Lockdown hair tips please

[PrincessGraceless]

Like many others, my hair hasn’t been (professionally) cut since November, although I’ve taken the scissors to it myself in desperation (not very successfully). It’s shoulder length with layers and a fringe. Looks awful up as layers just hang or have to be pinned back - I can’t seem to make it look nice. Hairslides just don’t seem to suit me (I’m 60). I have to do Zoom calls for work etc and my hair just kind of hangs there - not helped by the fact that my camera is at the bottom of my laptop, so I’m always looking down. Please hit me with your good ideas - anything I haven’t thought of? Can’t bear the thought of this until I can get an appointment, which looks like May as my hairdresser is in demand. Thanks!

Foam rollers. Life changing if you have limp hair. Put in when hair is nearly dry. Leave for two hours. Sides curl under, top curl back . Then style as you prefer, either brush thru to get soft waves or style with straighteners, curling it under instead of holding it in the flat straightening position. You don't need product & it last two days. I got this off a You Tube hair tutorial.

Get a pile of books or a box to raise up the laptop camera.

Spritz dry shampoo or volumising powder for a bit of lift. Keep it on your desk.

Thanks both - hmm, I hadn’t thought of rollers. I have foam and heated. I’ll have a go. And dry shampoo/volumising powder also worth a try.

Well, I dug out my old heated rollers and dry shampoo and - game changer. Hair looks inches shorter, has shape, volume and no longer hangs like curtains when I’m on a Zoom. Thank you! (Still counting down the days to my haircut and colour of course.)

Well done!

I'm now wondering whether to get some heated rollers!

I have given up- not much help but I am too scared to do much to mine. I have been using Moroccan hair oil which has really helped stop the frizz, I tie mine up and try to fudge the grey areas by artistically draping darker hair over the top. I bet it looks crap on camera.

Mine is also just short of shoulder length with layers and a full fringe.

I always cut my fringe myself between professional cuts or I would never be away from the hairdressers. I also always apologise to my hairdresser for how thick my fringe is when I get to her because I cut it straight across rather than chopping into it the way a professional would.

However, a fortnight ago I could no longer live with how messy the rest of my hair was looking on Zoom where I earn my living daily and represent my organisation.

So I watched some YouTube videos and took the plunge. I put the longest length of my hair into two bunches, one each side over my ears, and pulled the elastic bands down to matching points at chin level. Then I took my scissors and literally chopped off the hair at that level on both sides.

Well, it has been a stunning success! The length at the back is quite uneven, but you can't see that on Zoom. From the front, I now have a very neat wedge bob that looks really tidy and shiny (all the wispy ends have gone).

Is it worth you making a more courageous cut?

I got one of those Revlon hot-air brushes, and that is amazing for quickly giving a smooth, sleek, shiny look on my shoulder-length hair. Or I use a diffuser and some TiGi "foxy curls" styling lotion, to scrunch and give a wavy look.

Layers are so hard to tie back;- have you tried using bobby pins behind your ears to anchor back the most wayward bits? They're much more discreet than hair slides.

@CSIblonde please may I ask which foam rollers you use and whether you leave these in overnight?

@ShaunaTheSheep My first attempt came out a bit curly, but I took @CSIblonde ‘s advice and gently straightened. So volume and lift but not curls (for me). I do have straighteners (quite an arsenal built up over the decades) but also a sort of hotbrush hairdryer thing (another relic) which worked very well in smoothing out and slightly curling under (hence losing inches whilst maintaining root lift). Tip with heated rollers is - leave them to go quite cold (or fully cold but that produces more wave). However - in my experience, the curl from heated rollers is always softer and more malleable than from ‘cold’ rollers eg foam. I remember as a kid, we used to boil up (wax-filled) rollers in a pan! Them were the days, as we say Oop North.

@Scarby9 Ooh now you’re tempting me to reach once again for the scissors. And @MacbookHoHoHo - now I’m considering adding more to my arsenal!

Hi, l used cheapo medium size foam rollers from the pound shop as I like soft waves. Another You Tube tip: half way thru the 2hours take out the front & side rollers & apply heat for a second or two then roll back up.

Forgot, no I don't do overnight, too uncomfy. 2hours & you get a style that lasts 2days with no mouse, styling spray, hairspray required. So my hair is in great condition as I only blow dry for 5 mins then go to the rollers.

Hot air brush. Salon glam hair in less than 10 minutes.