3 Tips to Tease Like a Boss

Maxie is the queen of texas hair. I was laughing so hard when I opened the google document with the blog post draft. (Well, first I was confused and a bit worried… Teasing can mean many things, you see. Ha.) The funniest thing about Maxie is that she always has her extra-special hair brush at the ready in her handbag. I’ve definitely caught her a few times touching up the tease, especially on mornings when she would be in the office right after a red-eye flight from San Francisco.

My hair is out-of-control volume wise when I don’t do anything to it and it tends to get sleek and flat when I style it… so I can’t wait to test out Maxie’s method!

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Guest Post by Maxie McCoy

Do you remember being much younger and treating your flat iron like it was some version of a modern god? The thought of it breaking or burning out while getting ready for school was the equivalent to a level 5 disaster. Your hair had to be tamed. It had to be as flat as physics (and heat) would allow. 

I was that girl too, and then my southern roots got the best of me, and it all became about how big I could get my hair. Because as we all know… the higher the hair the closer to god *wink*. After a decade of perfecting the Texas Tease, I figured since I’m writing from the great state this weekend, there’s no better time to share one of my favorite skills: teasing like a boss.

If you were to have all of my galpals together in a room, I’ve taught about 90% of them how to tease their hair (by request). Now you don’t have to go getting all freaked out with images of the Snooki bump seared into your vision. We’re talking sleek, feminine volume that makes you feel like your hair just bounced right out of an herbal essence commercial.

Nonetheless, teasing (once known decades ago as “backcombing”) will be a magical hair trick you’ll be sad you never tried before. It’s that fabulous. 

I think the only beauty trick I get this excited about is lipstick. That should say something. So here we go, your three best Maxie-certified teasing tips:

Have the Right Equipment

You know that old black comb that most of our dads use before pumping out some hairspray? That will “do the job,” but having the right comb and hairspray to keep it in place is key. At Sally’s they sell a host of different teasing combs that all cost less than 10 buckaroos. Once you get the right comb, take sections around the crown of your head, lift the hair, and comb the hair down the shaft, starting toward the end of the strands moving to the crown of your head. Feel free to go for it! It looks something like this…

Keep the tease in place with my absolute favorite hairspray: Kenra Volume Spray 25. The amount of brands I’ve gone through to find this perfect spray is incomprehensible. I may be using this until my hair is white and gray. Spray this in a couple full orbits around your hair. Now look in the mirror and scream… hehe just kidding!

Smoothing Is Your Friend

You’re going to be a little scared by what you see in the mirror when you first finish teasing sections on the crown of your hair.  Yes, this Einstein look will go away. That’s what the smoothing process is for. Get out your round brush and gentlyyyyy gently gently brush the teased hair back into place. But don’t do it so much that you brush out the tease. Just enough so that you’re taking the visible kinks out of the crown of your head.

Maintenance Is in the Spirit Fingers

To keep the volume long after the party has started, you’re going to want to use your best spirit fingers. They’re key to getting the volume pumped back into your roots when your hours past the initial tease. Simply take the tips of your fingers, and “plump” the top of your head by pushing it up. Do this in front of a mirror so you know if you just accidently gave yourself bed head or not, but trust me, it takes 10 seconds and it breathes volume back into your tease.

I just love women with big hair. Whether it’s Texas Style Backcomb, big blown out beauty like Carly’s, or crazy curls that almost touch the sky, teasing can be used to soften and volumize anyone’s hairdo. Use some southern inspiration and try this one out in your beauty routine. It’s always fun to try something new, but more importantly figure out what makes you feel fully, beautifully, you.

For more Maxie, follow her blog!