Party Season Hair
While you’ll – hopefully – at this stage have your party season style down pat in terms of what to wear, you may still be wondering how to properly set off your attire. One of the easiest ways of adding serious flair to your look is to switch up how you style your hair. Luckily, there’s broad scope to this season’s key hair trends, meaning it’s easier than ever to complement your clothing with everything from a wet look finish to a maxed-out quiff.
First and foremost, you need to consider the kind of event you’re attending before choosing what to do with your hair. Just as you’d take care to create an event-appropriate outfit, it’s imperative you pick a hairstyle that’s suitable for the occasion. Attending a formal evening of Christmas drinks? A slick or high shine style would be perfect. Opting for a rockabilly-flavoured New Year’s Eve ball? Big hair should be your go-to.
Before setting out some key styles to try, we need to establish one major ground rule when it comes to maintenance: most of us will need at least a couple of cuts throughout the party season between December and early January. This will keep your hair trim, tidy and primed for styling. Half the work in ensuring you pull a hairstyle off properly is getting the right cut beforehand.
So, what can we do to make our hair look different over the festive season? One technique is to change the balance of the haircut: get your stylist to take the sides slightly shorter than usual, or leave a little bit more length through the top. Opting for a slightly more exaggerated version of your usual hairstyle will make it feel and appear more ‘special’.
Your choice of styling product will also make a huge difference to your overall aesthetic. Whether you want your hair to appear slicker, wetter, curlier, bigger or sharper, when it comes to party season hair, it’s all about the finish…
1. Slick & High Shine Hair
Smart, sophisticated and immensely popular at the moment, high shine and slick hairstyles complement a sharp suit or other formal attire perfectly.
To achieve a shine effect, start by applying some American Crew Pomade/Grooming Cream, Kevin Murphy Super Goo or Fudge Hair Varnish to either dry or towel-dried hair. Next, use a comb to sculpt your desired look – when styled properly, it can appear as if there isn’t a hair out of place.
Bear in mind that shine products will produce different results depending on your hair length and type. For instance, scrunching the products above into damp curly or wavy hair will make it glisten, giving it a healthy appearance. On longer styles, working these type of products into the root area can help push the hair off the face, creating a slightly more unkempt finish.
For more information on high shine hairstyles, check out our comprehensive guide on the topic.
Essential Tip: High shine products works best on classic pompadour and short back and sides haircuts.
Example Styles
Key Products
- American Crew Pomade 85gm
- Kevin Murphy Super Goo 100g
- Fudge Styling Hair Varnish 70g
2. Wet Look Hair
A step further than using shine products, wet look hairstyles offer considerably more sheen and can be worn in a few different ways.
Well-suited to smart-casual separates and tailoring, this finish is best achieved by towel-drying your hair roughly into the position you’re looking to wear it. Next, apply a wet look styling product like American Crew Superglue, Korres Gel, American Crew Medium/Strong Hold Gel or Fudge Hair Gum to the hair and leave it to set naturally.
This effect looks particularly great on shorter hairstyles, so why not try a classic side parting or combing your hair straight back for a super slick look?
Essential Tip: For extra hold, apply a little hairspray after your choice of styling product to reinforce the structure.
Example Styles
Key Products
- American Crew Superglue 100ml
- Korres Styling Gel Normal – 50ml
- American Crew Classic Medium Hold Spray Gel 250ml
- American Crew Firm Hold Gel 250ml
- Fudge Hair Gum 150ml
- Soft Water Pomade Baxter Of California
3. Curly/Wavy Hair
Striking the optimal balance between rugged and refined, a curly or wavy style offers a textural finish.
There are several ways to achieve a curly look. If your hair is naturally straight, it’s possible to create curls using mini GHD stylers. On dry hair, take small sections and – working from the root area – pull the straighteners down the hair shaft while rotating the styler. Once you’ve achieved a good curl, work your hands through to loosen up each section and prevent your hair from appearing unnaturally tight.
