Simplicity is key to the hair flip whether you take your cue from the 90s Hollywood red carpet version or steal the style straight out of a 60s high school yearbook. Both are so, so easy to accomplish; but don’t be lured into thinking the hair flip is a Plain Jane. This is one of those styles that somehow manages to look effortless, sexy, and glamorous all at the same time. Flattering and fun, the hair flip works on almost everyone.
The Hollywood Red Carpet Flip
A simple move shifts your center part while giving you tons of desirable volume. This hair flip is often teamed with sleek, smooth Old Hollywood waves or a messy, tousled look. The front-facing strands of hair fall across your face right around the widest part of the cheek and create the illusion of an oval face shape.
Towel blot wet hair until strands are merely damp. Prep the roots with boosting spray that adds body for big-volume style. Attach the concentrator to a hair dryer and dry the roots while focusing the dryer nozzle directly at your scalp. Get maximum lift by using your fingers to lift the hair. You can also flip hair upside down while drying the roots to boost volume.
Brush the front facing strands of your dry hair as smooth as possible. Part hair down the center. Locate a point either to the right or left side of your center part and slip the end of a rat-tail comb through your hair. How far that starting point is from the center part determines how big the side part will be.
Angle the end of the comb slightly toward the center back of your head instead of pointing the comb straight back. Slide the comb past the central part toward the opposite side of your head. Lift your hair and turn it as though you would turn a page in a book. A mist of setting spray will keep that section of hair from flipping back over.
If you want to create big, bouncy waves, section off large portions of damp hair. Pull the hair up and roll the section around a brush from ends down to the scalp. Heat the section with your blow-dryer and then sets them in clips to cool, using hair spray for big hair hold. Release hair from the clips and lightly brush the out using a flat mixed-bristle brush.
The 60s Ends Flip
You will blow dry clean, damp hair straight and curl it either inward or outward with a flat iron to create the “flipped” look. First spray your hair with a heat protecting spray to keep your hair from getting damaged while you flat iron it. Flat irons get much hotter than blow dryers and can cause much more damage to your hair.
Place a small section of hair between a round brush and the hair dryer nozzle. To flip your hair inward, place the brush under your hair and position the hair dryer above it. To flip the hair outward, place the brush over your hair, and the hair dryer under it. Keep your hair sandwiched between the hair dryer and the brush. Slide both hair dryer and hairbrush at the same time down towards the middle of the hair strand. Stop when you are half-way down and twist the round brush. Twist the brush toward you if you want your hair to flip inward.
If you want an outward flip, switch the positions of the brush and the hair dryer. Place the hairbrush over your hair and place the nozzle of the hair dryer under your hair. Twist the brush up and away from you as you move both hairbrush and hair dryer down.