Hairstyles We’re Loving in Paris: TUTORIALS

Paris Street Style: The "knot top"

By Zelo Contributor, Shelby Marcus Ocana

Fall and winter are two seasons when hairstyles can be very versatile and chic at the same time. With the holidays quickly approaching and the women bundling up in big scarves, up-dos are a huge trend that never goes out of style during the cold months.

Transitioning from fall to winter, Parisians are big fans of the famous top knot. Easy to do and not time consuming, it’s a great way to stay chic and casual at the same time when walking out the door on a cold, busy morning.

Another great alternative is the “chignon chic”. It’s a messier version of the top knot but it can be easily dressed up with a fancy pair of chandelier earrings. A quick tutorial for achieving this look is: First, start with a ballerina bun, then take random pieces out of it to loosen and mess it up, then bobby-pin the top portion of the bun down. This hairstyle is great for all you boho-chic girls out there.

Parisian Boho Chic

During the holiday season, whether going to a Christmas event or New Year’s party, Parisians always like to look their very best. And for a lot of women, slicked-back hairdos are a favorite because of their glamorous and “put-together” look that gives the impression that you have spent hours on it, whereas it really took about 10 minutes!

How to get Marion Cotillard's sleek side bun

Our final look is a sleek side-bun that Marion Cotillard sported recently. It looks clean, fresh, classic and fabulous. To achieve this look: just bring all of your hair to one side.  Make sure that your hair is completely brushed through to get that very “flat and shiny “ look. Then, pin your hair using bobby-pins and use hairspray to tame any fly-aways and sleek down all your hair. Voilà !

A View from Paris

By Zelo Contributor, Shelby Marcus Ocana

As an American living in Paris, I soon learned the importance of beauty to Parisian women. From an early age, the French are taught to take good care of their hair. It’s quite common to see young girls in a hair salon perched on a chair getting their hair cut and styled next to their mom.   Hair care is extremely important in the French culture, but like most women around the world, French girls don’t have much time to curl or straighten their hair in the morning. Although European French women are mostly born with naturally straight and glossy hair, the rate of immigration has doubled over the past years bringing in many women from North Africa whose hair is curly and more unruly.   Wishing to look more like their “European sisters”, North African women use different methods to straighten their hair.  Flat ironing and keratin blowouts are two of the many ways women who aren’t born with naturally straight hair use to achieve the glam look.

Tony and Guy Salon in Paris

The average French woman sets aside a budget for her trips to the salon, typically spending 50 euros per month on hair care. In Paris, hair salons are numerous and there are many famous stylists who have set up shop. You can find a hair salon on every single block of the nation’s capital, and many women pop in for a quick shampoo and blow-dry to maintain their sleek look before going out at night.   That being said, budget is always a concern and more and more Parisians are taking hair matters in their own hands and doing their hair at home with various types of flat irons.  For women who don’t want to flatiron their hair everyday, (and who has time for that?), keratin straightening kits are hitting the market and proving to be very popular.

 Zelo Paris is waiting!!