Anyone else prefer unstyled hair?

[JeaneCocteau]

I see a lot of posts talking about great hair in terms of Kate Middleton, etc. A very glossy, styled and well groomed style.

If I am honest though I really love hair left almost wildly natural, as in any hair type, texture or any length. When someone has frizzy curls or waves I prefer them only gently treated, if that makes sense? So I much prefer a wild and loose chignon to super styled glossy curls.

I know I know we are all different, but I would love to know if there are others who love this kind of thing, whether you do it yourself or love anyone who's hair runs wild and free in the media (maybe Helena Bonham Carter, Jane Birkin, Geraldine James and so on).

I watch a lot of classical and contemporary instrumental music shows and notice women in orchestras often seem to go for the natural look, whilst also looking well 'groomed'. Being in the arts myself it does seem to be a thing, but perhaps not so popular in the mainstream?

Yeah I don't see it as forcing, more caring for it I guess. I've had curls all my life but it takes a bit more work now due to hair changes (medication) to not have it just triangle like! If I treat it like straight hair or just blow it dry it's 8 inches of cotton wool stuck out from my head

I like it done, but undone if that makes sense?So I add product but I don't brush style it or curl it, I just add product and dry and it does what it wants. Sometimes it's more volume or more definition depending how it feels!

I get what you mean, but there's a line for me between undone and my manager going "what the hell happened to your hair"

I never ever brush my hair. It's super wavy so I run a wide toothed comb through it when it has conditioner on and once more to brush the curl cream into the damp rinsed hair. Then leave it to dry naturally. Next morning use conditioner spray to re hydrate the curls and use my fingers to style. I wish my mum had done that when I was little - I had so many painful brushing sessions!

I love brushing mine, even though it turns frizzy. It calms down later into a nice shiny wave. It can look like a mass of candy floss at first though, but it does seem to settle.

The huge hair pic was lovely, albeit an exaggerated shape. What she is working with there though is magnificent! I honestly think we've all been hoodwinked. Mine isn't anywhere as thick, sadly.

It isn't just the UK with overly styled hair. I mentioned Korea earlier, and many western countries at least like to follow Hollywood trends. I'm glad afros are back, and a lot of younger people I see out and about are wearing natural texture, from curls to waves to sleek.

I think, see, the beauty is in the diversity.

Another pic of natural hair that I love (she'd be told to spiral it on here )

My hair is an unsophisticated confusion of straight and wavy and fat corkscrews and frizz. I can't style it much, as I'm allergic to most styling products. But I've found a lovely, CG-compliant shampoo and conditioner which work well. It looks good with long layers, but I rarely look 'groomed'. My hair does its own thing.

It wasn’t an assumption? I didn’t make any assumptions. You said you could easily pick out all the non British women because they didn’t have the ‘ageing, boring, try hard’ hairstyles with obviously damaged hair. I equated it to the popular mumsnet habit of slavishly insisting that all non British people are super stylish and amazing when in fact that’s not likely to be true. The European comment was attached to that, as I said in that post.

I love that! If my hair was like that naturally I would never straighten it!!!!

Absolutely I do. I don’t use a hairdryer, straightener etc. I’ve always preferred my natural waves.

Stick straight hair does not suit everyone. I wish more women realised this. It pulls their features down in some cases.

DH says I look like James May without my hair styled.....

But when I straighten it, its so thick I look like Hermoine Granger and it springs back into kinks and waves with a gust of breeze.

So, James May it is! 😂

I’d be delighted with James May’s hair as long as I could keep my own face.

My problem is the top layers of my hair are totally different to the underneath and it just looks really unkempt unless I DO something with it.

Kind of like this but in my recent travels to Europe the Insta Beauty type look - heavy make up, very defined brows and lashes, hair styled to within an inch of its life - which appears the norm on our high street is definitely unusual in Europe, in particular Spain and Italy.

I'd say that a more natural and relaxed aesthetic is more common.

It's refreshing

But yes - glad I've met my fellow wild hair people

I prefer hair that looks low effort, and once in a blue moon mine looks good after washing and leaving. I rarely style my hair and most days it just looks shit though.

This is me. If I'm not going anywhere I often don't bother to do either! I am sure the wild and unbrushed look would earn me the label of 'prostitute hair' raised in another thread, but my family have often said I look like a witch! Back in the 1970s I was nicknamed Crystal Tips:

It all depends on the hair surely?

My thick shoulder length hair is not straight nor wavy or curly. If it dries naturally it's mainly straight but not straight enough to be shiny, just rough looking and flat to my head with very sticky out ends and the occasional kink or bend in the lower, unseen hair that sticks out though the upper straight hair. I might look natural but I also look unkempt and neglected.

with a round brush blowdry it's shiny with movement, slightly tousled root lift and waves . Some peoples hair dries naturally like this but it absolutely isn't natural to me. .

I like natural hair on other people but sadly I'm always disappointed by my own frizzy barnet! I do put product in and sometimes I do it straight but it always looks a bit shit and frizzes up again at the first hint of humidity.

Also, my hair seems to grow straight out at the sides! Even if I straighten it, the fine hair at the sides stick out. I have to try to tuck them behind my ears or clip them back.

Most people have hair that isn’t styled within an inch of its life in the real world don’t they?

Even Kate Middleton’s hair would look unstyled after a windy dog walk or a day at the beach. She’s styled for photo opportunities.

That said, a casual loose “arty” chignon is my go to look and it takes me over an hour every morning washing, drying, running straighteners through, putting up…
plus dying my roots blonde monthly, deep conditioning treatments…. 😂

I like doing my hair and women shouldn’t feel ashamed if they enjoy styling themselves the way they want.

I totally get what you're saying, OP. I hate the look and the feel of hair with a lot of product, which is tricky as someone with frizzy hair that's wavy underneath and straighter on top so looks AWFUL unstyled. So basically I spend loads of time styling it to look unstyled!

Wondered when C Tipps would show up. Strangely, not everyone with frizzy, curly or wavy hair looks like a sad cartoon. And I am sure you dont, @Firefly2023!

I always associate a terror of natural hair texture with a lack of confidence and worldliness. Travel outside of twee staycations and sun seeker package tours and a world of natural beauty starts to emerge.

As I said before, it's cultural. Natural hair texture is largely embraced by those from a more artistic, at ease social group (not cash flashers), a kind of quiet elegance and assuredness that doesn't take up space on the front of Hello magazine. Tbh there's something quite powerful about it, in it's understated way.

Hair ""styles"" in themselves always look a bit try hard, the long fake barrel curls, over processed hair, and trending super shiny cuts always look cheaper in my own opinion.

Mine is wild and free. I just scrunch a bit of conditioner in it when it’s dry. I don’t brush it. The grey is being coloured tomorrow though!

@JaneAustenshandbag you are beautiful.

I like both for different reasons. Helena Bohnam Carter is an icon but so is Penelope Cruz.

On me it depends on my mood but it’s usually left to do its own thing (although my version of that is it does nothing, it’s just straight).

Gosh you're gorgeous! You are the image of Minnie Driver!
❤️ hair like this

I do have layers. The shape of my hair is fine, there is nothing I can do to make it look nice without some sort of product and styling.