Teens aren’t splitting hairs over summer hairdos

Don’t let it fool you, but in high school, band is a hair-raising activity.

Add to that the flag and rifle spinning that Belleville East color guard captain Francesca Spizzo has to do, and her summer hairstyle is more about practicality than style.

“I generally don’t really care as long as my hair is up and out of my vision,” said Francesca, 17, who has long brown hair.

Last Friday, she opted for the popular double French braids, done by fellow Belleville East senior Mikayla Goretzke-Shannon, 17, who does dance and participated on East’s dance team freshman year. Instead of leaving the braids hang and risking the long hair getting caught, Mikayla pinned the two braids around Francesca’s hair like a crown.

The end-product was a casual updo that wasn’t too common or too daring.

The look took the timelessness of a French braid and intertwined it with the practicality needed for a modern teenager.

“Braids are great because they’re intricate and keep hair out of my face at the same time,” Francesca said. “I just typically like a hairstyle that has a lot of functionality.”

For Francesca, part of the functionality stems from the fact that only one person is needed to achieve the hairstyle. As long as the braider knows how to do one French braid, he or she can separate the hair at a center part and do both braids.

A french braid is a variation on the classic three-strand braid. As each section of hair is crossed over, additional strands of hair are woven into the braid. By adding hair as you go, the braid hugs your head.

This is ideal for someone like Francesca, whose participation in color guard and her job means a constant awareness that an unkempt hairstyle can hinder her performance.

“I work cleaning houses and parties, so I have my hair up a lot,” she said. “With band, it’s a rule.”

Though band camp starts in early August, preparation already has started for Belleville East’s next competitive show. Francesca recently spent a night trying out eight hairstyles for color guard.

Mikayla, whose dark hair isn’t as long as her friend’s, favors a variation of the messy bun with a French braid running through it.

Francesca started Mikayla’s style with a French braided band around her head. She put the rest of Mikayla’s hair in a messy bun. Then, she wound the braid around the bun and pinned it in place.

It took all of a few minutes to accomplish the look, perfect for someone who does not have a lot of time. The look can easily be redone if it falls apart while out and about.

The best part, according to Mikayla? “It’s messy. I don’t like prim and proper,” she said.

She usually wears her hair down to tie in with her self-labeled “street/grunge” style, but puts her hair up when she dances.

Although she doesn’t change her hairstyles with the season, she has a few year-round themes.

“I usually wear my hair down with a voluminous blow-dry, and that’s my usual go-to style because it’s pretty quick,” Mikayla said. “I don’t like anything super flat on my head, so I only go for either a ‘messy’ look or before the blow dry.”

What summer hairstyles came down to for both Francesca and Mikayla was whether or not the looks fit their personal styles — and if they had to do it.

This story was originally published July 21, 2016 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Teens aren’t splitting hairs over summer hairdos."