3 Low-Maintenance Holiday Hair Looks You Can Do in Fewer Than 5 Steps

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Despite being a beauty editor, I am completely helpless when it comes to styling my own hair. In fact, if I can get away with it, I pretty much let my strands air-dry into their natural waves whenever possible, or when that doesn't work, I'll simply scoop everything up into a high ponytail or topknot. Alas, once the holiday season rolls around (and I have about five times the number of social engagements than I normally do), I start to get a little panicked. Although I do love my natural bends and waves, it's more of an undone bedhead look, which lends itself much better to the more lax summer season than holiday cocktail attire or fancy get-togethers. Therefore, I'm perpetually in search of easy, low-maintenance, but still glamorous hairstyles I can sport this time of year without too many tears or cuss words in front of my vanity pre-event. Anyone else with me here?

To get some inspiration, I reached out to the inventor of the Beachwaver and one of the top celebrity hairstylists in the industry, Sarah Potempa, who regularly works with stars such as Lea Michele, Camila Cabello, and Emily Blunt. Her mission: to create three different holiday hair looks on me in five steps or fewer. Keep scrolling! We have the step-by-step tutorials and must-have products shown below. 

Look #1: Low Bun With a Bow

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

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Step 1: Tease
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

"To add volume to the root, gently tease two to three sections of the hair—one of my biggest tips is to tease the hair by going in and down only, rather than repeatedly moving the comb up and down," explains Potempa. 

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Step 2: Create the Ponytail
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

"Spray a brush with The Beachwaver Co. Great Barrier Heat Protectant Hairspray ($28) and brush the hair into a low ponytail. Secure the ponytail with a hook elastic, leaving out a couple of pieces in the front. Next, cover the ponytail elastic by wrapping a piece of your hair around it and securing it with a hairpin. Gently tug the hair at the base to create more texture and volume." 

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Step 3: Create the Bun
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

"To create a clean bun for this look, I love to use an accessory like The Beachwaver Co. Wrap Up ($5). Slide the hair in, pinch it closed, and roll it under to the base. Bend the right side upward, and then the left upward, and finish by pinching it into a horseshoe shape. Secure the with a couple of hairpins."

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Step 4: Add Some Decoration
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

"Take a ribbon and tie it around the base, creating an easy bow at the top. To create a beautiful V shape at the tips of the ribbon, pinch the ribbon in half and cut it at an angle. Or, for a more dramatic bow, leave the ends of the ribbon out, and clip in The Beachwaver Co. Velvet Bow ($3) at the top of the bun."

Shop the look:

Look #2: Glamorous Holiday Waves

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

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Step 1: Create Your Side Part and Mist With Hair Spray
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Create a deep side part by drawing a line from the arch of the eyebrow back to create the perfectly placed part to complement your features. Then, spritz strands with hair spray.

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Step 2: Start Your Curls
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

"Beach-wave the hair by sectioning and starting at the at the bottom and working your way up," Potempa instructs. "Curl the iron under and on an angle under, pressing the arrow toward the face."

For the top layers, Potempa says to lift the hair up like a roller set and hold the iron parallel, which will create more volume exactly where you want it. 

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Allow your hair to completely cool so that the curl pattern sets.

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Step 3: Brush Through the Curls
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

"Spritz your hair spray on a mini-size brush. Hold the hair in a ponytail shape with your fingers, and gently brush hair out," she finishes. 

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Shop the look:

Look #3: Half-Up Tied With a Ribbon

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

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Step 1: Create Your Half-Ponytail
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

"Spray your brush with hair spray," Potempa starts. "For the perfectly placed half-up pony, draw a line from the back of the ear back on both sides. 

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Gently brush into a high ponytail and secure with a clear elastic."

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Tug at the ponytail to add more volume and texture on top.

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Step 2: Curl Your Hair
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Then, start beach-waving the hair in alternate directions all over. 

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Step 3: Add Your Ribbon
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Tie a beautiful ribbon or bow onto the ponytail for the perfect holiday look.

Shop the look:

Up next: Kim K.'s Hairstylist Made My Hair Look Twice as Thick in 5 Minutes—Here's How

This story was published at an earlier date and has been recently updated.

Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.