Hit snooze one more time: we know how to style unwashed hair.

Image: iStock

In my daily desperate attempt to be more organised, I (in my head) break down my morning routine into the various chunks of time it takes me get ready, i.e. 10 minutes for shower, 15 minutes to blow-dry and style hair, 10 minutes for makeup, 25 minutes time wasting on Facebook/Instagram/email, plus one hour to get argumentative toddler fed, dressed and off to daycare.

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Basically, this is how I figure out what time to set my alarm. Then, as always, I hit the snooze button over and over again, mentally crossing off things that I will just have to forego because: sleep. First to be struck off the list is always my hair. Always.

So, not surprisingly, over the years I’ve established a couple of go-to hair-dos that have managed to fool most of my friends and colleagues into thinking I spend hours getting ready. Let me share them with you, now that we’re mates and all…

1. Brushed-out Old Hollywood waves

Dirty hair scale: Light grease
Time needed: Seven minutes
Tools: Dry shampoo, hair straighteners or tongs, bristle brush.
Products: Batiste Dry Shampoo in Brunette, 150ml, $8.99; L’Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray in normal strength, 75ml, $3.69.

The trick is to curl big sections of hair; this saves a whole bunch of time and creates more of a loose wave than a tight curl. Start with a quick spray of dry shampoo at the roots, then bush though the hair to smooth. Part your hair on one side, then section it half up/half down. Take large two-inch sections of hair and run through the iron, curling the same direction all over. No need to be super-precise as you only want a light wave. Brush out curls at the end with a bristle brush – A classic Mason Pearson is my personal fave. The bristles on the brush will smooth the follicles, giving you smooth waves, not fluffy, curly boof. A little bit of greasy build up at the roots will actually make this style look much better, so dirty hair is a bonus. Finish with a bit of hair spray to set.

2. Boho sexy-time bed hair

Dirty hair scale: Moderate grease
Time needed: Five minutes
Tools: Hot irons
Products: VO5 Give Me Texture dry texturising spray, 200ml, $7.69; Matrix Mega Dust, 7g, $16.95

I like to think this style is the natural descendent of beach hair and just-been-shagged hair. Anyway, it looks hot and is so stinkin’ easy to do! In fact, this is a style that you can actually prep for at night before going to bed, thus saving you even more time in the morning. To begin, divide the head into three (or four, or even more, if you want tighter waves) sections and spray roots with dry shampoo or texturising spray. Then plait (or braid if you know how) each section and go to bed.

RELATED: How to get beach hair (without going anywhere near the beach)

Upon waking, grab your hot irons and run them over the plaits to “set” the wave, be sure to remove the elastics holding your plaits before you iron them so that you don’t get a weird kink in the end. Then after they’ve cooled simply unfurl the plaits with your fingers, turn you head upside-down and spray the shit out of it with the texturising spray. This should be enough to give you mad volume, but for extra oomph, or if your hair was particularly greasy to begin with, dust the roots from the forehead to the crown with volumising powder, and use the tips of your fingers to massage and lift the roots.

3. Slicked-back power bun

Dirty hair scale: Extreme grease
Time needed: Three minutes
Tools: Scunci Tools Bun Maker, blonde, $9.99; two hair elastics, bobby pins, hairspray.
Products: L’Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray in normal strength, 75ml, $3.69

As the name suggests, this is a serious ’do for serious broads. Great for all the corporate gals out there, but also can be quite elegant if you’re going somewhere ‘fahhncee’ like an event or wedding. If you’ve never seen/heard/used a “bun ring” before, then get excited because these things are friggin life changing!

RELATED: Create a perfect bun in less than one minute.

To begin, part hair however you wish, or slick it all straight back as I have done. Getting the nice, clean, slicked back low ponytail it the important part so you want to be happy with this bit, no bumps or harbour bridges. Slip the bun-ring over the pony then using a brush smooth your hair over it outwards creating a hairy-doughnut effect. Then grab the other hair elastic and slip it over the bun to hold the hair in place. Tuck the ends of you hair around the underside of the bun to hide them and secure it all in place with the bobby pins. Spray the whole thing with hairspray and voila! Doneski.