Hair

Prepping for the holidays is hard. From school parties to family gatherings, the last thing on your mind is your hair, which is why this updo is the perfect solution for looking pulled together fast without much effort. No time to wash? No problem—this style works great on dirty hair and even helps conceal oily roots.

Using only three products (hairspray, an elastic, and bobby pins) you probably already have in your bathroom, follow these easy steps so you can whip up a simple, yet super-sophisticated updo in under five minutes.

Here, how to master those laidback beachy waves by using your flatiron—and without spending a ton of time in front of the mirror.

Hair, for many women (including myself), acts as a security blanket. Tell me you’re going to cut an inch, and I hesitate; tell me you’re going to cut more than five inches, and I would bolt from the salon chair. That’s where the blind haircut comes in. Admittedly, I am (was) very attached to the length of my hair (that touched my butt). But then Dove celebrity hairstylist, Mark Townsend, got his hands on it and worked his magic.

In our culture, gray hair is synonymous with getting older. So Real Simple went on a search to find women who choose to go against the norm, free themselves from box color and never-ending salon appointments, and embrace the hair on their head—just the way it is. The response was overwhelming. Turns out, women of all ages and walks of life are embracing their grays. In fact, some women are even dyeing their hair gray (ironic, right?). Here, eight extraordinary women who make going gray look insanely gorgeous.