10 Easy Styling Tips for Short Hair

Whether it’s time for the big chop or you’re just in for a trim, a new short ‘do is guaranteed to switch up your entire look. Keep in mind that chopping off your hair changes more than just your look — it also changes your entire hair care and styling routine. 

While short haircuts like a pixie cut or curly bob are typically less maintenance than longer strands, your at-home hair care and style routines are going to look different. To help keep you level-headed after your chop, read on as we share ten of our best hair care and styling tips for short hairstyles.

10 Hair Care and Styling Tips for Short Hair 

Adding these tips to your at-home hair care routine will help keep your short strands as healthy and strong as possible.

1. Use Less Product

Short strands still need leave-in styling products but they require much less product than longer strands. and while this might seem obvious, it’s worth repeating because using too much product can weigh down your short hair, causing it to look flat and greasy. Instead, opt for a smaller amount of product and only work it through your lengths and ends — you can always add more as needed.

2. Sleep on a Silk or Satin Pillowcase

To preserve your short strands while you sleep, opt for a silk pillowcase. A silk pillowcase helps to create a smooth and slippery surface for your hair with less friction and tugging. Adding a silk pillowcase to your nighttime routine will not only help to preserve your style as you sleep, but it will help your hair retain moisture, leading to less breakage.

3. Use a Deep Conditioning Treatment

While your shorter strands may feel healthier, that doesn’t mean they require less care. When your mane could use some extra attention, swap out your regular conditioner for a treatment mask like the L'Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Signature Masque, Color Care Hair Mask. This mask works to nourish hair, intensely hydrate and enhance shine for all hair types, especially color-treated hair.

4. Keep Up With Routine Trims

While trips to the salon are necessary to keep your short strands looking their best, there is a way to give your ends a trim between salon visits and keep your hair healthy at home. Hair dusting is a method of trimming dead ends and the bits of hair that are split, overly dry or otherwise damaged. This small trim not only improves the overall appearance of your mane but can help to make your short hair more manageable.

5. Refresh and Add Volume With Dry Shampoo

On days when your roots are feeling extra oily, refresh them with a tinted dry shampoo, like the L'Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Tinted Dry Shampoo for Blonde Hair or the L’Oréal Paris Everpure Sulfate Free Tinted Dry Shampoo for Brown Hair. Holding the can six to eight inches away from your hair, spritz this tinted dry shampoo onto your roots, massage and brush through. The formula will instantly absorb excess oil, add volume to the roots and camouflage grays or roots in need of a touch-up.

6. Accessorize

If there’s one thing that can make super-short tresses less tempting, it’s having to give up the ability to pull your hair into an easy ponytail as this much-loved style just doesn’t work with most short hairstyles. So when you’re looking to style very short hair at home, reach for a headband or a cute clip. Accessorizing will allow you to keep your hair out of your face while keeping your short strands trendy and playful.

7. Tousle to Add Texture

There’s no hair length that can’t stand for some added texture but short hairstyles look especially attractive when they’re tousled and texturized. For a messy, piecey effect, try a hair pomade, like the L’Oréal Paris Studio Line Overworked Hair Putty. Work a small amount through your strands, damp or dry, then use your fingers to tousle your hair and style.

8. Air Dry 

All hair types and lengths can benefit from air-drying more often since too much heat styling can contribute to damage. If you have wavy or curly hair, grab a curl enhancer like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Super Curls Cream Leave-In to rock your natural pattern. Generously apply on damp hair from roots to end and scrunch to style. 

Editor’s tip: A great way to style short strands at home is to add some curls. If you want to heat style with a curler or flat iron on occasion, make sure to prime your short strands with a heat protectant like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Frizz Killer Serum Leave-In. This leave-in offers 450-degree heat protection while taming frizz and adding shine.

9. Rock a Low Bun or Half-Bun

If your short strands are on the longer side, opt for a low bun style or pull up the strands that reach to rock a half-bun. These two styles are short hair friendly and sometimes you just want to wear your hair up. If you’re feeling adventurous, try out a playful and short hair-friendly updo like space buns.

10. Update Your Color

There’s no reason to stick with just one change at a time — if you want a whole new look, pair your short haircut with a new hair color. For a more permanent fix, you can update your hair hue at home with the help of an at-home hair color kit, like L’Oréal Paris Féria Midnight Bold Multi-Faceted Permanent Hair Color, L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying Shine Permanent Hair Color, or L’Oréal Paris Excellence Creme Créme Permanent Triple Protection Hair Color. 

If that sounds like too much commitment, you can always switch up your shade with a semi-permanent dye like the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Semi-Permanent Hair Color, which fades in four to eight washes.

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Edited by: Reece Andavolgyi, Photo credit: Rainier, IG:@/rainiercramer, Design by: Crystal Simone