The 4 Easiest Hairstyles for When You Work a Zillion Hours a Week

Whether you're working a zillion hours a week in an office, looking after kids at home or juggling multiple projects as you freelance your way from 9-to-5 (read: 9-to-11), there's no arguing with the fact that all of us lead incredibly busy lives. (In fact, maybe you do a mixture of all three of those things—in which case I salute you.) But while I've covered the capsule beauty kit every multitasking woman needs and the one product every short-on-time girl should keep in her handbag, I've never paid much thought to the hairstyles that could be saving us time. (I haven't had a moment to!) But that's about to change. Most of us only have a few minutes to style our hair each morning, so I've identified four easy, classic hairstyles that require basically no skill to do at home and can be re-created in less than five minutes. Keep scrolling to see what they are and for inspiration from our fashion friends.

1. The Bun

Not only do buns boast instant cool-girl points, but they also have the added benefit of being practical. They keep your hair out of your face all day long, so it's pretty much the perfect style for summer. Depending on the look you're going for, you can get the look at home. If you're going for a high topknot like Lesley's, you'll need to brush your hair into a high ponytail and then twist your strands around the hairband to form a bun. For a more laid-back low bun like Monikh's, just use your fingers to brush your hair toward the nape of your neck; then twist up.

2. The Ponytail

The humble ponytail is a staple style that always looks chic—despite it only taking two minutes to re-create at home. We're not talking a high ponytail here, though. Our fashion friends are opting for mid-height ponies (secured with hair scarves à la Callie Thorpe or decorated with hair clips) or low, loose ponytails at the nape of the neck.

Related: These 3 French Girls Wear Hair Accessories in the Coolest Ways

3. The Side Parting

This is my personal quick trick when I want to look like I've made more effort with my hair than I actually have. Be warned: This only works if you usually wear a centre parting on a daily basis. (Girls who gravitate towards a side parting should try switching to a centre parting for a midweek hair transformation.) For me, there's something about a side parting that always looks put-together and chic. Best of all, you can style your hair as you normally would and then use a toothed comb to flip your parting onto the side. It literally takes seconds.

Related: 6 Classic Hairstyles That Will Always Look Good

4. The half-Up, Half-Down

We've previously established that this 30-second hairstyle looks good on absolutely everyone and works on every single hair type. Add volume by twisting the top half of your hair into a topknot like Courtney Trop and Sophia Roe, or keep things more laid-back by pulling the top half into a ponytail and securing with a cute hair accessory.

Related: I Hate Styling My Hair, But These 21 Looks Are So Easy To Copy

Next up, 20 cool hairstyles that are perfect for summer.