Teasing your hair

Ratting, teasing and backcombing are integral steps in achieving so many of the hairstyles you see on the runways and red carpet. They create a foundation, build up volume where you need it and give shape to your look. Follow these ideas to give your hair a proper tease.

Tools: Too often, women grab a fine-tooth teasing comb as their tool. This can be more damaging to hair if not used properly. Your best bet is a teasing brush, which has gentler, serrated boar bristles that vary in length to give you friction without breakage as you tease.

Preparation: Creating grip is a twofold process; first, skip adding any conditioner or conditioning products from your roots to mid-lengths as these create too much slippage. To build body and create hold, choose either a mousse or volume adding spray. Look for a product that isn’t heavy on shine; it should feel light and not sticky. Or, try one of the new all-in-one products that promise to bundle all of the prep into one step, acting as texturizer, volumizer and finisher. Certain tease sprays literally change the ‘fabric’ of the hair by adding more grip and extra texture for an instant teased effect.

Stroke: Section off the hair in front of the portion that you want to tease and clip it to the side. This will be the hair you use to cover your teased areas. Then, take sections about a half-inch wide, and pull the hair tight and away from your head. Starting at the root, brush against the grain toward the scalp using short strokes. The amount of tension (how tightly you pull) you use on each piece allows you to create better friction with your teasing brush. Go section by section until you’ve teased what you want.

Backcomb: Release that separate part you clipped to the side and begin smoothing it over your teased hair. Run your teasing brush gently over this hair, smoothing it into place. If you need to manoeuvre your shape around, use the pointed end of your teasing brush to ensure that you don’t disrupt the tease. Look for gaps in your backcomb and gently rework it until you can’t detect the tease.

Hold: Lock in your look with an aerosol hairspray. Mist at arm’s length in the direction you want the hair to lie, and keep a light hand since over-spraying will collapse your volume.

Two-way Tease: Often, women find it hard to stand up straight and tease their crown, so flip your hair over, upside down, and work your tease that way. It gives you more control, and actually encourages more volume. If you just want to concentrate your tease at the crown, gather the hair you don’t want ratted into a ponytail off to the side so it’s not in your way.