Style
16 Hair Hacks Every Grown-Ass Woman Needs To Know
Long gone are the days of waking up hours before school starts in order to wash, blow dry, and flat iron your hair into submission. Now are the days of grown-ass womanhood — with less time to spend on yourself, you'll need to rely on the best hair hacks to get out the door fast.
I'm talking about hair tips and tricks that can make it easier to wash, style, and generally care for your hair, all while still keeping it healthy and shiny. Most importantly — I'm trying to hook you up with hair tips to get your hair done faster, so that you can sleep in later.
Though hair types vary, there are plenty of easy changes anyone can make that can mean the difference between lush, gorgeous hair and wanting to wear a hat every day. After all, there's one ingredient that's vital for every hair type: TLC.
These hair hacks may seem basic to some, but it's reliable hair tricks like these that should be in every woman's arsenal, saving time and saving hair health. And hey, if you're still flat ironing your hair every morning, no judgment from us. We've got tips for you, too.
1Use An Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse To Eliminate Product Buildup
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Finishing Rinse, $15, Amazon
This organic apple cider vinegar finishing rinse is designed to use after shampooing and/or conditioning hair, neutralizing the alkali remnants of those products and keeping bacteria on the scalp to a minimum. When you're using styling products frequently, they can cause buildup on your scalp — leading to dryness and itchiness. This rinse, which is also made with green tea and rosemary, will rid you of that buildup and leave you with shinier, softer hair.
2A Hot Air Brush Will Create Volume With Ease
John Frieda Hot Air Brush, $27, Amazon
This hot air brush from John Frieda works like a round brush on already dry hair. It produces a soft stream of air in three different temperature settings to allow you to style your hair and give it serious volume. It's great for days when you want to save time by washing and drying your hair the night before, then styling it in the morning — and it'll give some oomph to second and third-day hair, too.
3A Heat Protectant Will Save Your Hair From Damage
InstaNatural Thermal Protector Hair Spray, $14, Amazon
Heat may be the key to styling your hair, but it can also cause damage and breakage over time. This thermal protector hair spray can prevent hair damage otherwise caused by curling irons and straighteners, so you can continue to use heated products without slowly damaging your hair. It's fortified with vitamin B5, sunflower seed oil, argan oil, and more.
4Shampoo With A Scalp Massager To Stimulate Roots
Rolencos Scalp Massager, $9, Amazon
A massaged scalp is a happy scalp — not only because it feels nice, but proper blood flow to the scalp will strengthen the roots of your hair and nourish the hair shaft. This scalp massager can be used on its own or with shampoo in the shower, so that you can massage your scalp each time you wash your hair. It's completely waterproof and even has a convenient handle for an easy grip.
5Apply A Hair Mask To Repair Dry Hair
ArtNaturals Argan Oil Hair Mask, $13, Amazon
If your normal conditioner isn't cutting it for your dry hair, try a hair mask to inject some moisture back into your strands. This argan oil hair mask is also made with organic jojoba oil, oat protein, and hydrolyzed keratin to help repair dry and damaged hair. It's ideal for anyone who has damage from color or heat styling — and this one also protects hair from UV rays.
6Preserve Hairstyles Overnight With A Silk Pillowcase
Alaska Bear Natural Silk Pillowcase, $20, Amazon
Perfect for anyone who hates waking up with frizz in the morning — these hair-friendly silk pillowcases are made with mulberry silk, and they're gentler on hair than your standard cotton. That means once your alarm goes off, you'll have less breakage, no frizz, and easy-to-style hair that will save you a ton of time in the morning.
7Keep Blonde Hair Blonde With A Purple Shampoo And Conditioner
Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo And Conditioner, $19, Amazon
Once you bleach or highlight your hair to blonde, it can be difficult to maintain the shade you want without having it turn dull, brassy, or orange. This purple shampoo and conditioner duo specifically balances out orange shades to keep your hair a bright blonde, and will also remove the yellow in gray hair as well. It also contains lots of moisturizers to keep your highlights fresh and your hair soft.
