Festival season is in full swing and aside from the portaloo situation, there is nowhere we would rather spend our Summer. If you’re getting ready for your next fun-fest but are worried about keeping your hair on point without your usual haircare routine to hand, never fear. We’ve got five glam festival hair ideas that will have you giving campsite chic and serious ‘I’m with the band’ vibes. From the moment you arrive to the last dance - our five day festival hair guide has got you covered.
Pre-Festival Hair Prep
When it comes to keeping your hair on point during festival season, preparation is key. You’re about to have limited access to your usual hair care routine, so make sure you’re giving your hair as much love and attention as you can before you hit the campsite.
Make the most of your shower time and wash your hair with your regular shampoo and conditioner the night before you head to the festival - or the morning before you leave if you have time! This is also a chance to indulge in a deep-conditioning mask, especially if you know your hair has a tendency to dry out or if you have naturally curly hair.
For some hair types, going without a wash for a few days is pretty standard - so you may already have a head start on being festival ready! However, if you are someone who likes to wash their hair more regularly, it might be a good idea to scale down your washes ahead of the festival. The theory goes that by washing your hair less, you can actually train it to become less greasy in between washes!
Now, whilst you might be skipping on washes during the festival, that doesn’t mean you have to ditch your hair care kit completely. Make sure you have packed a few festival hair essentials in your backpack - your favourite Tangle Teezer Brush to keep hair detangled and undamaged, some dry shampoo to keep grease at bay, and some UV hair protection so your hair stays safe if the sun is shining (which hopefully it will be!)
The festival hairstyles we’ve suggested below require minimal accessories but make sure you pack plenty of hair ties, bobby pins and any extra additions that will give your look that festival-ready pop, like glitter or flowers.
Day One: Wavy Curls
The first day of a festival is when your hair is going to be the cleanest - so make the most of it with a style that pumps up the volume!
A wavy, curly look is a simple way to get straight into the festival spirit, so if you have stunning natural curls, follow your usual curly hair care routine and let them rock out with pride.
If your hair is naturally more straight, it might be lacking the oomph you are after. After your final pre-festival wash, let your hair air dry to around 60% and then use the Round Hair Drying tool to give yourself a quick and easy blow dry, adding height to your roots. A good blow dry will also help keep grease at bay for longer.
To get that Woodstock wave without damaging your hair, we recommend going for overnight-heatless styling. There are some amazing heatless roller sets available or you can always go DIY with scrunchies! Overnight heatless curls are not only better for your hair, but they also create waves that last. The secret is to make sure your hair is totally dry before styling. It might feel like a time saver to style damp hair, but this can result in both damage and frizz.
The night before the festival, once your hair is blow-dried, roll your hair into your curlers, or separate it into small buns with scrunchies or hair ties. In the morning, when you wake up, simply take your hair out to reveal gorgeous festival-ready curls!
Day Two: Half-up Half Down Hair
After 24 hours of partying, your hair might start to lose its lustre - but that doesn’t mean you have to skip straight to an up-do. Half up half down hair is a boho-chic look that works perfectly with day-old curls, and is also a great way to keep your hair under control when you’re jumping around to your favourite band!
The tip here is to once again create volume and height at the root. This helps to give structure and security to your style and stop it from looking lank or greasy. If your hair is naturally curly, you may be able to work this look without a helping hand, but if you need some extra volume, dry shampoo is your friend. It’s great for reducing grease, and also adds texture, volume and grip. Spritz a bit at your roots and you could even use our Back-Combing Brush for extra height.
There are a few different ways to do a half up half down. You could go for an on-trend top knot with a bright scrunchie, or a more subtle style using bobby pins to secure the front of your hair back around your temples - the choice is up to you!
Pro Tip - This look is the perfect opportunity to bring in some festival vibes with your accessories. For the ultimate hippy hairstyle, why not try weaving flowers through your hair and securing them with bobby pins as you pin it up?
Day Three: Bubble Ponytail
By Day 3, you might be ready to get things slicked back. Even if you’re used to going three days without washing, the combination of heat, dirt and sweat from getting your dance on can leave hair feeling more unclean than usual. But just because a style is slicked back, doesn’t mean it can’t be a little spicy.
A Bubble Ponytail is the ultimate high fashion way to elevate a standard updo - and the best part is it’s so easy to do. Simply pull your hair back into a standard ponytail and then use extra hair ties to create ‘bubbles’ all the way down the pony. Whilst a normal ponytail might say “I CBA” a bubble ponytail is giving “‘I’m here for the party!”
Pro Tip: To really make a Bubble Ponytail pop, you want it to be as voluminous as possible. Again, you can use dry shampoo to add grip and then take our Ultimate Teaser to gently tease texture into your roots and ponytail without causing any damage.
Day Four: Space Buns
For a Day Four look that's out of this world, we give you the Space Bun. Extremely popular at festivals, Space Buns are a nod to Y2K style whilst also being really practical. Much like the Bubble Ponytail, this look helps to keep unwashed hair out of your face but still has a high fashion impact.
To get your Space Bun on, separate your hair into two pigtails and make sure it has enough texture to support the style. If you gave your Bubble Ponytail the backcomb treatment the previous day, you may have enough volume to work with, but if not, return to your trusted combo of dry shampoo and our Back-Combing Hairbrush. Once your pigtails are ready, twist them into buns, securing into place with bobby pins.
Depending on your hair length and texture, you might decide to pop your buns high on your head, or have them lower towards the nape of your neck - either way looks great.
Pro Tip: Make your Space Buns sparkle by applying hair gem stones along your root line or using embellished hair ties around the base of your buns!
Day Five: Braids
On the final day of a festival, braids are the way to go. They keep your hair completely out of your face and look incredible, no matter how desperate your hair is for a good wash. Many festivals now have braid bars where you can get professional plaits, but there’s also no reason you can’t achieve this look yourself.
Braids are easier to create with knot free hair, so use a detangling spray and your favourite Tangle Teezer to get a smooth start, then a quick spritz of dry shampoo to take the edge off any grease. From there, the possibilities are endless and it all comes down to your personal style and hair type. Whether you go for a simple fish tail, cool box braids or a classic french plait, you can add some extra festival fun by using accessories like hair rings, ribbons or flowers to make your braids super bold.
Pro Tip: If things are getting a little hot, consider pinning your braids up into a crown or halo braid style - it looks super cute whilst keeping you seriously cool and helping to reduce frizz.
Post-Festival Care
There is nothing like the feeling of that first post-festival shower or bath, so use this as a time to really pamper yourself - and your hair!
Firstly, the combo of backcombing, dry shampoo and styling may have left your hair a little tangled. Grab a detangling spray and our Ultimate Detangler and spend time removing any knots, working from the tip up to the root.
Then use our Scalp and Exfoliator Massager to cleanse and soothe your scalp. This will help to remove any build up of product and dead skin cells, leaving your hair feeling cleaner than ever (whilst also massaging away any lingering hangovers!)
Finally, apply a deep conditioning mask that you can leave in to nourish your hair whilst you scroll through your photos from the weekend - or even booking your next round of festival fun.
