When you live in Kansas for any substantial amount of time, you learn to check the day’s weather forecast before getting ready. The weather here is no joke; you can wake up to freezing rain, have a warm front move through at lunch time, enjoy a little balmy sunshine before dinner, and then finish up with an evening severe thunderstorm. And don’t even get me started on the wind. Let’s just say, you better hope you don’t choose a dress on a day with a wind advisory. I learned that lesson the hard way – the Marilyn Monroe look doesn’t translate well to real life.

Back to my point, though: when you live here, you better make sure your style is as weather-proof as it can be, and that includes your hair. We all know the frustration of spending time and effort perfecting your favorite style, only to walk outside and have it mangled by the wind. Let me spare you the frustration. Find a mirror and a few spare minutes, and prepare to handle whatever the weather throws at you today. Here’s a list of my favorite weather-proof styles:

Ponytail

The first style is about as straightforward as it gets. Just throw that hair up in a ponytail!

Take your ponytail from basic to chic by wrapping a section of hair around the elastic and pinning it under the base of your ponytail with a bobby pin, or you can get even fancier and add a knot.

Leave out the front section on either side of your face and pull the rest of your hair back into a ponytail. Then use the front sections to, you guessed it, tie a knot.

Secure the ends under the base of the ponytail.

Top Knot

Not into a ponytail? Then tuck those ends up into a top knot. Start with a high ponytail at the top of your crown, and then twist, tuck, and pin the ends until you get the look you want.

You can make your top knot smooth and polished, or you can opt for more of a messy ‘nest’; there’s really no right or wrong way to do it. If your hair is shorter (or if you just don’t want all your hair up), you can do a half-up top knot.

Take a section of your hair from the tops of your ears to the top of your crown, pull it into a ponytail, and follow the same process.

Braids

I usually have a hard time picking favorites, but not when it comes to hairstyles. Braids take the title of my all-time favorite – it’s not even a competition. They’re incredibly versatile, and with so many variations you’ll never get bored.Pictured are Dutch braids, which are the reverse of French braids. In a French braid, you add hair to each section and then cross it OVER to the center. In Dutch braiding, you add hair to each section and then cross it UNDER to the center. You can leave your braids tight like boxer braids (this will provide a little more wind resistance), or you can gently pull on the loops to loosen your braids and give them a more lived-in feel (which I opted to do).

French Braid Ponytail

For this style, you’ll start a French braid at your crown and braid all the way down to the nape of your neck, incorporating all your hair. Gently pull on the loops to loosen the braid a little, then secure it with an elastic.

Take a small section of hair from under the ponytail you just created, wrap it around the elastic to hide it, and secure it under the base of the ponytail with a bobby pin. Voilà! You have a chic hairstyle that will withstand the weather and looks complicated, but actually took you less than 5 minutes.

So the next time you look out your window and see the trees bent over sideways from the wind, know that it doesn’t have to mean a bad hair day. Just pull out this list, take a few minutes in front of the mirror, and get on with your day.

For more hairstyle ideas (and the occasional video tutorial), follow me on Instagram at @thisislaurendavis.

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