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Look up your favorite hair brand’s IG and try to find posts featuring short hair. Chances are, you won’t find many. And this isn’t to put hair brands on blast. They want to show impactful before-and-after styling clips and short hair doesn’t always lend itself to the same satisfying oomph as long hair. Comparatively, short hair styling how-tos are, well, lacking. As someone who has kept my (straight and baby fine) hair short for the majority of my life, my styling knowledge was left mostly at the mercy of YouTube.
You name it, I’ve searched it: How to curl short hair, short hair flat iron waves, short hair blowout — you get the idea. I wanted perfectly-tousled texture, Serena Van Der Woodsen waves, a flirty and flippy French bob. Luckily, years of leaving search data breadcrumbs behind led me to a targeted ad with Joseph Maine, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Trademark Beauty, using the Babe Waves™ X double-barrel waver on a short-haired model. I needed to know more.
Like myself, Maine saw that short hair was underrepresented on socials. “We noticed a significant gap in the waver market for people with short hair, so when we launched, our main focus was creating content specifically for that audience,” Maine tells The Quality Edit, adding how the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Aside from routinely selling out, the Babe Waves™ X tool has racked up a slew of best-of beauty awards, proving that Maine’s intuition led him the right way.
The hot tool features a two-barrel construction that’s designed for hair chin-length or longer. Most hair waving tools are triple-barreled, which can be challenging to use on short hair. “Some users found triple-barrel wavers too heavy or difficult to maneuver. Babe Waves X is enclosed for added safety, preventing burns, and is designed to be opened and closed using your entire hand, similar to a hair straightener, making it easier and more comfortable to use,” says Maine. Considering how often I’ve burned myself in the styling process because of too-large tools, I found this to be a thoughtful design decision.
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Must-Have Styling Products for Short Hair
Over the years, my blonde bob has slowly transitioned from a volume-building necessity to a cornerstone of my identity. I treat it with care, know what it’s capable of, and don’t mourn its shortcomings (no pun intended). So without gatekeeping, I’m sharing my go-to list of styling products, tools, and accessories that make styling my short hair something I look forward to rather than roll my eyes at. Hopefully they’ll do the same for you.
A Scalp-Friendly Blow Dryer
You might be thinking, why would someone with short hair need to invest in a fancy blow dryer? Since I regularly take to my hair with a round brush and nozzle attachment, I became hinged on maintaining scalp health — and Dyson’s Nural™ does just that. The innovative blow dryer is able to regulate its heat levels based on how close to the scalp it is, adjusts airflow when it detects you’ve set it down, and learns your preferences along the way. Healthier scalp, stronger hair, easier styling — it’s a winning formula.
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A No-Fuss Hot Air Brush
Waking up with Kate McKinnon Weird Barbie hair is an unavoidable hazard at times (look it up if you need the visual). This hot air brush is a dream for working out morning bedhead and dents on next-day hair. The bristles have a solid amount of tension, so hair doesn’t immediately slip out of place and off the tool and the gentle-yet-effective airflow doesn’t blast your hair around. If I need more styling help, I’ll spritz my hair with water beforehand to help lock in my home blowout.
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A Versatile Round Brush
A trusty round brush is a must-have for blow dry styling on any hair length, but the 25mm-sized round brush from Moroccanoil is particularly suited for short, fine hair and bangs. It’s incredibly lightweight (less arm fatigue) and features a vented ceramic barrel that allows for even heat distribution and smooth styling. But my favorite part is the secret sectioning tip hidden inside the handle that makes parting hair while you dry a million times easier.
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A Lightweight Heat Protectant Spray
My toxic trait is that I didn’t use heat protection spray until somewhat recently. I know, I know, but sometimes it takes a room full of hairstylists audibly gasping at your confession to change your ways. Now, I’m a connoisseur. R+CO’s Chainmail Thermal Heat Protection Spray helps protect hair up to 450-degrees and boosts my style longevity. I’m partial to its ultra-fine aerosol mist format because it’s so much easier to apply on already-dry hair. This never leaves my arsenal.
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A Workhorse Texturizing Spray
In my humble opinion, a volumizing texture spray is a non-negotiable for getting that perfectly undone, messy look on short hair. IGK’s Beach Club Volume Texture Spray is beloved by at-home users and stylists alike for adding lift, grit, and without making hair feel sticky or straw-like. It also smells amazing, which is important for how often I use this spray.
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A Chic Hair Clip
Short hair may limit the fun you can have with accessories, but the ones that work will always be impactful. I’ve ogled over Machete’s beautiful Italian acetate hair accessories for years and their ponytail barrette stole my heart. It has a double clasp mechanism that firmly secures hair inside an inner clasp and spring, then locks into an outer clasp. My hair never slips out of the barrette and the sleek design is incredibly chic. I love it for a half-up style or pulled back into a little twist.
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A Multi-Use Hair Accessory
Chunks clips are the epitome of fun. They’re available in a bajillion colors, patterns, and playful styles — but they also cater to a wide variety of hair types and lengths. Because these clips have such great grip strength, they can pin bangs or side sections back like a breeze and easily hold hair into half-up styles. The metal teeth on the alligator design gently and securely keep hair in place without damage. They float around in all my bags, so it’s fun to pop one in my hair when I find them.
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