Festival Hair: 2019 Trends
It’s that time of the year again: the Hunter Wellies are being dusted off, the Vauxhall Corsas are preparing for their summer road trips, and the shops are selling out of wet wipes and miniature bottles of vodka. That’s right, it’s festival season, which can only mean one thing: an emergence of hundreds of wacky and intricate festival hairdos to get practicing on.
We brought you the best festival hair trends of 2018, but a lot has changed since then. There’s still a clear obsession with braiding, but new styles have barged into the picture, and we’re here to share a few of our favourites with you. Bored of the flower crown? Keep reading…
1. Accessories galore
This year’s obsession with chunky, retro-style hair accessories can definitely be used to your advantage at a festival, where everything is big and loud and excessive. Tying your hair up and sliding in an oversized hair clip or two is an easy way to vamp up any average festival look. Bonus points if you manage a bit of overall theming.
2. Double-bun braids
The last thing you want to be doing at a festival is stopping to maintain the upkeep of your hair every other minute. You need a style that’s going to last for hours- maybe even days- on end. Enter double-bun braids. Simply part your hair into two sections and make two braids from either side of your forehead, plaiting all the way back until you reach the back of your skull.
Here, twist your remaining hair into two topknots that coincide with where each braid has ended. Pin, hairspray, and you’re ready to go. Glitter is a discretionary add-on.
3. The neon fishtail plait
Another easy-last hairstyle of the 2019 festival scene is the timeless fishtail plait, vamped up slightly with the addition of neon wash-out hair dye. It’s a messy one, and your sleeping bag might never recover from the potential dye-smudge, but it makes an impressive festival look for certain. Bring all your hair round to one side of your hair and tie it in a bobble.
Next, separate your hair into two sections. Take a smaller piece from the underside of the right section and pull it across the centre towards the left section, and add it in. Repeat on the opposite side (YouTube tutorials are recommended for first-timers). Finally, spray with your neon hair dye of choice, and you’re officially festival-ready.
4. Butterfly hair
We’ve seen an overabundance of flowers over the years of festival hair evolution, but butterflies? They’re a new one. Obviously, we’re not suggesting adding real insects to your look, but there are plenty of (unnervingly realistic) accessory alternatives available to buy on the internet. As with all hair accessories, you have the freedom to style your butterfly clips however suits you best, and you don’t need to be a creative pro to pull off the look- they look good even when clipped at random all over the head.
5. The synthetic braids
Remember when you used to go on holiday, and your mum would let you pick a synthetic braid to be weaved into your hair by a lady on the street? Well, it turns out childhood nostalgia is back on trend for the 2019 festival scene. We’ve seen synthetic braid overload, in all different colours, with people weaving them into plaits, buns, or simply leaving hair down in a braid explosion. You can buy braids for fairly cheap off the internet, and they make an easy, colourful addition to any festival look- just be aware that they might not be the easiest things to take out…
6. The brightly coloured turban
Last but not least, here’s a hairdo for your last day, when your hair has taken all the beer showers it can, and isn’t necessarily looking at its public-parading best: the turban. Turbans and headbands are trending this summer like they never have before, so you should find it easy to come across one in a style you like during your pre-festival shopping endeavours. Simply wrap and accessorise as you please, safe in the knowledge that only you and you alone know exactly what the situation looks like underneath.