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(VIDEO) How To: Find That Perfect Hairstyle

I like to wear my hair away from my face, but I am bored of always tying my hair in a ponytail. How do I find creative ways of jazzing up my hair?

YouTube has a great library of hair tutorials, but finding the perfect "do" can be overwhelming. Read on for simple tips on how to narrow your search results and find the hairstyle that will leave you looking your best.

Among the millions or billions of videos on YouTube, hair tutorials make up a large percentage of them. For almost any style you'd like to create or can imagine up, there's a how-to video there to help you out. But with all the trillions of tutorials at your fingertips, navigating through them all is some serious business.

If you already follow a blogger who does hair tutorials {like me ;} chances are you just watch hers without searching for anything more. But let's say you don't have a favorite hair tutorial vlogger or blogger and need to know how to do the latest up-do and can't for the life of you figure out how. Here are some tips to help you navigate the sea of hair styling tutorial videos on the internet.

1. Go to YouTube and do a search for the particular hairstyle you're looking for. Be specific with your keywords so the right videos pop up. For example: "No Heat Curls".

2. There are various ways to achieve curls without using heat {using my example above} so a search for "No Heat Curls" will produce hundreds of videos on the subject. You can watch each and every one until you find one you like OR you can narrow down your search even more.

3. Narrow your search down by being even more specific. In this case, try adding the words "twisted buns, sponge rollers, Bantu knots, sock buns, overnight" to get to what you're looking for quicker.

(Editor's Note: The great thing is that with a little bit of digging you can find a technique that will work for any type of hair. For example here are videos from Naptural85 whose hair is a very different length and texture than Maegan's showing how to get a similar look as Maegan in her No Heat Curls and 5 Minute Holiday Hair Side Bun tutorials.)




4. They say don't read a book by it's cover, but is the same true for YouTube video thumbnails? Sometimes it's best to choose from a photo of a hair style in a thumbnail that looks closest to what you're going for.

5. Choose a video that has 100,000 hits rather than 2,000. Chances are, the one with more hits is better, though not always. A hair tutorial doesn't have to be "professional" to get the point across.

6. If you don't like the one you've chosen to watch, there is a list of related videos down the sidebar making it easier to see something you may like and click to it.

7. Choose a shorter video over a longer one. 10 minutes is usually the max upload time but many women go on for a good 5 minutes before even getting to the hair tutorial. I get that they have loyal followers who actually care about what they are saying, but for our purposes, we're just trying to get to the gold then go and try it for ourselves.

8. If you're looking for a style you can do yourself, choose a video created by one person who does her own hair, so you can see exactly how her fingers are moving to create a "fishtail braid", for example. Some styles get lost in translation when you're watching someone else do it on the back of another faceless head.

9. DON'T judge a video by it's "likes" and/or "dislikes". There are many "haters" on YouTube who enjoy "disliking" videos just to be snarky. Avoid the comments as well, in most cases.

10. And if you like a particular how-to-er, subscribe to their YouTube page to get updates when they upload a new video hair style tutorial.

YouTube is getting more populated by the day so I hope I could offer some helpful tips to steer you in the right direction and get you Looking Your Best on the regular. Or you can ignore everything and just watch my hair tutorials and call it a day! {yes, that was a gratuitous plug ;}

Do you have a favorite blogger or YouTube channel for hair tutorials (ed: in addition to Maegan's, of course)? Do you create your own? What's your best tip for finding the best tips?

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BlogHer Style Editor Maegan Tintari {@loveMaegan} is a Fashion, Home & Lifestyle blogger in Los Angeles. Go to ...love Maegan for your daily dose of inspiration!

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ElviraRibacu 5 pts

I recomment LetsMakeItUp1, the tutorials are different, inventive, unlike other hair tutorials on youtube. She has A LOT of tutorials, you could wear different hairstyles for a year if you watch them! She also has a makeup channel in the description. Hope it helps!

gabbyshewrote 5 pts

Pinterest is such a great idea! I will be starting a hairstyle board tonight :) I love Maegan's videos, she makes it all look easy!

http://gabbyshewrote.blogspot.com/2012/02/life-well-lived-hair-tutorials.html

jennyonthespot 6 pts

I LOVE finding new tutorials. Between my two girls and my mane... I have 3 reasons to explore and find new twists... or brains, or up-dos... ;) And Maegan, you are one of my go-to places for ideas!!!

http://www.jennyonthespot.com/wellness/for-the-love-of-hair-my-favorite-hair-sites/

carolrood 10 pts

So I first need to tell you all that I have had the same hairstyle for YEARS, and besides straightening it on occasion and curling my bangs, I had given up on different styles. That is sad, isn't it? Well, that will no longer be the case....

