Higher, Baby! - by Editor

GET THE LOOK

To achieve a subtle but higher than usual do, just style your hair as normal and then comb the front section of your hair forward and either tie it up or clip it together, so that's it's separated from the rest of your hair. You are now ready to tease or backcomb your hair.

Many women make the mistake of backcombing the entire front section and then lightly brushing it to neaten it up. What you are doing then is untangling the knots you had created by backcombing, defeating the purpose. Your hair then falls flat much faster. You should, therefore, tease the

section just behind

Gently tease the hair left on top of your crown with a small brush or comb. Teasing hair gives you instant volume. After you've brushed it in the wrong direction, it should look like a little ball of hair is sitting on top of your head.

Sprtiz this hairball with a bit of hair spray, or apply gel before backcombing so it stays put.

Now take the front section of hair (which you initially separated) and smooth it over the top of your head to cover the back combed section. Voila! A perfectly coiffed style achieved in minutes. You could leave your hair open, or pin it up into an elegant bun.

If you change your mind and decide big hair is just not for you, just brush through the hairball, untangling it slowly and carefully and you're back to your basic flat style within moments.

On the other hand if you love the look and want to go even bigger and better, just use more of everything. More hair from the crown of your head to back-comb, more hair pins, more gel and hairspray or just go bananas and back-comb your entire head of hair. Caution: birds may mistake your head for a nest.

This may not work well if your hair is too fine, and a couple of inches above the crown is probably about the biggest your hair will get. It helps if you gel your hair a day earlier and then gel it again before styling it.

Whatever you do, don't wash your hair the day you want to style it if you want this look.

For a looser look with more movement, simply use a few rollers at the top of the head, secure with styling gel to set the style and you're done. If you have the time, go in for sponge rollers as these are the gentlest on hair. Metal rollers are the harshest, so if you must use heated rollers, invest in non-metal ones.