that cool, unkempt, out-at-the-club-till-4 a.m. look.

4. Hot-rollered Hair

For sexy tousled waves, wind haphazard sections of your hair into hot rollers. Leave in for five minutes, then remove and fluff the curls with your hands. If the waves are too voluminous, lightly brush. Place a dab of shine cream onto your palms and work onto the surface of your hair, then mist with a light-hold spray. "I wore hot rollers in my hair as I drove to a wedding," says Yang. "When I got there, I pulled them out and headed to the party. Everyone kept telling me my hair looked fabulous -- little did they know I'd just styled it in my car!"

 

Alison Singh Gee is a former style features writer for People magazine and has also written about fashion, beauty and design for InStyle and Marie Claire. She is the author of two books, including the upcoming memoir The Peacock Sings for Rain.

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