Push Hair Back

Woman with her hair pushed back and wearing a black turtleneck
Photo: Shutterstock
Q: I see lots of girls who push their hair back with their fingers and then it stays pushed back. How do they do this?
 
A: You probably have very fine (the structure of the hair), very straight long hair which tends to fall forward again directly after you’ve pushed it back. This is a very beautiful and desirable type of hair, if it is looked after and kept healthy. Unfortunately, this kind of hair is also prone to knotting, easily falls out of an up-style; it drops down too quickly when curled, etc.
 
Girls whose hair stays back when they push it back probably have thicker (referring to the literal structure of the hair-shaft) hair, and/or their hair follicle tends to produce more sebum/natural oil which coats the hair-shaft as a means to keep the hair shiny, healthy and nourished. Or these girls just use the right products to help them keep their hair more manageable. I’ll elaborate on these products in a moment.
 
Also, hair which is naturally more wavy or curly (even if they straighten it daily and you’re not even aware that they have curly hair) tends to be a dry type of hair. The follicle can then over-produce natural oil to counter this, which means that the hair will tend to stick more together, creating the effect of staying back when you push it away from your forehead. The larger amount of sebum your hair-follicle produces, the easier your hair will stay in place. But if the follicle produces too much sebum, the hair will turn oily, especially from roots to mid-lengths.
 
Female hairstyle with the hair pushed back
Photo: Shutterstock
Whether you have long or short hair, there are products to help you to keep your hair back. If you have short hair, you could use a wax (wet or non-wet look), to style your hair and keep it in place. If you have longer hair, you can use a silicone-based smoothing product. The silicone is designed to do what natural oils do for your hair. It smooths down flyaway hair, creates a brilliant shine, dimension and movement and adds a thin layer of oil to cover the hair-shaft. To an extent, this keeps the hair from falling back again. Just be careful not to use too much, as it will make your hair look dirty, tacky and oily.
 
You can also use a shine, hair-spray. Literally just spray your hair with hair-spray, shake your head back and forth a few times and comb out your hair again until it is smooth. The particles of the spray tend to stick together, which in effect helps the hair to stay in place when it is pushed back. Experiment with different kinds of sprays and silicone products until you find the one that works for you. It’s really not that hard, though.
 
If you don’t feel comfortable with choosing a product yourself, go to your nearest hair-salon and ask the stylist to recommend a product that will work best for your hair-type and your specific requirements.
 
©Hairfinder.com
 
See also: How to style hair