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The Working Girl’s Guide to Mastering Second-Day Hair

Mar 7, 2018

You’re getting ready for bed, and you stop to take a look at tomorrow morning’s calendar.  And there it is: the 8:00 AM breakfast meeting you forgot about.  Cold scrambled eggs and stale bagels, yum.  Now, you’re whole morning routine needs to be evaluated to make sure you arrive on time and look your best.  What’s a working girl to do?

Here’s how to make yesterday’s hairdo last for a second day.  Because being late is not an option.

Step 1. Dry Shampoo the Night Before.  Turn your head upside down and give yourself a light spritz of dry shampoo.  Brush it through.  Now spritz the brush with a bit of dry shampoo and run it through the hairline around your face (sideburns, bangs, etc.).

This little bit of spritz will absorb the oil that forms over night and leave your hair fresher in the morning.  If you have very dry hair, skip this step or apply dry conditioner sparingly.

My current favorite dry shampoo is made by Cake.  Another great option is Psssst.

{image via Matrix}

Step 2. Cap Up. To extend the life of your hairdo, you need to pull it up.  Some women use a scrunchie, but I’ve had the best luck with a shower cap.  Yes, like an old lady.  Yes, my boyfriend finds it totally hot.

This Shhhowercap is a total lifesaver.  It preserves the volume of your blowout, keeps the dirty hair off of your face, and reduces frizz.  Winning.  Plus, it’s antibacterial so you only have to toss it in the washer once a week or so.  Need a cheaper option?  The Drybar makes a shower cap.

Step 3. Rise and Roll.  Keep the shower cap on while you shower, and once you’re dry, get ready to touch up your style.

Mine typically needs a little more dry shampoo at the roots and a bit of hair oil just at the very ends.  I apply the dry shampoo (I’ll use the Cake if it’s a bit oily, or this DryBar foam if it just needs a hint of refresh) at the roots, and then load up my Conair hot rollers.  Rollers style your hair for you while you apply makeup and put on clothes, saving you time and energy.

Once the rollers are out, I flip my head upside down and spritz with firm hold hairspray.  (Currently using Tresemme.)  Then, I brush it out.  If my ends look a little dry, I’ll rub a small amount of this Tresemme oil into my palms and then work it through the ends of my hair.  (Seriously, just the ends!)

{image via Getty}

Step 4. Prep for Disaster. Okay, so you successfully cultivated second day hair that looks and feels great.  But what if that feeling only lasts for half the day?  Who hasn’t gotten to 3:00PM and had their second day hair fall flat?  And you need to be prepared for that possibility.

I used to keep a hair emergency kit in my desk.  It contained some brown hair elastics, a small can of dry shampoo, a card of bobby pins, a travel-sized brush, and a mini-hairspray.  If you can’t fix up your hair with that, it’s broke.

{image found at L’Oreal}

What’s your favorite trick for extending a hairstyle into a second day?  Or are you dedicated to a daily wash (or at least a rinse)?

{featured image found here; this post contains affiliate links that generate commission for the author}

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