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ALFREDO DE BENEDICTIS FOUNDER | HAIRSTYLIST
Alfredo De Benedictis is an Italian-British hair stylist and salon owner with over 40 years of experience. Since 1989, his passion for innovation has led him to create groundbreaking hair tools that minimize stress on the hair while delivering flawless results. From the iconic Rootpermer and Wellformer of the ’90s to the global hit Babyliss Curl Secret, Alfredo’s mission remains the same—developing tools that protect hair health without compromising style.
In this guide, we’ll explore what makes the best travel hair straightener, how to pack it safely, and why the KEEO Genius is your perfect companion for smooth, healthy hair wherever you go.
Festival season is upon us and has us dreaming of beach weaves, braids, flower crowns, high ponytails and glitter partings.
Artistic, bold, playful, and above all, fun, festival hair is hair at its most fabulous, but it also needs to last.
So, how do you look good on day four after washing when the elements may be against you?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
In this blog, we’ll offer some ideas for hot-right-now festival hairstyles that don’t require a team of stylists, look cute, need little maintenance, and have serious staying power.
Whether you're heading to Glastonbury, Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Tomorrowland in Belgium or a more modest local music festival, you need hairstyles that can withstand a lot and still look good.
You’ll be dancing, sweating, and, especially in the UK, there’s always a high chance of mud and rain. Add to that the lack of access to a hot shower, and you have a recipe for a run of bad hair days.
Not on our watch!
We’ve cherry-picked some of the best festival hairstyles for long and short hair to keep you serving until the last song.
The best hairstyles for festivals depend on your hair type and condition, which will likely alter through the course of the event. Here’s a quick breakdown for a week-long festival:
If you have coloured hair, freshen it up or get a toner on it a couple of weeks before the festival. This prevents the new colour from fading or reacting to the sun, festival water, and sweat.
Your freshly washed hair can then be worn au natural, in a blow-out or with natural or professionally styled curls or waves.
Braids are the ideal hairstyle for a few days into a festival - whether you favour a fishtail plait, face-framing micro braids, Dutch style, or bubble braids, plaiting your hair will protect it from further damage and keep it off your face, while looking playful and pretty. Braids work on most hair types and can typically be worn for a couple of days. Plus, you can switch up your look with coloured extensions, beads, flowers or jewels.
If you want to let your hair down, undo your braids and embrace the waves. Using a salt spray will help keep them intact and add texture.
Depending on your access to hot water and electricity, your hair is probably not looking its best. It’s time for a cute updo such as space buns, or going heavy on the accessories.
Top Tip: To reset waves, curls, or coils - use a bottle of water to wet (drench) your hair, then blot it dry using a t-shirt. Use a detangling spray and brush or a spray conditioner to ensure a defined style.
If you’re glamping, you might have more room in your bag for hair and beauty. Otherwise, you’ll need to be clever in what you pack to last you through the festival.
You will need a compact hair straightener/styler such as the KEEO Genius that enables you to create curls, waves or sleek straight locks in minutes.
A lot of music festival hairstyles rely on the clever use of accessories. Used to protect hair, hide imperfections and elevate your look, accessories can transform your hair with little effort.
Speaking of colours, festivals are the perfect place to try out a new shade without lasting commitment. Hair chalks and temporary dyes can be used to add streaks or create a dip dye effect on the ends of your hair.
If you don’t want to cut or colour your hair but need to switch up your look, try a wig. Available in a wide range of styles and colours, you can either go cheap and cheerful or invest in a natural-looking hairpiece.
Dry shampoo is a festival hair essential, but some formulas can damage your scalp and tresses. That’s why the ‘good-for-you’ talc-free Rootist Clarifying Dry Shampoo Powder is such a fan favourite. Absorbing sweat and oil to leave hair clean and soft, its natural formula doesn’t create build-up, weigh hair down or leave a visible film. It is available in a ‘Prefill’ size, and you can clean the brush with a baby wipe - perfect for festival life.
Hairspray remains the most popular festival hair styling product, but not all hairsprays are created equal. Hair by Sam McKnight Modern Hairspray Multi-Tasking Styling Mist is a buildable spray suitable for all hair types and textures. It brushes out easily, but will set your style in place without drying or giving your hair that stiff and crunchy texture of lesser products.
For texturising and volumising, a salt spray is hard to beat. Sun Bum Sea Salt Spray is a vegan, gluten and paraben-free product that offers a matte finish, volumised and textured look with humidity blocking and UV protection. Ideal for festivals it has a summery scent and comes in a handy 6 ounce spray bottle.
As with a holiday, you want your favourite products but in mini. Travel-size can sometimes be expensive, but when you’re already carrying a tent, food, and essential toiletries, the convenience is worth the extra cost.
As with wedding hair, festival hairstyles can take their toll on your tresses. Multiple looks, plenty of products, and styling tools, combined with the elements, can mean some gentle restoration is needed.
Try to wash your hair with a gentle cleansing shampoo when you get home and follow up with an intensive leave-in conditioner or leave-in mask.
John Frieda’s Detox & Repair Shampoo with green tea and avocado oil does just that, transforming dry, lifeless hair into glossy, gorgeous locks by repairing damage, removing buildup, and encouraging natural regeneration. The complementary conditioner smoothes and soothes.
The K18 Leave-In Molecular Hair Mask is applied directly to clean, damp hair, after shampoo, with no need of conditioner. Lightweight enough for fine hair, this mask packs a serious punch, reconnecting polypeptide chains to restore even the most colour or heat damaged hair to strength and shine.
Festival hairstyles are an outlet for creativity and artistic expression. Although some styles are more fashionable, there aren’t really any rules; just go with what is comfortable, long-lasting and makes you feel fabulous.
To recap:
There are a couple of options:
In addition to the above, maintaining your style is all about quick touch-ups - a styling cream like Colorwow’s One-Minute Transformation Styling Cream provides an instant fix for frizz and flyaways while refreshing and polishing hair with Avocado Oil and Omega 3’s.
Yes, you can take a compact straightening tool such as the KEEO Genius for poker straight ponies and sleek straight locks.
Alternatively, you can use aheat-free method to straighten your hair on the go.
