Have you ever tried to Instagram a good hair day or capture that fresh blowout to totally mediocre results? Don’t feel frustrated. The problem isn’t with your hair, but with the tricky effects of cameras—and even the best filters can’t help.“As great as apps and Photoshop are at correcting issues like zits and red eyes, they can’t really fix hair, so that’s the one thing you have to get right,” says Shelley GoodStein, author of “Face This: Real Advice From Real Models, Photographers and Makeup Artists on How to Become Picture Perfect.”Fortunately, experts say that getting it right doesn’t require excessive styling and primping, but is more about quick, easy tricks to coax the most hair-flattering angle out of the camera.Don’t hide behind your hairHeavy hair curtains falling on either side of your face may work for Lorde, but on non-teenage superstars it can make you look like Cousin It. “Simply tucking hair behind one ear helps open up the face to see your beautiful eyes and better balance your shot,” says New York City stylist and salon owner Mark Garrison. If you’re trying to show off a great new hair color, glossy shine or face-framing layers, letting one side show fully while tucking the other works wonders.Beware of hairspray“The key to sexy hair is movement,” says GoodStein. By heavily spraying hair into place, you can inadvertently create helmet head that makes you look older. Instead, swipe static sheets over strands to tame flyaways. To keep your style in place for active photoshoots, GoodStein gives bobby pins extra hold by spritzing with hairspray or dry shampoo and letting them dry on a paper towel before slipping into strands with the wavy side down. “If all else fails and your hair is kinda out of control, just go with it and let it animate the photo—it’ll look better!” she advises.It’s all about lightingEven the most gorgeous hair can get completely quashed in harsh or insufficient lighting. “Avoid overhead light; it will dull your hair, give you dark under-eye circles and your nose will look like a light bulb!” warns Garrison. Also avoid strong light coming from behind that will shadow your hair. The most flattering light brightens your face while staying soft and indirect, like abundant natural light that fills a room. Be sure to look into the light, not away from it, to illuminate the color and shine of your strands. If you’re stuck with a poor light situation, keep the flash closer to you and try looking up into the camera for the best brightening effect.Volume is your friendHair can look thin when it lays flat against your head. If your texture is fine, try flipping hair upside down and combing through with fingers for a tousled look right before a shot, suggests GoodStein. Avoid silicone products that can weigh strands down. If you’re caught for a photo op with flat hair, even pushing a pair of sunglasses or a headband into the crown can help create the look of volume. And for special photos and occasions, do what celebrities do, and fake it with extensions. Try Halo Hair to add volume and length all around with real hair, or Christie Brinkley’s Hair2wear clip-in extensions for specific volume placement with soft synthetic fiber hair.Keep bangs freshEven when the rest of your hair looks good, bangs can rapidly pick up oils and look stringy, separate into odd chunks and stick to your forehead. Your best defense is dry shampoo, which you can quickly spray (if aerosol) or rub into roots (if powder) and brush through to absorb grease and soften bangs with sexy volume, says Garrison. (We’re loving Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo in the mini 1 oz size that you can throw in your handbag.) “If you have longer bangs, let them swing into your eyes a bit. It looks flirty like Brigitte Bardot in photos,” he adds.Find your angle“We all have our better angles whether it’s chin up or chin down, look a little to the left or right,” says Garrison. Practice your selfie technique to find your best side and angle, and you’ll know how to work it no matter what type of camera you’re in front of. “Have fun, even be goofy and smile a lot—it’s your personality that’s going to make the best photo, your hair is just your best accessory,” says Garrison. And it’s true: research shows that flashing a genuine smile makes others perceive you overall as more attractive—no matter how your hair looks.
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