Real Simple January 23, 2024
Real Simple
Hair
12 Romantic Valentine's Day Hairstyles
Love is in the hair.
Whether you’re heading out on a romantic date night with your lover, or hitting the town with your girls for Galentine’s Day, dressing up and lookin’ pretty is probably on your list of things to do this February 14th. You might already have your makeup and outfit planned, but what about your hair?
“What makes Valentine’s Day hairstyles different from other looks is that you can go for soft and romantic for a whimsical look for date night, or also be creative with play with different hairstyles for a Galentine’s Day, too,” explains Raven Hurtado, a hairstylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago.
Below, we’ve asked the experts for their top 12 picks on romantic Valentine’s Day hairstyles that can easily be recreated at home.
Tousled Bun
Margot Robbie can do no wrong, including rocking this stunning tousled bun updo with her fringe out at the “Barbie” European premiere. Hurtado likes this pick for a Valentine’s Day look because it’s romantic and soft.
“To achieve this look, curl the hair in loose curls using Trademark Beauty Curling Iron ($63, amazon.com) with a 1 1/4 inch size barrel,” she says. “Spray Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray ($52. sephora.com) for volume and grit.” Gather all the hair into a ponytail, leaving the fringe out for wispiness. Take sections from the ponytail, twist, and wrap around the ponytail creating a loose textured bun. Pull hair from underneath for an effortless look.
Bombshell Blowout
This look is all about full, sexy, bouncy hair. Andrea Malczewska, a mobile special event hairstylist based in Oahu, Hawaii, suggests using the Ouidad Featherlight Volumizing Foam ($26, amazon.com) for a voluminous blowout. “Taking large sections, use Bio Ionic’s 1.5-inch Long Barrel Curling Iron ($149, amazon.com) to set large curls in the hair and then wrap the sections around Goody velcro rollers ($12, amazon.com) to cool,” she says. “Once cool, shake it out for a look that will last all night.”
Classic Pamela Anderson Updo
Ursula Stephen, a celebrity hairstylist and Eco Style Brand Ambassador, loves the sexy Pamela Anderson updo for Valentine’s Day. This do features fringes and face-framing tendrils, and can easily done by curling the entire head with a medium barrel curling iron. “Separate the bang and clip them away, then brush out the curls and tease the root at the crown of the head,” suggests Stephen. “Brush hair and gather hair in one twist and secure it with hair pins to the head. Style bangs. Finish with hairspray.”
Super Slick Back Pony
Add a little sexy to your Valentine’s Day look with this slick back pony, a la Dua Lipa. This style is fun, classy, and out of your face to show off your statement jewelry for a night out. To rock this look, Hurtado suggests flat ironing the hair and using a boar bristle brush, like the RPZL Polisher Brush, to comb the hair in a high ponytail, also using a gel to sleek the hair back. Once secured into a high ponytail, take a small section of hair and wrap it around the ponytail to hide the hair tie and spray hairspray hair all over to make sure no hairs stick up. To get flipped ends at the end of the ponytail, use a flat iron from top of the ponytail going down, once you’ve reached down to the ends, curve up with the flat iron for a half curl.
Siren Waves
These alluring waves give romantic with a splash of vintage. Malczewska recommends drying your hair with a lightweight styling cream. Then, using a 1-inch curling iron, take a small parting and wrap all the hair in the same direction. Once the hair is cooled, use the Wet Brush Speed Dry ($15, amazon.com) to form the waves together.
Roller Set Blowout
This will turn your hair flirty and romantic. Blow dry your hair, and after each piece is done, use a roller set to clip the hair around the roller. Once everything is dried, you can add a styling cream, like the LolaVie Perfecting Leave-In Cream ($29, ulta.com), into your locks and brush hair vigorously. Then, fluff and shape. “You can also add an accessory like a headband and clip one side for a touch of glamour,” suggests Stephen.
Spiky Bun
Hurtado loves this spiky bun look for Valentine’s day because it gives off edgy and chic vibes. To master this hairstyle, you’ll want to use the Trademark Beauty Sunny Styler ($89, amazon.com) to straighten the hair. Then, leave out two pieces of hair from the fringe section and comb back the hair in a ponytail. “Take bobby pins and wrap the hair around the ponytail and leave the ends out for the spiky look,” she suggests. “Once the bun is pinned, you can spread out the ends and use hairspray so they stay in place.”
Smitten by Sparkle
This look is all about the hair accessories because hair likes to sparkle on Valentine’s Day, too. “Prep your hair the night before by applying a styling cream and sleeping with several braids in your hair,” says Malczewska. “This will give you this heatless wave look. Layer as many Goody pins ($7, amazon.com) as you like to complete the look.”
Half Up Half Down
This is a girly look for Valentine’s Day, according to Stephen. Section the hair in two parts from ear to ear. Then, brush and secure the top half with a hair band (like the Goody Ouchless Elastics, $7, amazon.com) into a ponytail. Next, curl the back section and the top section with a medium iron. Brush out and spray with holding spray. Add Eco Style Olive Oil Styling Gel ($5, ulta.com) to the top half of your head to prevent flyaway and get that sleek look.
Bouncy Blowout
Sabrina’s blowout with full bangs looks girly and romantic. To get this look, use a mousse like Oribe Tres Set Structure Spray ($48, sephora.com) for a style hold—we like that it’s lightweight, too. “Blowout the bangs using a round brush for fullness, then round brush your whole head,” says Hurtado. “Pin up each section, and let it sit for 10-15 mins to cool down. Once the hair is cooled, take down the pins and use a lightweight oil and run through the ends for bouncy, shiny hair.”
Soft Glam Waves
Olivia Rodrigo’s soft glam waves look sleek and not overly done. To achieve this look, Hurtado suggests applying the Kerastase l’incroyable styling lotion on damp hair and blowing out your hair to achieve volume. Next, use a 1 1/4 inch curling iron and curl the hair in the same direction on each side, curling away from the face. Let the curls cool, then use a comb to comb out the curls. To volumize the curls, use Oribe swept up volumizing powder for tackiness—your curls will last all night.
Long Extensions
If you want to try something different, Stephen suggests trying out super long extensions. “They can be worn straight or with a bedhead type of texture,” says Stephen. “This is very sexy and mermaid-like for Valentine’s Day. You can achieve this by using extensions or a wig.”