I have found videos I LOVE on You Tube!

BEBEXO, Stacey Brennan, Teasedblackpearl and Caitlinchic are all websites I have found that I am going to follow! They have inspired me to let my bangs grow, so I can be more inventive! I can't wait!!

babspinfrance 5 pts

when I am searching for ideas I usually turn to my trusted friend, Pinterest. With just a quick search I find myself browsing through so many amazing ideas. I usually stumble upon some great bloggers with some great ideas that I would have never found otherwise.

http://barbarainclermont.blogspot.com/2012/02/pinterest-make-me-pretty.html

complexmom 7 pts

I need all the tips I can get because my hair is always in a ponytail. Either that or it's totally frizzed out.

http://complexmom.com/2012/02/11/searching-for-beauty-in-a-birch-box/

Busy Mom 5 pts

Always on the search for hair ideas as I'm not blessed with the best hair ever!

http://www.busymom.net/archives/004714.html

annabellehepburn 8 pts

YouTube tutorials have taught me soooo much! It's so much easier to learn. New technique by watching someone, not just reading instructions. I just posted some of my fave tutorials on my blog http://www.shoppingdetox.com/2012/02/jour-41-how-to-be-glamour-girl.html

Karianna 9 pts

I love the idea of searching YouTube for tutorials! And yes, I've seen some beautiful styles on Pinterest, although my gut reaction is always that it won't work for me because my hair is sooooo thick! I know people say I'm "blessed" - but some of the imaginative, delicate styles simply don't work for super-thick hair. If I successfully experiment, perhaps I'll share and become a thick-hair-YouTube sensation. :-)

http://www.karianna.us/blog/archives/2012/02/that_crazy_very_thick_hair.html

Julie at Inmates 6 pts

This you can be sure of: I will never spend an hour on my hair each day.... http://www.frominmatestoplaydates.com/2012/02/10/hair-we-go/

Rain into Rainbows 6 pts

Julie at Inmates Stopping over from Julie @ Inmate's blog, and I have to say that I agree with her. I'll for sure never spend an hour a day on my hair! My teenager, now, that's a different story. ;-)

When I'm looking for a hairstyle, cute accessories, etc., I have to say that like most everyone else on here, I hit up Pinterest.

AlishaF 8 pts

Pinterest is a great way to find those perfect hairstyles, but when you have someone going through each process step by step it makes it so much easier to learn. My reader shared her favorite blogger, Kate from the Small Things blog http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/p/hair-style-tutorials.html?m=1
Be sure to check her site out!!

http://alishabrandon120410.blogspot.com/2012/02/looking-your-best.html?m=1

janssen.everyday@gmail.com 12 pts

I'm so lucky that I don't have to wash my hair too often. Is it gross that I go three days between washes? http://everydayreading.blogspot.com/2012/02/three-things-i-wore-recently.html

AlishaF 8 pts

@janssen.everyday@gmail.com Janssen, it's not gross at all. I have normal to dry hair, and if I were to wash my hair every night my hair would be even drier and probably brittle. I've gone three days without washing too. No harm in that! ;)

Maegan Tintari 26 pts

janssen.everyday@gmail.com no... it's healthier for your hair :)

Cheryld 8 pts

What great tips! I hate to sound like a dinosaur, but I had no clue that there were hair tutorials on YouTube--that just never occurred to me. I received a great tip for adding body to my thin, fine hair the old-fashioned way: my Beverly Hills hair stylist: http://www.littlebitquirky.com/2012/02/looking-your-best.html

Domestic Fashionista 9 pts

Great tips! Narrowing the search in YouTube is key! I just posted about one of my favorite bloggers that shows easy but beautiful hair tutorials: http://www.domesticfashionista.com/2012/02/hair-tutorial-inspiration.html

LABride 6 pts

Great tips! I just posted about using Pinterest to find tutorials and blogs with great hairstyle tutorials. http://www.louisianabrideblog.com/2012/02/life-well-lived-looking-your-best.html

Maria Niles 16 pts

LABride Pinterest - great idea! Love your post and good luck on keeping up with your beauty and fashion resolutions. It's tough during grad school time but you're off to a great start!

Maegan Tintari 26 pts

Maria NilesLABride yes... the back of my head is all over Pinterest ;) My mom would be so proud {after she did my hair when I was a kid, she always took a picture of the back of it, lol}

Conversation from Twitter

MaggaMuffien
MaggaMuffien

loveMaegan.. sum.. beauti.mus.. loX!! Nice!! Tech.unique!!=D subtlY.. Creative!! nice!!

FamilYdIndin
FamilYdIndin

loveMaegan.. sum.. beauti.mus.. loX!! Nice!! Tech.unique!!=D subtlY.. Creative!! nice!!

 

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