5 Tricks for Perfecting Cool-Girl Bedhead from Harry Styles' Hairstylist

Because 'Arry didn't just roll out of bed like that.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Harry Styles gives us so much to swoon over. Those devilish good looks. That young-Mick-Jagger demeanor. Have mercy...

But if there's one thing that's got me seriously sprung, it's his bedhead. A combination of his A-grade genetics and the let's-pretend-he-woke-up-like-this prowess of his hairstylist (and my girl crush) Lou Teasdale, it's perfection. To get to the bottom of how us ladies can steal some of his steez, I got the lowdown on how to get the perfect bedhead texture from Teasdale herself.

Begin with the right cut

This means going to the salon armed with pictures and references to show your hairdresser so they know exactly what you're going for. "As a hairdresser I get adjectives like 'bedhead' thrown at me regularly and it means different things to different people," explains Teasdale. "If this is what you're looking to achieve in your cut then you're asking for your hairdresser to give you a more choppy hair cut. However it could be interpreted differently to each stylist and you could end up with some '90s layers you didn't want if you're not clear!"

Let a dye job do most of the work for you

"Balayage, grown-out highlights, dip dyes, and full bleach color techniques will give you a bedhead feel without having to do much styling wise," she says. "If you're a brunette or natural blonde you're probably lucky enough to have healthy hair, which is great but a lot more effort to get the bed head look."

Yes, you read that right. Damage equates to cool-girl texture! When you bleach your hair, even just the ends or a few strands, the texture of your hair will change and give you the bedhead look naturally, she says.

Use a styling product on wet hair and finishing product on dry hair

In order to create the right product cocktail, you must know the difference between a styling product and a finishing product for texture.

"You use a styling product, like a surf spray or a mousse, when the hair's wet and then style it as desired to create texture," she explains. "If your hair is already dry or coarse, I would stay clear of drying-out sprays and vice versa. A finishing product, like a hairspray, wax, or dry shampoo, is something you use once your hair has been styled to add texture."

Her personal must-haves are Bumble and bumble Surf Spray and Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray.

Use a flat iron for all kinds of texture

"Straighteners are your best friend when it comes to creating this texture," says Teasdale, who has four different tricks for styling the hair with a flat iron:

1. Twist your hair in big chunks and run your iron up and down the twist. Leave it cooling in the twists for the best texture, then pull out with fingers.

2. Bend your hair in an S shape from the root to end and run over with a straightener. 

3. Whether you've curled your hair or have naturally curly hair, use an iron to flatten the curls. You're not straightening the hair, but simply running over the curls to give a tousled feel.

4. Braid your hair and run over the braids with the straighteners. Leave to cool and let the braids loose and you will have instant texture.

With a curling iron (or a "tong," as Teasdale calls it in the UK), your hair can end up looking too done. It's essential that you muss things up a bit.

"Style your hair with a large tong loosely and once you're all tonged, you will see it looks a bit too nice for bedhead feel, so give your hair a mist of surf spray, blowdry, and twist big sections. This technique will undo some of the tonging and give a messier feel to your curls."

Or go heat-free with braids

"Braid your hair when it's still hot from drying so that the hair cools in the braids," she says. "Or, even better, sleep on it like this. By the morning  you'll have the ultimate bedhead with no heat styling needed."

If you have dents you don't like or it needs taming, then do the same technique as when you've curled it, she advises.

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Lauren Valenti
Beauty Editor

Lauren is the former beauty editor at Marie Claire. She love to while away the hours at coffee shops, hunt for vintage clothes, and bask in the rough-and-tumble beauty of NYC. She firmly believes that solitude can be a luxury if you’ve got the right soundtrack—that being the Rolling Stones, of course.