Game Day Hair

“I just came from filming, we were dancing in bedazzled facemasks.” Typical Tuesday, am I right? Ha! I’ve had the pleasure to work with the Minnesota Viking’s Cheerleaders for two years now and will always cherish game day and the rush that comes with live event styling. With a little help from my friends at Kevin Murphy, the cheerleaders’ and I know a thing or two about game day hair. Although this season is a little different, these tips aren’t going anywhere. Keep reading for a few of my foolproof styling techniques for maintaining volumized, frizz-free, and intact curls that can withstand any hair flip. 

1. Use a Good Dry Shampoo

These girls are working so hard while dancing on the field, it’s a guarantee they’ll be working up a sweat! The most underrated product I use is a good dry shampoo. It will save you from having to completely redo your hair throughout the day by keeping those natural oils at bay. In between dances, I like to apply the dry shampoo at the partline in addition to applying to sections of hair throughout the crown of the head. One of the best things you can do if you know you’ll be sweating is to apply dry shampoo all along your hairline and at the nape of your neck, both before and after your workout!

2. Reinforce Your Roots

After the initial preparation with dry shampoo, I like to tap a healthy amount of Powder Puff into the roots of the hair. This volumizer immediately lifts the hair and gives your roots the guts they need to get through all those hair flips! After sectioning the hair and applying at the root of each section, I start to backcomb the hair, beginning with the sections closest to the ear and working my way up. This is seriously a game changer when it comes to making the cheerleaders’ hair hold its shape throughout the day. 

3. Curling 101

Once the hair is backcombed and smoothed, I begin the curling process. Before applying any heat, I always spray a lightweight hairspray to the section I’m working with (Session Spray Flex by Kevin Murphy is my go-to) and *gently* brush through the ends of the hair to make sure I don’t brush out my backcombing. Depending on the hair length and density, I’ll use a 1-1.25 inch curling iron and curl inch wide sections away from the face. These curls will fall throughout the day, so they need to be tight enough to allow for the extra movement. When they do fall, it’s a beautifully loose yet bouncy curl. 

4. Go For Gold

One thing the cheerleader’s won’t leave the locker room without is a few spritzes of Shimmer Shine - This makes their hair glow from all the way up in the stands! 

5. Keeping Up With the Curl

As the game goes on, I like to check in with my girls and see how their hair is fairing. Chances are their locks could use a little boost by halftime, so I apply Doo Over to add volume back and give their hair the second life it needs to make it through the last half of the game. Just make sure to shake the can really well and spray upwards, starting at the root of the hair. This is also when I re-apply Session Spray Flex hairspray, brushing the hair out a tad for that touchable look and feeling.

Whether you’re dancing your heart out on the field or at home in your living room, don’t compromise on good product! All of the products mentioned above are made by Kevin Murphy and are what I use everyday in the salon. When used correctly, these products combined with a few simple styling techniques can give you ”game day” worthy hair, any day of the week. 

xo

Rayna