Written By: Kellie Carlson, Cover Style: Dionah Austgen
You’ve got the cap, you’ve got the gown, and now it’s time to get your degree. You’ve been looking forward to this day for the past 4 years (maybe 5, let’s be realistic about the insane class requirements). You have everything planned out in order to have a killer graduation style— dress, accessories, shoes, nails. While you think that you have all of your bases covered, you may have forgotten about one thing: you hair. Fear not, however, we have come up with the perfect hairstyles to match your graduation look. These different styles will compliment your cap and gown attire, and they will also pair with the more important outfit (obviously) underneath.
The Classic Grad: What goes better with your A-line dress than waves? Loose waves are a classic look that will compliment any outfit, and they will look great for pictures in your cap and gown. They key to get these waves to last for the whole ceremony— and dinner afterwards— is to use a texturizing spray. Before you begin curling your hair, spritz this spray evenly throughout your hair. This will give your waves the necessary hold to last longer than their usual (short) lifespan. Creating tighter waves with a wand will help them last longer as well. The waves will be tight initially, but they will fall in time for your graduation debut. Before you leave for the ceremony, simply run a brush (or even your fingers) through your hair to pull out the style. This will give your hair a more natural wave that will still look great.
Style: Anna Lyles
The Fab Grad: Not a fan of hat hair? It’s nothing a little— or a lot— of volume can’t fix. Under that oversized graduation gown is a glamorous dress that you cannot wait to show off post-catwalk, I mean grad walk. Big, voluminous curls will accentuate your dress and will create a look that is worthy of the red carpet. Before blowdrying your hair, apply a volumizing product at your roots and work to mid-length. This will give it the needed height for the curls. If you want even more volume, you can tease your hair a little once it dries. For bigger curls, use a curling iron with a larger barrel. Make sure you let your curls cool and then finish off your curls with a layer of hairspray. This last step will lock in your curls, and it will create a classic style that will last all night long.
Style: amika
The Edgy Grad: Not wearing a dress? If you’re planning on making a statement with your outfit on graduation day, then may sure that you have rockin’ hair to match. Taylor Swift’s shaggy bob, styled for the Met Gala, perfectly complimented her chic and edgy look. “The shag” features wavy, short layers which will add a fun and playful element to your outfit. To achieve the shag style to go with the cut, simply use a small round brush to create a wave as you blow-dry your hair. Then, spray a sea salt spray throughout your hair as you scrunch it with your hands. This technique will give the style some added texture. Finally, finish with a shine spray and the look is complete! Turn heads on graduation day and go join T-Swift’s band of babes with this Bad-Blood style.
Style: Joey Scandizzo
The Romantic Grad: Going for the soft and sweet look on graduation day? Pair your chiffon dress with a chignon. This hairstyle is easy to do and will keep your hair out of your face for the long ceremony. Pull your hair into a loose ponytail and the nape on the neck. It’s okay is some pieces in the front of your face fall— these can be curled later as part of the style. After creating the low ponytail, use a STITCH to pull your hair into a bun, or you can also tie it into a loose knot and secure with pins. For a little extra romance, you can use decorative pins to secure the bun. As mentioned before, curl the remaining pieces around your face— this will look great when in pictures with you grad cap on.
Style: Daniel Roldan Hair Styling Co.
Be sure to check out all of our how-to's for even more style tips for Graduation!