8Keep Curls Natural Looking With A Curling Wand
Remington Ceramic Curling Wand, $24, Amazon
This ceramic curling wand from Remington is unlike other curling wands, because its ceramic wand is infused with real pearl — ideal for natural, frizz-free curls. With a cone-shaped design, you can use different portions of the wand to get curls and waves of different sizes, and it heats up fast and has automatic shut-off, too.
9Rid Hair of Dandruff With Tea Tree Oil
Maple Holistics Tea Tree Oil Shampoo, $11, Amazon
Dandruff can be remarkably persistent, despite the many anti-dandruff shampoos on the market. This tea tree oil shampoo approach to dandruff is a different story, stopping dandruff before it starts by deeply moisturizing hair follicles and the scalp. It also has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, preventing dandruff and other scalp conditions. One Amazon reviewer raves, "Works exactly as it says, and your scalp will tingle pleasantly after using...love it!!"
10Brush Wet Hair With A Detangling Brush For No Breakage
Crave Naturals Detangling Brush, $11, Amazon
Struggling with hair tangles can be a real hassle, and this detangling brush is ready to save the day. It's designed to glide through hair of any type while it's still wet, getting rid of any tangles — but preventing the breakage that traditional brushes and combs can cause. You can use it to detangle dry hair, too, for lots of shine.
11Try Shampoo Infused With Caffeine For Hair Loss
Ultrax Labs Caffeine Hair Stimulating Shampoo, $50, Amazon
If you suffer from hair loss or thinning hair, try this stimulating shampoo made with caffeine, which can extend the life cycle of hair follicles and result in less fallout. It's also formulated with ketoconazole — an ingredient typically found in dandruff shampoo that may help people with thinning hair — and saw palmetto, which may block enzymes from turning into DHT, a major cause of hair loss.
12Prevent Hair Damage With A Filtered Showerhead
Culligan Filtered Shower Head, $30, Amazon
If your tap water is less than desirable — filled with chlorine or sulfur, for instance — your hair can really dry out from it in the shower. This filtered shower head, which limits the passage and growth of bacteria in your water, will provide the kind of water that keeps your hair shiny and soft. It also has five different shower head settings, so even the pickiest among us can find the perfect water pressure.
13Get Major Volume With A Texturizing Spray
ORIBE Dry Texturizing Spray, $46, Amazon
With this dry texturizing spray, you can get serious volume while refreshing your hair, since it also functions as a dry shampoo. It'll absorb oils while also providing some texture, which can make hair easier to style or just give you an effortless, tousled look. Bonus: it smells amazing, too. This is perfect to use on flat hair anytime, or the day after you take a shower.
14Dry Curly Hair With A Special Diffuser
DevaCurl Devafuser, $28, Amazon
If you have curly hair, applying heat from a blow dryer can often take away some of the curl's definition. But what if you need to don't want to leave the house with wet hair? This bizarre yet effective curly hair diffuser provides air flow from every angle, preventing frizz. This way, you end up with soft, touchable curls with tons of bonus volume, with no teasing required. Plus, it promises to work for all curl types, too.
15Fake A Professional Blow Dry With A Round Brush
Xtava Double Bristle Body Brush, $17, Amazon
There's nothing quite like that just-got-back-from-the-salon look — or is there? With this bristle body brush, you can blow dry and brush your hair while styling for a huge amount of volume, giving you the appearance of a professional blow dry. Its many bristles are excellent for detangling, and its seamless design was created to avoid dreaded blow dryer snags.
16Eliminate Frizz With A Dry Conditioner
Eva NYC Forget Me Knot Dry Conditioner, $12, Amazon
Okay, so you've almost certainly heard of dry shampoo. But there' s another product you need to know about for those days you don't want to wash your hair: dry conditioner. This gets rid of frizz, and smoothes and adds shine to hair, too. It's best when used in conjunction with your favorite dry shampoo, which can sometimes leave hair feeling dry and crispy.
Bustle may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from Bustle's editorial and sales departments.