With It girls going short left and right, it’s hard to not feel FOMO every time you see Jen Atkin bust out the clippers on a client. Despite your itch to chop, you play the short hair lifestyle out in your head and totally squash the thought because you know you’ll regret cutting the hair you’ve worked so hard to grow. Good news, you don’t have to—you can have your crop and not keep it too. Enter: Celebrity hairstylist and Mane Addicts’ alumna Justine Marjan, who posted a video on Instagram sharing the secret to taking her long-haired clients short without reaching for the shears. Press play on the post, below, and keep reading for Justine’s tips on achieving a temporary long mane whenever you want.
Not only does Justine’s trick work on long hair, it also works on medium length strands. In fact, Justine tells us, “It works on all hair lengths! Even short haired girls can do it if they want long hair and don’t want any little baby hairs popping out.”
As for how to prep the hair before braiding, Justine says to simply blow dry your hair like you usually would, using a mousse or texturizing hair spray to add more grit and hold to the braids. After braiding, spray generously with hairspray to keep in place. To secure the braids, Justine’s go-to are the durable Blax Snag-Free Hair Elastics 4mm. The best part? You don’t have to be a professional braider to create the braids before applying the extensions. “Because the braids are concealed under the extensions, don’t worry too much about getting perfect clean partings,” Justine tells us.
