Your steering wheel might be busy, but your style doesn’t have to suffer.
Some mornings, the bathroom mirror gets about thirty seconds of your attention before you sprint out the door. As a result, your hair is not exactly where you wanted it, but the clock has other plans. Sounds familiar?
Luckily, you can easily make up for those precious minutes in your own car, turning it into a beauty salon on the go. With a little planning and the right tricks, it can double as your styling station. We’ve found 5 quick hairstyles you can pull off in a car (both as a passenger princess and a driver in a parking lot). Pick the one that suits your hair type and full speed ahead!
Start this one at home because the secret is in the prep. On wash day, apply your volumizing products to freshly washed hair, blow-dry thoroughly, and wrap each section around a Velcro roller while the hair is still warm, rolling away from your face. Then just hop in the car and let them sit during your commute.
By the time you pull into the parking lot, the rollers have done their job. Unwrap them while still in your seat and you have a full, bouncy blowout that can last for days with almost zero extra effort. The enclosed space and ambient heat inside the car help the style set faster, so your commute time is basically built-in styling time.
Passenger princesses, this one is all yours. Section off your front tendrils and tie the rest of your hair in a ponytail. Topsy tail it, then keep tying the pony on itself, creating a knotted effect as you go. Secure the whole thing with a claw clip for a cool, structured finish that looks intentional.
The beauty of doing this in a car is that you can use the passenger mirror to check your angles, adjust the clip, and pull out a few loose pieces for that messy bun energy. No one around to judge your arm-in-the-air styling process, and the result looks like something you spent actual time on at home.
Got five spare minutes at the parking lot and those dreaded second-day locks? This one is for you. Section off the front tendrils, tie each side into a half ponytail, and topsy tail them. Then braid the rest of the hair on both sides and gently pull out the edges for a fuller look. Pop on a headband to finish.
It gives you that polished headband style with added texture underneath, and the whole thing takes under five minutes to put together. The braids hide any second-day root texture while the headband frames everything neatly.
Avoiding ponytails because the base of the pony hits the headrest all day? There is a fix for that. Apply your favorite hair gel, brush everything straight back, and tie the ponytail slightly higher than usual. That small shift in height keeps the base clear of the seat, so the style holds and stays neat without any weird kinks forming at the back.
For an extra-sleek finish on the go, try a healthy slick-back bun variation that works just as well if you wrap the pony up before you step out. Doing this in the car is ideal since you are already in a fixed position with no wind or movement to disturb the gel while it sets.
This one is made for your curly second-day hair and takes about two minutes flat. Section off the top layer, tie it into a half ponytail, and topsy tail it for extra volume and that lifted, bouncy look. Smooth any flyaways with a wax stick, and you are done.
In the car, this works brilliantly because you are not fighting gravity while styling. The fixed seat position keeps your hands steady, the visor mirror gives you a close enough view to catch any strays, and the wax stick fits neatly in a cupholder. Natural curl texture gets to do most of the heavy lifting anyway, so this style looks great with practically zero technique required.
A couple of spare minutes in the car is enough to pull together a great hairstyle for the day. And these five looks prove that your commute can work a lot harder for you. Save them and try one tomorrow morning.
For even more daily hair inspiration, use the TheRightHairstyles virtual try-on to test new styles before committing, or get the HairHunt app (iOS, Android) for styling and coloring ideas that suit your look. Your next favorite hairstyle might already be waiting for you!
