10 OF THE BEST FESTIVAL HAIRSTYLES

Whether you're heading off to a festival or planning a miniature Woodstock in your garden, we've put together a list of our favourite festival hairstyles, accessories and product essentials to help you look and feel like a headline act.

From Dutch braids and French plaits to unicorn horns and space buns, these festival hair ideas are simple, easy to style and will turn heads from dusk till dawn. 

Braided festival hairstyles

Make bombshell braids your go-to style for the festival season. Once plaited, they’ll keep your hair out of your face and stay in place as you go from set to set. You also don’t need to worry about washing braided hair - until you get home, anyway.

1. Dutch Braids

The Dutch braid has many incarnations and names. It’s also referred to as a reverse French braid, as the technique is the essentially the same, except you cross the strands under each other instead of over.

This allows the braid to appear mounted on top of your hair instead of being thoroughly blended in it. Whatever you decide to call it, the look has limitless options. Try it with a loose pony or a double Dutch braids for fabulous festival hair.

2. Centre-Parting French Plait

This look involves braiding a French plait straight down the middle of your head with your hair either left loose or swooped into your style of choice, giving off an effortless boho-inspired vibe.

It works like a charm at keeping hair off your face while you’re partying and is easy to maintain – use our root boost lifter to add lift and volume before you start styling.

3. Skinny Braids

A scattering of skinny, thin braids instantly gives you a festival-friendly look, and it’s a simple way of dealing with troublesome areas which can become greasy or frizzy.

For a free-spirited, ‘70s look, take small sections of your hair and weave in a couple of simple thin plaits to frame your face. If you don’t have a hair tie, use a comb to backcomb the ends of your braids, and they should stay in place. 

4. Hairline Braids

For the ultimate rock chick look, hairline braids can be styled on one side of the head (or both) for a buzz-undercut vibe. Keep the height at the crown with a dramatic side part flip or a backcombed quiff to give it some glamour.

Use our thickening hair spray to amp up your hair and provide a volume boost without weighing it down.

5. Braided headband

If you’ve got long hair, you can go with a super skinny braid across your forehead or plait a halo braid around your head to keep hair out of your face.

Use a little lightweight hair serum before you attempt this style to prevent tangles and help smooth down flyaways. This style is fairly easy to maintain, but carry some bobby pins for touch-ups on the go. 

Ideas for updo festival hairstyles

Updos have graduated from slicked-back to uber-relaxed, and they're one of the best ways to beat the heat and keep your hair out of your face while you’re having fun. Updos are perfect for any hair type and texture, they're also great at adding oomph to second-day festival hair.

Luckily for festivalgoers, updos tend to be easier to achieve on dirty locks as freshly-washed hair may be too silky to stay in place. All you need is a hair band, a whole lot of pins, and some practice.

1. Unicorn Horn Hair

Say hello to the latest Insta-viral hair trend - the unicorn horn bun. For the perfect horn shape, pop a Styrofoam cone on top of your head, cover it with hair and pin into place for the ultimate style statement.

Keep everything locked in place with a few spritzes of firm hold hairspray. 

2. Space Buns

Space buns are a firm festival fave as they’re easy to do, they stay in place if your hair’s not freshly-washed and they look awesome.

Evoking a 'Minnie Mouse meets Princess Leia' feel, they can be worn sleek and shiny - use a glossing spray to get the look - or backcombed and messy with plenty of flyaways and tendrils framing your face.

3. Topknot

The DIY topknot has to be the easiest festival hairstyle out there. If your hair’s lacking in volume, add a hair donut to take it to the next level and give your roots a boost – and add a few spritzes of our root boosting spray to thicken and texturise your strands.

Use a comb to smooth back any flyaways and add a few face-framing strands to soften the look.

4. Side Ponytail

Side ponytails are a brilliant festival hairstyle for day one, when your hair’s newly-washed.

Start by blow-drying your hair with a thickening mousse, then sweep to the side (either an extreme parting or off-centre depending on your face shape) and secure.

To finish, take a weft of hair and wind it around the hairband to disguise it. Pin into place and gently tug to release some hair to make the overall look less severe. 

5. Natural curly hair

If you’ve got curly hair, a festival’s the perfect time to embrace your hair’s natural volume. A styling spray for curly hair is a festival essential – it gives locks bounce and can re-spring them when applied the next day.

Heat and humidity can lead to frizzy hair, so make sure you pack a hair serum to smooth on when your hair starts to look poofy.

Festival hair accessories

Hair accessories have been big for the last couple of years, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. Festivals are a great way to experiment with different accessories, and to find the ones that really suit your hair type and length – so go wild, and try some new looks you might be pleasantly surprised by.

1. 90s clips

These are perfect for keeping hair tamed and out of your face when you're dancing. Secure them on one or both sides of your parting depending on the look you're going for - and make sure to carry around a few reserves because you're bound to lose a couple!

2. Silk headbands

Not only are they soft and super comfy, silk headbands can be as vibrant or as understated as you like - making them a truly versatile addition to your festival wardrobe. They’re also great for covering up oily or frizzy hair on the last day when your hair’s in desperate need of a wash.

3. Scrunchies

Scrunchies are a festival staple. They're great at keeping hair in place and make a great wrist accessory on days when you're not feeling the updo. Choose from bright or neutral colours depending on the rest of your outfit – you can even buy scrunchies with hidden pockets to stash spare cash in. Handy.

4. Baseball caps

For days when your locks are looking a little lacklustre or the sun is out in full force, we recommend rocking a baseball cap for a dose of Coachella glam. Just try not to lose it in the crowd!

5. Hair glitter

Last but not least, glitter is your secret weapon when it comes to unforgettable festival hair which makes an impact. Whether you go for a spray, a glitter gel, extensions or chunky glitter granules, adding a splash of sparkle to your braids or updo brings the whole look to life.

Top tip – to wash out hair glitter, shake out as much of it as you can and then massage olive oil or coconut oil into your hair. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then wash your hair with a detoxing shampoo to remove the oil and glitter. Finish with a detoxing conditioner to nourish and soothe dry, distressed hair that’s partied-out.