25 Easy Summer Hairstyles to Wear Now

By Erin Lukas
May 25, 2011 @ 4:38 pm
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Summertime and the living is easy—that is until you have to fight with the heat and humidity when you're styling your hair. When the temperature is high, the last thing you want to do is spend time doing your hair when sweat and frizz are going to inevitably ruin your look after spending a few minutes out in a heatwave.

Instead of fighting with your hair, we've rounded up a set of hairstyles that are not only simple to do, but will also hold up on the hottest of summer days. We turned to the red carpet to round up 25 of the easiest hot-weather celebrity hairstyles you'll want to wear all season long.

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1 of 25

Priyanka Chopra's Smooth Low Ponytail 

Sergi Alexander/WireImage

A low ponytail is a staple hairstyle in any season, but we particularly love how easy but polished it looks even on the most humid days. Wash your hair with a smoothing shampoo and conditioner duo like Pantene Pro-V's Smooth & Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner ($4 each; target.com) to fight frizz starting in the shower. 

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2 of 25

Lauren Conrad's Chunky Top Knot

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"The slightly messy texture of the bun makes it more current," says Kristen Ess, Conrad’s hairstylist. “Let it have its imperfections—it softens the overall look.” To pull-off a similar look, Ess suggests using larger bobby pins—“the smaller ones tend to move around too much”—and finishing with a generous blast of strong-hold hairspray. “Focus on smoothing flyaways around the hairline and at the base, but not so much on the bun itself,” she adds.

3 of 25

Jessica Alba's Shiny Waves 

Desiree Navarro/WireImage

Instead of sacrificing shine by weighing your curls down with product to keep them in place, use a multitasking serum after you've blow-dried and styled your hair with a curling iron. Honest Beauty's Honestly Polished Dry Condition + Shine Serum ($20; honestbeauty.com) revives hair without leaving buildup while boosting shine. 

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4 of 25

Elle Fanning's Exposed Bobby Pins 

Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan/Getty

While bobby pins are the silent heroes of many of our best hairstyles, take a cue from Fanning and make the hairpin the focal point of your style. Use one to pin back one side of your hair at the temple and stack a few extras below. 

5 of 25

Emily Ratajkowski's Soft Curls 

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Instead of trying to revive a day (or two) old blowout, give the ends of your hair a refresh by curling the bottom few inches with a curling iron and brushing everything over to one side. Set your waves while they're still warm by spritzing them with hairspray. 

6 of 25

Sonam Kapoor's Twisted Bun

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On either side of your head, roll back the strands along your hairline, adding more hair as your work your way backward, just like you do with a French braid. (Tuck in a few pins if you find the twists are heavy and tipping forward.) Wrap the two twists into an untidy bun and secure with pins and elastic. This style isn't meant to look prim, so don't worry about asymmetries or imperfections.

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7 of 25

Stella Maxwell 

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Spritz your hair with a wave spray and give it a good scrunch to add movement and texture. Then, pin the front pieces of your hair back with bobby pins. Yup, it's that easy. 

8 of 25

Lucy Hale's French Braids 

Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan/Getty

A foolproof way for keeping sweaty, greasy bangs off of your forehead: French-braiding your fringe along with any face-framing layers that usually end up stuck to your face. To give your plaits extra staying power, give your hair a blast of dry shampoo like Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle Oil Control ($20; sephora.com) before braiding it to add extra grip and hold. 

9 of 25

Chrissy Teigen's Beachy Waves 

Noam Galai/WireImage

Beachy waves are a classic summer beauty look, whether or not you're anywhere near the water. If you're using a flat iron to create undone bends like Teigen's, shield your hair from heat damage before styling with a protective spray like TRESemme's Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Leave In-Spray ($4; target.com). 

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10 of 25

Olivia Munn's Messy Top Knot 

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The beauty of Munn's updo is that you can recreate it in five minutes flat, whether your hair is damp or dry. Don't think too much about how you're twisting your hair up to keep the look effortless. 

11 of 25

Hailey Baldwin's Loose, Textured Braid 

Mike Marsland/WireImage

Gently tease your hair at the crown for volume before raking into a low braid like Baldwin's. To add a bit of texture, gently pull apart the braid or pancake it to keep it from looking fussy. 

12 of 25

Nina Dobrev's Tousled, Wavy  Bob 

Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Put down the heat tools. To enhance a natural curl pattern, wash your hair with a texturizing shampoo  and let air dry. This shampoo is formulated with texture-building minerals that bring out your natural waves and add grit. 

