Sponsored by TRESemmé

The holidays are here, people. Halls are being decked, fa’s are being la’d, and all of your friends are getting cuffed. The summer salads of yesterseason are long forgotten as we take several excuses to stuff ourselves full of pie and gravy-soaked meats. It should be a time when you give absolutely zero f*cks about your appearance (hi, we’ve earned this), but the promise of family festivities and the threat of your nosy relatives prodding you for being single means you might need a pick-me-up. And by pick-me-up, I mean you might want to look hot for when you go out with your friends directly afterwards in search of some good old fashioned single fun… with the same people from your hometown you tried desperately to get away from when you were 18.

To help you with that, we’ve gathered our best recruits and teamed up with TRESemmé for yet another roundup of (actually doable) DIY hair styling guides. And if, like me, you are too much of a grandma to hit a town that boasts lower than thirty degree temperatures, annoying family be damned, rest assured that these styles are ideal for both day and night. 

Curly Bun With Headband

You have to love a hairstyle for those days in between washes. And now that headbands are trendy again (13-year-old me is LIVING), you can look high-effort with a very easy-to-do look. Here’s how: 

1. Pull hair into a high ponytail.
2. Twist the ponytail to create a bun.
3. Wrap an elastic around the bun, leaving the ends out.
4. Put on a headband of your choice.
5. Play around with moving pieces on top of the headband to give a nice messy look.
6. Spray Micro Mist Level 2: Curl 10-12″ away from hair to lock in your style. 

Voluminous Blowout

Sure, you could spend $50 at the overpriced blowout bar down the block, but wouldn’t you rather save your money for something really important? After all, those holiday gifts aren’t going to pay for themselves. Here’s how to look like a meal when you’re working with more of a snack budget:

1. Spray the TRESemmé Heat Tamer into damp hair all over.
2. Shake TRESemmé Extra Hold Mousse well, dispense into palm. Spread through damp hair, applying at your root for extra volume.
3. To remove excess moisture, rough-dry with hands. Apply tension at the root and blow-dry upwards for lift.
4. Once hair’s mostly dry, section hair. Place the first section under the round brush before blow drying to smooth out strands.
5. Apply tension while blow drying with the round brush to add volume and smoothness.
6. Twist hair free from the brush.
7. Twist the strand with your fingers to hold its shape as it cools.
8. Spray Micro Mist Level 2: Smooth 10-12″ away from hair to lock in your style.

Half-Up Ponytail

Full disclosure, I’ve tried this look a couple of times and I am obsessed. It’s so easy, and another between-wash-friendly ‘do. Also, there’s something very vintage about it that I absolutely adore (especially right now, when 60s styles are resurfacing). Here’s how to look like a high-class Ariana Grande knock-off:

1. Use your brush or a fine-toothed comb to tease your hair at the crown to create volume.
2. Section off the top quarter of your hair and gather it into a ponytail.
3. Loosely secure it with an elastic.
4. Tease your ponytail lightly for more volume.
5. Spray Micro Mist Level 3: Boost 10-12″ away from hair to lock in your style

Sleek Ponytail

If your hair is anything like mine, ponytails inevitably mean flyaways. And while we can’t all laser away our baby hairs like a certain high-profile reality star, there is a way to tame the unwanted fuzz when you’re aiming for sleek instead of sloppy. Here’s how:

1. Part hair in the center and divide hair into sections.
2. Evenly mist the flat iron protection spray on each section of damp hair, about 1-2 pumps per section.
3. Using a round brush, blow dry each section, applying tension to the brush to straighten hair.
4. Continue section by section.
5. Comb through hair to prep before straightening.
6. Straighten hair section by section with the TRESemmé 1″ Ceramic Flat Iron.
7. Use a comb to pull hair back into a low ponytail.
8. Dispense a quarter-sized drop of the TRESemmé Two Mega Firm Hold Sculpting Gel into hand
9. Use fingers to apply the gel along the parting and hairline.
10. Run a comb through hair for a sleek finish.
11. Spray Micro Mist Level 4: Extend 10-12″ away from hair to lock in your style.

I’m not here to promise you that a hairstyle will fix all of the annoyances that arise during the holidays. But it never hurts to feel a little extra hot when the weather and your family’s attitudes are chilly AF. At the very least, you’ll get a fire holiday pic to post to the ‘gram. So blast that Mariah Carey jam, pick up your hair spray and grab a candy cane, for the holidays have arrived.