How to Get Taylor Swift's Cool-Girl Summer 'Do

It revolves around bedhead.

Taylor Swift
(Image credit: Marie Claire)

Since bleaching her hair platinum blonde, Taylor Swift has never looked edgier—and we totally plan on stealing her styling tricks this summer (lob or not). Equal parts cool-girl and amenable to laziness /imperfection, her to-die-for texture basically comes down to taking the peroxide plunge and refining the bedhead you woke up with.

Here's how to keep the bad hair days at bay for the next few months à la Swift:

1. Bleach Your Hair

It doesn't have to be as drastic as going platinum blonde—it could be something more subtle like an ombré—but bleaching your hair in any capacity will change your texture. This is because bleach strips your hair of moisture as the chemicals oxidize, thus leaving your hair more dry and coarse. It may not be great for the health of your hair (apologies in advance for the split-end-shaming you might endure at your next trim appointment), but it does yield that I-spent-the-summer-at-the-beach texture.

2. Prep Your Texture

Whether you're already rocking bedhead or not, you're going to want to add more texture and grit to your strands by spraying on dry shampoo. Separate the hair into 1-2 inch sections and spray your roots, being sure not to deposit too much product. (Hint: It should appear translucent.) Then, to ensure that the application is fluid, flip your head upside down and use your fingers to blend the powder, shake out the roots, and move the dry shampoo from the mids-to-ends. See our full how to in GIFS here.

3. Make Waves

For waves like Swift's, use a bigger barrel curling iron or wand (1.5-2 inches), wrapping sections loosely to ensure the curls aren't too defined. Another method for waves favored by Harry Styles' hairstylist Lou Teasedale is using a flat iron. Before running over your hair with a straightener, twist your hair into big chunks or bend the hair in an S shape to create the waves. After heat styling your strands, be sure to run your fingers through the waves so they're not too "done" looking. In fact, the more mussed-up, the better!

4. Finish the Look

If you want to add shine (chances are your hair could use some after being processed), use a conditioning formula like OGX's Thick and Full Biotin & Collagen Weightless Healing Oil Mist. To keep your waves in tact, mist the hair with a light hairspray—nothing that will weigh hair down or make it feel crunchy. And voilà, you've got T-Swift circa 2016 texture!

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Beauty Editor

Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.