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13 of 25

Zendaya's Pulled-Back Natural Curls 

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

If you're working with your natural texture, your curls need just as much hydration on scorching days as you do. Keep your hair hydrated and defined with a mist. And on days when the heat is just too much to handle? Pull your hair back at the nape of your neck like Zendaya. 

14 of 25

Lily-Rose Depp's Tousled Low Bun 

Venturelli/WireImage

When creating Lily-Rose Depp's low bun for the 2017 Met Gala, hairstylist Johnnie Sapong spritzed her damp hair with Leonor Greyl's Mousse au Lotus Volumatrice ($46; nordstrom.com) and rough dried it for extra texture. If you want to add more waves, take a medium curling iron to your hair in one-inch sections before pulling it up. 

15 of 25

Kate Hudson's Choppy Pixie

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Instead of slicking your pixie cut back and hoping that the humidity doesn't make it frizzy, add a bit of texture to your layers like Kate Hudson did on the SAG Awards red carpet.  

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16 of 25

Halle Berry's Retro Ponytail

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If you're bored of the same old high ponytail, take a piece from the tail and wrap it around the base. It's an easy alteration that will make the everyday style feel fresh. Once you have your pony set, tame any flyaways by spritzing a light veil of hairspray like Verb's Ghost Hairspray ($16; sephora.com). 

17 of 25

Rihanna's Air-Dried Curls

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty

Instead of fighting your natural texture in the heat, embrace it. Enhance your curls by spritzing damp hair with a hydrating spray such as DevaCurl SUPERCREAM Coconut Curl Styler ($28; sephora.com). This detangling formula hydrates curls to help them hold their shape. 

18 of 25

Gigi Hadid's Half-Up Half-Down Top Knot 

Robert Kamau/GC Images

No matter the length of your hair, Gigi Hadid's half-up, half-down look is perfect for those sweaty days when you want it out of your face. Before pulling the top half of your hair into a top knot, spray it with a texturizing spray like R+Co's Trophy Shine Texturizing Spray ($29; neimanmarcus.com) for extra grit that'll help your updo hold, and give the rest of your hair a piecey finish. 

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19 of 25

Jennifer Lopez's Slicked-Back Lob

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When you don't want to wear your hair up on super hot days, simply tucking it behind your ears can help you stay cool. Jennifer Lopez's stylist Lorenzo Martin used Matrix's StyleLink Super Fixer Firm Hold Gel ($14; walmart.com) to keep her hair in place. 

20 of 25

Cara Delevingne's Tousled Pixie

Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Longchamp

Cara Delevingne's tousled pixie is the short-hair equivalent of effortless beachy waves. Once your hair is dry, spritz it with a texturizing spray Like IGK's Beach Club Texture Spray ($29; sephora.com) and use your fingers to gently shake up your layers. 

21 of 25

Dakota Johnson's Messy Bun 

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

Why waste time on a sleek top knot when the heat is just going to make it frizzy? Dakota Johnson's messy bun is perfect for second or third day hair. Use a dry shampoo like Dove's Refresh + Care Volume & Fullness Dry Shampoo ($4; target.com) to refresh and add volume at the roots before twisting your hair up. 

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22 of 25

Emma Stone's Loose Low Ponytail

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There really isn't any updo easier than Emma Stone's low, loose ponytail from the 2018 Met Gala red carpet. After gathering your hair to one side, secure it toward the end of the tail. To make sure her style held up all night, Stone's hairstylist Mara Roszak spritzed her look with Redken's Triple Take 32 Extreme High-Hold Hairspray ($22; ulta.com). 

23 of 25

Alexa Chung's Low-Maintenance Updo 

Frazer Harrison/FilmMagic

To keep your style from looking too overdone, just run a serum like Kiehl's Silk Groom Serum ($18; nordstrom.com) over your hair as needed to tame flyaways and boost shine. 

24 of 25

Blake Lively's Pinned-Back Waves  

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

When your last blowout is starting to feel stale, take the front pieces of your hair and twist them before pinning them back like Blake Lively did. If you have time, take a curling iron to any waves that may have gone flat.  

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25 of 25

Bella Hadid's Curly Ponytail

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Pull your curls up into a high ponytail like Bella Hadid's and you're ready to go—yes, really. 

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