If you’re a busy mama, you’ll know all about time management and how there never seem to be enough hours in the day. So everything you can do to catch up a few minutes is a real bonus, and when it comes to looking after your Hair there’s plenty you can do. From shortcut shampoo tips to wearing simple styles like ponytails and Dutch braids, you can take control of your hair and get some time back in the process.

Time saving hair care

When you’re pushed for time there are a number of things you can do in advance to get your hair ready. Check out four of the best time-saving haircare tips:

• Shower the night before. Wash your hair, if you need to, the night before. You’ll be grateful you made that little bit of extra effort in the evening when you need to fly out the door with the kids round your ankles the next morning.

• Dry shampoo. Failing washing your hair the night before, make sure you’re always stocked up with dry shampoo. An absolute gift when you don’t have time to rinse and repeat.

• Go short. If you’re getting fed up of taking ages to get your hair ready before you tackle the day, think about going short. There are plenty of cool styles to try, and if timesaving is your main priority, you will definitely save lots of time with a sleek bob or a pixie cut – trendy and practical.

• Treat whilst you sleep. If you don’t look after your hair, it’s going to suffer and it’ll need a little extra TLC every now and then. There are plenty of great deep conditioning treatments out there and rather than taking time out of your day you can get the job done overnight.

Time-saving hairstyles

We already know that we can save time on hair care, but what about styling? Here are four of the easiest, but oh so stylish, looks that you can do when you’re rushed in the morning:

The Ponytail
Let’s start with the easiest style, the simple ponytail. Just because it’s quick and requires very little effort doesn’t mean it can’t look chic. There are so many variations to try out too; slicked back, high up or low down, whatever you love it’ll only take a few minutes to do.

If you’re not a fan of sporting a ponytail, there is a stylish alternative; the half-ponytail which is great if you hate bare shoulders but still want an semi up-do hairstyle. Even if you have short hair you can wear this hairstyle; here’s me sporting the look in my beauty box review post.

Dutch Braids
These braids are one of those amazing styles; the ones that look like they’ve taken ages to do or have been done in a salon. But in reality they only take a few minutes when you know how. As soon as you’ve got the knack for how to do them you’ll love how easy it is and how great they look. For simple to follow step-by-step instructions on how to do Dutch braids just click here (tutorial).

The Messy bun
Simply pull your hair into a loose ponytail, divide it into two or three sections and give it a tease (this is what lifts it from mess to messy chic). Take the sections and crisscross them at the top of your head, just like with a topknot. Pull a few strands around and you’ve got yourself a cool, messy bun.

Like the ponytail, there is a half messy bun style which I call the ‘top-knot’. It’s a great style that can be worn easily whether you have long, short or a bob.

Loose waves
If you love the effortless beauty of natural loose waves this trick is the one for you. All the prep takes place the night before so all you’ll have to do is flick the waves out in the morning. After you’ve washed your hair don’t dry it completely, leave it a little damp and braid it tightly. Let the braids out in the morning and you’ll be rocking that wavy look.

Give these tips a try and you might even have few minutes left over to enjoy a bit of time to yourself. Good luck!

A guest post written by beauty/hair writer, Joana Teixeira from All Things Hair.