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Christmas party hair

With the festive season almost upon us, we speak to the experts for tips on achieving that Christmas party hair wow-factor.

Colin Greaney, International Creative Director, Mahogany Hairdressing, Mayfair:

1: What's your go-to style when a client wants a glam look for Christmas/New Year celebrations?

Nothing beats a gorgeous blow dry for wowing at the festive parties, as they show off without fail loads of beautiful bounce, volume and shine. Wearing hair down can show off its lustrous condition and so for longer lengths I’d go for hair gathered into a high pleat at the back of the crown – pushed up into a mini beehive chignon with the luscious blow dry curves left soft around the face. Finish with a dusting of OSiS+ Glamination Strong Glossy Hairspray.

2: What's a super quick but effective party look?

Don’t underestimate the power of well-placed accessories to really jazz up hair, especially if you’re pushed for time. A simple way to spruce up for a big do is to create big sections, prep with a volumising powder at the roots like OSiS+ Dust It, and then use a wand to create curls. Loosely brush them out, tousle and either place a decorated headband or gently sweep hair at the side into a beautifully pearl or jewellery adorned clip for a very nice vintage feel in no time at all.

3: Fave product for party looks?

Without a doubt OSiS+ Sparkler. Spray it throughout the hair, it gives well-conditioned looking results without weighing down. It has a shone polymer too giving lots of glossy shine which is perfect for the glitzy celebrations.

Neil Smith from Barrie Stephen, Leicester shares his top tips on how to get head-turning, festive looks to sparkle:

Shaped like a powderpuff, add some elegance and glamour with a big, bold and beautiful bird’s nest bun! It's oversized, statement and perfect for showing off dresses with detailing around the shoulders. Add a blow-drying volumising product like Schwarzkopf OSiS+ Body Me, for oomph and then pull hair up into a very high ponytail. Divide the ponytail into sections and go mad on getting loads of texture through backcombing and messing the lengths up and then gently wrap hair around the ponytail in layers to build up the big shape. Keep it there with bobby pins and hairspray and finish the look with an embellished headband placed around the base. If you have short hair then just jazz it up for dramatic height.

An amazingly easy Christmas party style is the clean, chic ponytail...with attitude. Cover the top, sides and underside of your hair with a light hold gel and then, using a boar bristle brush, smooth it all up into a high position at the crown of your head and secure. Brush again to flatten bumps and finish with hairspray to catch flyaways. For a more provocative touch, take a section of the ponytail and wrap it around the base of the ponytail to give extra height - don’t be afraid to work it quite high. Smooth serum into the ponytail to minimise frizz, then finally blitz all over with a shine spray to add some gloss to make it a hairstyle to impress. For a slightly different take, why not backcomb the ponytail into textured, messy waves to create some statement rock chick attitude!

Half up half down is a classic Brigitte Bardot style – and so classically sex kitten that it’ll glam up any party outfit. The fuller the hair, the more glam this look, so start by prepping locks with a volumising mousse and blast with a hairdryer at the roots to activate some serious pump. Curl hair then brush out for soft waves. Separate out a circular section around the top of your head and backcomb sections to build up height. Once you’ve got an impressive bump, softly brush the very top layer, smoothing it over your hair at the back. Work the bouffon into the desired roundness and height, secure with pins and then finish with OSiS+ Strong Hold Hairspray.

Jazz up the bun and get festive heads turning with a braided top knot. This isn’t as sleek as the high buns we’ve seen in the past, because now it’s the messy factor that counts. Start off by texturising your hair by applying mousse and then scrunching dry with a hairdryer. Pop your head upside down and braid from the nape to the top of your head – the inverted French plait style will work better for stand out appeal. Tie then gently pull at the plait section to give a more casual touch to the look. Grab the end part of the braid that sits atop your head and twist it into a knot or bun, remembering that it doesn’t have to be polished - the more texture the better. Secure with pins and then cover with hairspray to hold whilst you dance the night away.

Shop the Schwarzkopf range here.

All imagery taken from Pinterest.