Low chignon tutorial: How to get holiday party-ready hair in less than 15 minutes

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Our mission to make your holiday season as glam and effortless as possible continues, with the debut of a new holiday hair tutorial. The chignon is a classic hairstyle that has an infinite number of variations—once you master the basics behind it, it’ll be all chignons all the time. For our holiday party take on the look, Toronto-based hairstylist Margot Keith created a low chignon that looks as pretty as a perfectly wrapped present. This tutorial takes all the guesswork out of holiday hair and will get you from from prep to polished in less than 15 minutes—leaving you with enough time to pause for a pre-party under-the-mistletoe kiss or two.

Holiday Hair Tutorial: Low Chignon

1. If you have curly hair, great! If not, add some quick curls with a 1.5” curling iron. The texture will make it much easier to hold this holiday hairstyle in place and will add make any loose strands look that much better. If you have super-fine or freshly washed hair, you’ll also want to spritz in some dry shampoo or texturizing powder—the grit makes your hair much easier to work with.

2. Part your hair slightly to one side and pull back the top section of hair, as though you’re doing a half updo. Use a brush to smooth out any bumps and use a hair elastic to loosely secure this hair in a loop at the base of your neck. If you have short layers at the front of your hair, let them hang loose—you can twist and tuck them into place in the next step.

3. Now it’s time to pin your remaining hair in and around the loop. Taking two inch sections at a time, twist and pin into place, criss-crossing the hair over the loop to cover it up. Ensure you cover the hair elastic as you go—it actually serves as an excellent anchor for keeping bobby pins in place. There’s no right way to this process, and as this is a slightly romantic hairstyle, any loose pieces of hair will only serve to soften the look.

4. Check your style in a mirror and make any necessary adjustments. A light-hold hairspray will keep this lo chignon in place all night long!

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