Holiday Hair: Keep It Minimal

I met Jason Lee, celebrity hairstylist and owner of Salonière (and oh ya, he’s danced with Madonna!), back in July when the air was humid, hair was frizzy and nary a thought of the holidays was in anyone’s consciousness. Unless of course you were like me, and soaking in holiday preview week in architectural lofts decked out as cozy winter wonderlands.

Lured by the offer of a hair fix-up, I ended up in Jason’s chair. Within minutes my hair had beachy waves that put Gisele’s to shame. As Jason worked away we chatted about what looks would be hot for holiday parties.

Jason, aware that most women are running on all-cylinders, said that this year hair should be minimal. Sleek. Sophisticated. Easy to do.

He had me at easy to do.

Jason has shared his three go-to holiday hair picks with us today, along with some tips on how to flawlessly achieve these looks.

Tight and Right Bun

Melissa Gorga would be a fan of this look. It’s a severe look that really highlights your face so spend an extra few minutes grooming those brows and perfecting your smoky eye.

How To: Pull your hair back into a centre parted low ponytail. Anchor that ponytail with either a bungee elastic (which has hooks on either end), or an elastic that won’t tear your hair. Then, tease the ponytail and smoothen it out for added volume. Finally wrap the pony into a cool bun and anchor with bobbi pins or hair pins.

Jason’s Pro Tip: A trick that celebrity hairstylists use to create a slick look for the root area when shooting for magazines and red carpets is to simply use conditioner!! Apply a little conditioner to the centre parted area and you will instantly have a slick super fashionable style.

I’m No Soccer Mom

The neighbours will do a double take. Where’s the messy pony? The nest of tangles? The hat hiding the bedhead? Make way for Ms. Sassy pants! This look screams chic and confident, but be careful to execute correctly or else the neighbours will be wondering if you’ve neglected to wash for your hair for a month.

How To: Jennifer Lopez just wore this sultry look at the AMA’s last week. The style is done on clean blown out straight hair and then combed back with a little coconut oil! Just remember that a little goes a long way and don’t forget to warm the coconut oil in your hands before before applying to the hair. Comb the coconut oil through the hair allowing for the mid length and ends to still look dry.

Here’s lookin’ at you, Rita Hayworth:

In contrast to the first two looks, the swooping waves are undeniably feminine. A little bit retro, a lot a bit glam, but still simple and minimal these tresses are a statement. Admittedly, this one is not so easy and requires a few tools. Warm up that barrel curling iron!

How To: The most important step here is setting the hair first. Jason suggests using a 1 1/4″ curling iron to curl the hair away from the face and then anchor the hair with clips. Heating up hair and then letting it cool down holds the hairstyle much longer which is why we set the hair. Once you’ve allowed the curls to sit for 5-10 minutes, then take out the clips and brush the hair out completely. Jason uses a Mason Pearson brush for this step and then uses just his hands to place the waves into a 40’s Old Hollywood wave, hairspraying as he goes.