If there’s a natural wave to your hair, on the other hand, then it’s obviously a lot easier to achieve a curlier finish. Try applying a curl-enhancing product from root to tip, like Kevin Murphy Motion Lotion, American Crew Curl Construct or Fudge Hot Head Mousse. Once applied, blow dry your hair with a diffuser on a low speed, high heat setting.
Essential Tip: As a final touch, try scrunching in a little Kevin Murphy Easy Rider for a softer finish or some Fudge Fat Hed for extra hold.
Example Styles
Key Products
- Ghd Gold Mini Styler
- Kevin.murphy Motion.lotion 150ml
- American Crew Crew Curl Construct 125ml
- Fudge Hot Hed 213ml
- Kevin Murphy – Anti Frizz Creme Flexable Hold – Easy Rider – 100g
- Fudge Fat Hed 75g
4. Dramatic Contrasts
Specifically for those who want a more dramatic effect, consider getting the back and sides of your hair clippered tight to the head, leaving the length on top longer. Offering an eye-catching contrast, these disconnected cuts are extremely contemporary and on-trend, and ideal if you want to make a statement on a big Christmas night out or at a New Year’s Eve party.
There are many ways you can wear this hairstyle – from super slick to soft and natural – but we would recommend opting for a more textured, dishevelled appearance that befits this modern and edgy cut.
To achieve this desired effect, try blow drying Kevin Murphy Anti Gravity or L’Oreal’s Tecni.Art Scruff Me into the hair. As we are looking to create a rough and ready feel, scrunch in some Kevin Murphy Gritty Business and style with your fingers for a matte, lived in finish.
Essential Tip: When having your hair cut, request that your barber or stylist uses a razor if you want to take weight out of thicker hair, or point cuts with scissors if you’re after a more textured finish.
Example Styles
Key Products
- Style By Kevin.murphy Anti.gravity 150ml
- Loreal Professionnel Wild Stylers Scruff Me 150ml
- Kevin Murphy – For Pliable Hold Clay Wax – Gritty Business – 100g
5. Big Hair
A guaranteed head-turner, big hair is perfect for making a party season statement, with the maxed-out quiff and pompadour the key cuts to consider. Often considered impossibly difficult to achieve, sourcing the right products makes creating these styles a lot less tedious.
With this in mind, look to the likes of Fudge, a brand that’s just recently launched a whole range of Big Hair products, specially formulated for achieving full-on hairstyles with ease. Raise the Roots is a personal favourite; with its innovative applicator you can apply just the right amount of product to the root area and its unique formulation is designed to support even the most stubborn of hair types.
To create a desirable quiff/pompadour, start by blow drying your hair while brushing it away from your face using a vent brush. This serves a dual purpose: it makes your hair smoother and helps build maximum volume.
Once that’s done, apply some Fudge Elevate Styling Powder or L’Oreal Tecni Art Super Dust to the roots to stiffen and support. Finally, use a strong hold hairspray (try Kevin Murphy Texture Master or Fudge Hair Cement) to properly set your show-stopping style.
Essential Tip: When having your hair cut in preparation for a quiff, your barber or hairstylist should take your face shape into consideration. Squarer or rounder face types are best suited to tightly clippered sides, while longer, narrow face shapes will benefit from a lower fade.
Example Styles
Key Products
- Denman Hyflex Vent
- Fudge Raise The Roots 75ml
- Fudge Big Hair Elevate Styling Powder 10g
- Loreal Professionnel Tecni Art Super Style Heroes Super Dust 7g
- Kevin Murphy Texture.master Stronghold Texture Mist 150ml
- Fudge Unleaded Hair Cement 300ml
Final Word
Finally, no matter which style you opt for this party season, remember that confidence is key – select a hairstyle that not only looks good, but makes you feel good too.
With that said, there’s plenty of room for experimentation, especially when it comes to finish. Festive events, from Christmas parties to New Year’s Eve balls, are all about celebrating the past year and ringing in the new one in style, so there’s really no reason to hold back.
