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5 Ways to Cure Bed Head (When You Have Only 5 Minutes to Spare)

It’s too bad our version of bed head doesn’t involve sexy rumpled waves and tons of volume up top. (You’re fooling no one, Victoria’s Secret.) When we wake up, there’s usually some odd kink in our hair and a crease across our cheek to match. The good news is that after waking up to many a bad hair day, you figure out how to deal with them quickly. Here, our secrets.

1. Re-wet just the wonky sections. Like your bangs (always) or that one Alfalfa sprout sticking straight up in the back. Section off just those parts, spray them down with water and blow-dry. Water breaks down the hydrogen bonds in your hair (which makes them change shape) and reactivates any styling products that are there.

2. Or re-wet and braid everything. If you have naturally curly or wavy hair, spray it down until it’s completely damp and braid or twist everything into a few even sections. Once they're dry, take them down, and you'll have revived ringlets in their place. 

3. Use a curling iron. So you woke up with some weird bends? Don’t fight them. Just add a few more curls throughout your head to blend everything together.

4. Change up your part. If you normally wear it to the left, move it to the right; if you typically wear it down the center, try a side part. It’s the smallest move, but it makes the biggest difference in volume.

5. Pull it away from your face. And if all else fails, slick everything back into a ponytail. Greasy roots can look sleek and intentional when pulled back and disheveled strands can give you a more voluminous tail.


Jenny Jin Headshot Vertical 2023

Beauty Director

Jenny Jin is PureWow’s Beauty Director and is currently based in Los Angeles. Since beginning her journalism career at Real Simple magazine, she has become a human encyclopedia of...