28 hairstyles

Thursday: The cheerleader

To achieve this classic, use sea salt spray for a dishevelled texture and tie a high ponytail with a thin band. Don't forget to leave out a strand that you can wrap around the elastic.

Thursday: The low chignon

Apply a pomade and twist and scrunch your hair until you have that carefree, dishevelled look. Then simply twist and roll your hair into a low bun.

Wednesday: The punk braid

Draw a tight cornrow braid from one side and clip it under the loose hair on the other side. Iron the ends, dab on some shine spray and headbang the night away.

Wednesday: Schoolgirl pigtails

Queen Bey’s Insta feed is full of gems like this one — a messy top that trails into a pair of neat braids. Complete the look with a fedora or a more casual baseball cap.

Thursday: The messy bun

Pin the bottom half of your hair into a loose bun and create that lived-in look with lots of back-combing. Finger-comb through the day to maintain your 'do.

Thursday: Starched waves

Skip all product by scrunching the ends of newly washed hair and blast-drying it with a diffuser for easy waves that run just short of curls.

Tuesday: The super slick pony

This simple ponytail is all about smooth, shiny hair. Arm yourself with a moisturising shine spray to keep flyaways at bay.

Friday: The half-do

Can’t commit to a lob? Fake it. Fold up the back of your hair and pin loosely. Use a curling tong on messy hair at the top. You can always wear it down again while pub-hopping later.

Friday: The top-knot

For days when you 'can't even', keep your hair safely out of reach. Start with a high ponytail and twist it tight. Hold it up as high as you dare and coil the rest around the base of the ponytail.

Wednesday: The ballerina bun

Battle bad hair days with an easy top-knot. Pull your hair into a high pony and slip on a hair donut. Wrap the ponytail all around the donut  and set in place with bobby pins. Iron out that fringe.

Friday: The French updo

This one might call for an extra pair of hands — tie two French braids from the crown of your head, reaching all the way to the back. Bunch the rest into an updo.

Saturday: Vintage waves

Do old-Hollywood glamour by creating tight curls with a curling iron (dab on some heat protection spray first), and run a brush through to open them out. End with some hairspray, and find yourself a red carpet.

Saturday: The side-swept wave

For this red-carpet favourite, sweep a chunk of your hair to one side and secure the other with bobby pins. Use a two-inch thick curling iron to create a big, wavy curl.

Sunday: The greasy pompadour

For this swept-back look, use a wet-look hair gel and finger-comb it in place. Get rock-solid stay with a maximum hold spray.

Saturday: The dallas

To achieve this oversized style, put on rollers (curling hair outwards) and blow-dry. Flip your hair to the front and tease to full volume — practise caution or you risk looking like a pageant castaway.

Sunday: Princess Leia buns

They're making a comeback with the return of the Star Wars franchise, so choose a style that matches your patience level — wide, easy buns or a tightly braided updo.

Sunday: The retro twist

This one's easier than it looks. Start with a super-high pony and begin pinning your hair into an S. Tuck the tail under the S and finish with lots of hairspray. 

Photographs: Viral Bhayani; Suresh Natarajan (Kiran Rao); R Burman (Alia Bhatt); Abhay Singh (Kalki Koechlin)

Tuesday: The combover

This one is an easy three-step routine: straighten it out, gel it down and comb it back. Tie the rest in a bun, dab some shine spray and wear your best no-nonsense look.

Sunday: A bobby-pin party

Shake things up by wearing all your bobby pins in one go. Curl your hair into loose waves, part it down the middle and pull it back with the pins. Added benefit: it fights frizz.

Week two

Saturday: The jeweled pouf

For low-maintenance glamour, use a high-impact hair accessory. This draped headchain, for instance, will get you through music festival season. 

Wednesday: The lazy braid

A sea salt spray can make your hair look a lot more fun than it actually is. Let it work its shabby-chic wonder, then sweep all your hair to one side and braid in a few loose twists on the bottom layers.

Week three

Week four

Monday: The two-minute do

Do unkempt hair right by massaging texturising powder into your roots. Pin half of it up and settle any flyaways with a hair serum.

Look for hairstyle inspiration? Here's our week-by-week breakdown of celebrity hair to keep you chic all month long.

Week one

Monday: Big bed-hair 

Avoid rushed Monday mornings with a quick volume boost — build on your unruly, out-of-bed hair by backcombing it in sections. Define the mess with a texturising spray.

Friday: Milkmaid braids

Part your hair and create two pigtails. Crisscross the braids over your head like a headband and secure with pins. It’s the coolest way to wear your hair up for summer.

Tuesday: The minimal bouffant

Once you've coaxed your mane to look sleek and flat, this style is a breeze. Work in some anti-frizz spray, split the front hair with a neat side-parting and clip the sides under the back. 

Tuesday: The fail-safe ponytail

Tame pesky flyaways by trusting in a good anti-frizz lotion and shine serum gel. Trap all your troublesome strands in a neat, side-swept ponytail and happily roll down the car windows.