As hard as it is to believe, there's less than a month until Valentine's Day. That's right, everyone's favorite romantic holiday will be here before you know it, and whether you're planning a Zoom hangout sesh, streaming some rom-coms with your BFFs, or having a chill night at home, it's the perfect time to test out some new hairstyles. These 11 romantic Valentine's Day hair tutorials will ensure you look perfect, no matter how you're celebrating the day.
Even if you think Valentine's Day is a commercialized holiday designed to sell products, there's no denying that it's a bright spot in an otherwise dreary winter month. There are red and pink hearts all over the place, the drugstore shelves are packed with chocolate, and every channel is playing movies like When Harry Met Sally on repeat. (Swoon.) Even if you don't have big plans for the romantic day, it's always fun to have an excuse to play around with your hairstyle — especially in the dead of winter. Because, hey, sometimes a cute hairdo can help quash the most stubborn February blues.
Read more: The 10 Best Hair Clips For Thick Hair In 2022
Whether your hair is short or long, curly or straight, there's a romantic Valentine's Day hairstyle out there for you. Here are 11 super-chic options to play around with, no matter what your holiday plans are.
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1. Side Braid
This loose and messy side braid is much easier than it may look, but you will need to know how to do a fishtail braid (but don't worry, she gives you a mini crash course).
To get the look, Lucy (whose username is Loepsie) pulls her hair to the side and splits it into two sections, then begins to fishtail braid the hair until she's about three-fourths of the way done. Then, she ties off the braid and begins loosening it with her fingers. Once it's just tousled and messy enough, she uses a piece of the tail and wraps it around the hair tie to conceal it. Finally, she pulls a few pieces of her hair out to frame her face.
2. Messy Pony
Looking for something simple but still romantic? Kayley Melissa's messy pony is the perfect option, and while it's designed for short to medium hair, it would also work for longer lengths.
For the pony, Kayley starts with her hair curled. Then, she sections two large pieces of hair on either side of her head and secures the remainder in a ponytail holder a few inches from the nape of her neck. She then loosens up the braid to keep things voluminous. After that's done, she splits the two front sections in half and pulls the back parts around to secure them into a small second pony. Then, she twists the new, smaller pony around to form a loop before pulling the larger one through. Next, she repeats this step with the leftover front sections. Finally, she pull a few pieces loose and makes the front as messy she wants.
3. Face-Framing Bangs
YouTuber Courtney Lynn's messy puff and bangs are designed to be an everyday look, it's also flirty enough for a romantic occasion.
To get the look, Courtney preps her hair the night before using twists and the LCO method (liquid, oil, cream) and flex rods for the bangs. After taking out the twists and rods, she begins to fluff her hair with a pick. Next, she uses a shoestring to create a custom-sized puff by adjusting the tightness of the string around her hair. She then ties off the string and fluffs her hair more. When that's done, she pulls a few smaller twists free and untwists them to create soft, messy curls around her head.
For the bangs, pick out the curls that were created using the flex rods. Once done, she uses bobby pins to place them where she'd like.
4. Low Bun
Alex Gaboury's low bun is a deceptively easy Valentine's Day hairdo that adds the perfect romantic touch to your look.
She starts with her hair curled and pulls two pieces free on either side in the front. Next, she grabs the rest of her hair and secures it into a hair elastic. When gathered, she begins to twist the ponytail, and once done, she grabs the ponytail holder with her thumb and index finger and begins to twist the ponytail around it counterclockwise. While holding the hair in place, begin to pin with a bobby pin until secure. Finish the look off with hairspray.
5. Half-Up, Half-Down
Love half-up and half-down looks? Alyssa Marie's romantic, face-framing look is perfect. Bonus: There's no heat required.
Alyssa begins with pre-styled curls, which she twisted out two nights before. She chooses a few curls to stay down out of the up-do to frame her face. Then, she gathers a section of her hair on one side before moving on and doing the same on the next. She then secures the two sections with a ponytail holder and works through her hair to fluff it before pulling out more romantic curls around her face.
6. Twisted Ponytail
Missy Sue's low ponytail is one of the easiest but still romantic looks you can do, and it looks much harder than it actually is.
To start, she begins with her hair curled and pulls out two sizable sections near the front of her face before securing the back section with an elastic to create the ponytail. Next, she takes half of the front section and twists it back toward the ponytail before gently pulling it apart to make it more full and clips it in place. She repeats the same process on the other side of her hair. Then, she unclips the other and ties the two twists together before flipping them for a smaller topsy-turvey tail. Next, she uses a piece of the ponytail to hide the elastic bands. As a final touch, she adds a pearl headband.
7. Hair Accessories
If you love hair accessories or hair jewelry, Rey (who goes by DisisReyRey on YouTube) has the perfect style for Valentine's Day.
To start, Rey sections off the front part of her hair and creates twists on the sides and through the middles within the section, but leaves two sides of the middle twists undone. She then slicks down the untwisted sections into a half-up pony and sculpts her edges. Next, she goes through and shapes her hairs before adding the hair jewelry over the twists for the final look.
8. Beachy Waves
Romantic hairstyles don't always have to be updos or big voluminous curls. Sexy beach waves are also a total vibe. YouTuber Milabu uses a curling iron to get this undone look.
To start, Milabu splits her hair above her ears and ties up the top part. Then, she takes a one-inch curling wand and begins to curl from the back to the front, leaving a significant portion of out to get a beachy effect. While curling, she lets the hair sit in the clamp for about 8 to 10 seconds before loosening the clamp and twisting the barrel for the waves. Once done with the bottom section, she pulls down the top and repeats the same steps throughout her hair. When everything is curled, she lets her hair sit and cool before going in with a texture spray and uses her fingers to loosen the waves.
9. High Bun
YouTuber Laila Washington's look is a chic and sleek bun that's created with four twists, and it's perfect for those who want an elegant and romantic Valentine's Day hairstyle.
To get the look, Washington divides her hair into two sections and clips them. She then takes one of the sections and splits it into two again before loosely twisting them both. Next, she moves to the other section and does the same. Once done, she clips them up and smoothes her edges. Moving on, she begins to pull apart the twists before swooping three of them around toward the back of her head. She then uses the one free twist and pulls it around to cover the other three to create a chic bun.
10. Hollywood Glam Waves
If beachy waves are not your thing and you want something a bit more glam, try this Hollywood-style look.
YouTuber Cynthia Dhimdis begins with her hair washed and dried and parted to the side. Next, she uses a curling iron to curl the side of her head with the hair framing her face and works all the way to the back of her head. Once done, she moves to the second side and curls her hair but in a direction away from her face. Then, she sprays her hair with hairspray and gently brushes out the waves before going in and back brushing them for a more defined shape. As a finishing touch, she adds a barrette to the side for a sleek look.
11. Sleek Pony
Sure, a lot of people like face-framing tendrils and voluminous waves for a romantic night, but an elegant, sleek ponytail can also do the trick — just look at Jasmine Brown's elegant updo.
For the look, she starts with her hair wet and prepped and parts it down the middle. Next, she pulls a small section out of the front for a single tendril and clips it in place. Then, using a brush, she slicks back her hair into a low ponytail just at the nape of her neck. Once secured, she moves back to the tendril and applies cream and coils it downward for definition. Moving on, she styles her baby hairs before finally adding leave-in conditioner to the pony to seal the look.
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