Thanksgiving is the start of curly hair season. And curly hair means heated tools which can cause breakage and hair to lose its luster when combined with the dry fall and winter air. But that doesn’t have to happen when you plan your long hair hairstyles before the big day. And we’re here to help.
Each of the looks below are perfect for long hair and Thanksgiving dinner as they can be kept out of the way if you’re cooking and let down when guests arrive. Each of the three holds nicely when you need to travel but are short on time, and don’t want your hair to fall flat.
Best of all, none of them use heated tools which gives your long hair time to hydrate and repair dry air damage. And they look great so family and friend portraits, or candid shots will always be a hair win.
If you’re ready to "dish a tasty look" this year, here’s our top three long hair hairstyles for Thanksgiving.
Heatless Curls
If you want bouncy curls that shine, and want to give your locks a break from heated tools, this style is for you. Heatless curls work perfect for Thanksgiving both if you’re hosting and if you’re traveling.
Your hair is held up and out of the way so if there’s a puff of flour while prepping gravy, your hair is protected. And if you’re driving an hour or two for dinner, your hair is styling itself while you travel saving you time.
Once it's time to release, simply undo the buns, run your fingers through your hair to get your curls to the shape you want, and spritz a quick finishing spray to secure them in place.
You will need:
- 9 hair ties
- Styling mousse
- Finishing spray
To create this look:
- The night before, or if you have 8 hours of time during the day, dampen your hair and run styling mousse through it.
- Secure your hair into 9 or 10 ponytails and style each into a tight bun.
- Once the buns have held for at least eight hours, release them and gently sculpt the curls to the right levels with your fingers, then spritz them with the finishing spray.
High Bun and Waves
Sometimes you just want waves, and heatless waves are easy to do so your hair can relax while you enjoy Thanksgiving. Just like the style above, your hair will be held in a high bun so it is out of the way while you prep for the holiday.
And once it's time to get ready for dinner, you simply let your hair down, style it with your fingers, and lock it in with hairspray. The largest difference here is that you do one larger bun so the spirals are larger. This creates waves instead of curls when you release your locks.
You will need:
- Two hair ties
- Styling mousse
- Finishing spray
To do this look:
- Dampen your hair and run styling mousse through it.
- Pull your hair into a high ponytail at the crown of your head using the first hair tie, and with two fingers, twist your hair into a coil.
- Wrap the coil around the base of the ponytail to form a hair bun and secure it with a hair tie.
- Let this sit for at least 8 hours while you sleep, travel, or prep the holiday meal, and release it once it's time to get ready for dinner.
- Run your fingers gently through the waves to get the wave pattern you want, and secure the waves with the finishing spray.
Flat-clip Half-up With Twists
The last style is perfect for everyone from guests to hosts. The flat hair clip lets you lay back flat if you need a quick power nap, or sit back and relax while enjoying your friends and family. Because the flat clip doesn’t have an “ouch” moment when you put your head against a chair or the couch, its the ultimate Thanksgiving hair accessory.
The flat-clip, half-up, twisty hairstyle holds comfortably, has texture, and only takes a minute to do making it perfect if you’re in a rush, or want some extra quiet time to relax before dinner.
You will need:
- A hair brush
- A flat claw clip
- One hair tie large enough to hold a ponytail
- Brush any knots or tangles out of your hair, you can always use your fingers as well.
- Separate your hair into a top and bottom section around temple height and secure the bottom into a low ponytail with the hair tie.
- On both sides of the top section, section out two medium thick strands of hair.
- You can do this next step separately or at the same time once you have practice. With two fingers, twist the smaller sections of hair until they form a coil but don’t bend into themselves, and secure them into the flat clip at the back of your head.
- Now release the ponytail and lower portion of hair and style it to your liking.
