Cynthia Alvarez is the Bronx-born celebrity hairstylist behind some of Hollywood’s most enviable tresses. She’s worked with top talent including Orange is the New Black star, Dascha Polanco, The Bachelorette‘s Rachel Lindsay, singers Becky G and Rita Ora, and Mexican actress Maite Perroni.
And as she travels the world yet again with Global superstar Shakira, Alvarez still makes the time to help women look and feel their best and most beautiful. The proud mom-of-one understands that life gets busy and you don’t need a lot of time to get out the door in the morning.
Here are five quick five-minute hair hacks you can do at home with the help of Alvarez’s favorite Dove products:
1. Creating “lived in” waves can be super quick and easy. Start by separating the hair into four or more sections. Roll the hair up as if you were doing a pin curl and press the flat iron on the hair, hitting each section for about 5- 10 seconds. Once it’s cooled, untwist each section, pull on the curl to slightly relax it and finish the look with a spritz of Dove Compressed Micro Mist Flexible Hold Hairspray to combat frizz and give your look a long-lasting hold. Pro Tip: The smaller the section, the tighter the wave.
2. Styling curly hair in the morning can be time-consuming. Opting to sweep your curls up can get you out the door sooner and keep them out of your way for the rest of the day. Sweep your hair up by pulling the back section of your hair into a ponytail at the crown, leaving the pieces around your hairline loose.
Once you secure your ponytail with an elastic, twist it upward and anchor it with bobby pins. Sweep the front section of your hair up and back toward the twist, and secure with bobby pins. You may want to let a few tendrils fall around your face for a softer look. Give the look a fancy finish by adorning it with gorgeous pearl-tipped bobby pins.
3. Summer days call for hairstyles that keep hair off your face and neck. If you have an extra 5 minutes in the morning, you can create a super chic updo of triple knots. The trio of buns looks elaborate and fancy but it’s easy to create. Start by combing hair back and dividing it into three low ponytails at the nape of your neck. Twist the ponytails tightly, and then wrap the hair around the base of the ponytail to create a bun.
Secure the buns with a bobby pin and pull on a few random pieces to create texture.
4. Using masks should be a thing, no matter your hair texture. Spending those extra 5 minutes in the shower can make your hair stronger and give you a high wattage shine. Masking is a key step to hydrate hair and prevents frizz, especially in humid summer months. Dove Anti-Frizz Oil Therapy Mask smooths and hydrates your hair, all while making it super shiny and frizz-free.
5. You only need 5 minutes to upgrade your ponytail from drab to fab. Create two ponytails – one on the bottom and one at the top allows for a longer, fuller ponytail. First, smooth your hair and tease the top section for volume and pull it into a ponytail, and secure it with an elastic. Style the lower section into a ponytail. Backcomb the ends of the top ponytail to cover the base of the lower ponytail and finish with a spritz of Dove Compressed Micro Mist Flexible Hold Hairspray for a frizz-free, touchable style that brushes out easily.
