The press may be attempting to create a style war between X Factor judges Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue, but while Cheryl may be scoring points for her daring dresses, Ms Minogue is winning hands down when it comes to the battle of the tresses.
It’s not often that short hair is seen as a versatile style option, but since debuting her new bob as the X Factor auditions started, Dannii’s changed her hair as often as she’s changed her outfit. And here’s how…
Precision is the key to keep it smooth
Dannii started off with a classic Louise Brooks bob with a blunt fringe at the beginning of auditions, but she’s already started to grow out the new style, which has given her more versatility. Although the style looks simple, it does require precise blow-drying to keep it smooth and with a rounded shape.
Use a root-lift spray – John Frieda’s Luxurious Volume Thickening Blow Dry Lotion, £5.49, is great – and work in sections from the jawline up. The bigger the round brush you use, the better – smaller brushes will create too much of a curve on each section, which means they won’t sit neatly on top of each other.
And it makes for a slightly old-fashioned outline that’s too bouffant when it should be sleek. For speed and shine, use the nozzle of your dryer and keep it close to the hair as you dry, rolling the brush downwards as you go so hair stays close to the scalp. Continue through to the fringe and finish with a tiny dab of serum for smoothness and shine.
Use a side parting to ring the changes
At Cheryl’s 26th birthday party, Dannii kept her hair even sleeker, so it didn’t fight with the frills on her dress. Ring the changes with a side-parting and tuck the rest of the hair behind the ears, keeping the fringe slicked back with grips. The key here is to criss-cross the grips so they stay firmly in place.
Roll with it and get back-combing
For Dannii’s Elvis-style quiff, again use blowdry lotion and set hair on Velcro rollers with heat from your hairdryer. Once cooled, unwind and start backcombing with a fine-tooth comb, working backwards from the sides and upwards with the fringe, leaving the ends out so they curve backwards instead of sticking straight up. Go for even more root lift on top of the head so it blends in with the height of the fringe. Then cover the comb with hairspray and smooth the side sections behind the ear and the front of the quiff so it looks smooth. Finish with a lots of hairspray all over.
