Hair trends to turn heads this summer

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Shawn Paik

Changing hair color is a quick affordable way to update your style for the summer.

Lauren Craddock, Staff Writer

Hair trends are a fun and easy way to change up your look without spending a ton of money. Here are some of the biggest spring trends both from the runway and celebrities, and some tips on how to style them for an everyday school look.

The ponytail is timeless. It can be used for a quick fix as you run out the door or transformed into a high-fashion statement look. Teased, high ponytails and low, relaxed ponytails were two major trends on the runway this spring. To get the teased look, make a loose ponytail at the crown of your head. Tease the back of the ponytail for a messy effect, and allow strands to fall out to frame your face. For a sleeker low pony, use an anti-frizz hair oil to calm loose strands, and gather hair into a loose ponytail at the nape of the neck.  Both looks are feminine and appear effortless.

Perhaps the biggest runway hair trend this season is the wet look — a slicked-back style that gives the illusion that you just stepped out of the shower. Lanvin’s runway show featured the style with nearly every look, and it is another look that takes little effort to do. The modern style requires simply pulling hair straight back, out of the face. Use plenty of gel, mousse or hairspray to give hair the appearance of being wet, and brush it straight back and down. You can either leave the ends straightened or secure them in a low pony or bun.

Long gone from the runway are bouncy Victoria’s Secret-esque hairstyles. The bob, particularly a longer, ombre bob, has become a staple this season on and off the runway. Celebrities like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Sarah Hyland, Jessica Alba, Kim Kardashian, Lucy Hale and Rachel McAdams have all taken on the style this spring. The benefits of a shorter hairstyle are as appealing as the effortless style itself. Short hair is easier to manage and keep out of the way on a daily basis, and styling is as easy as blow-drying your hair straight or curling a few pieces for a more tousled look. 

Spring often brings the urge to boldly change hair color. Earlier in 2015, Kim Kardashian, Jared Leto, Justin Bieber and more went platinum blonde, marking a huge trend in bleached hair. Recently, both Hilary Duff and Nicole Richie have sported various colors of the rainbow in their hair. There are various ways to color hair without permanently damaging it, but the biggest trend recently has been the use of hair chalk.  It can be found in many drugstores and beauty supply stores, and it is very easy to apply. A trick to making the chalk last once it is applied to hair is to flat iron the colored areas, locking the chalk in place.

A version of this article appeared in the April 29 print edition.  Email Lauren Craddock at [email protected]