by Isadora Dunne

Shiny curtains of prim and polished hair make us want to yawn. It's as if all desire and interest have been tamed right out of it. What we're craving now is hair abandoned to its own sensuous whims and capricious wisps ‑- sexy-messy hair! We asked Bean Longo of the Beehive Salon and Kieren Mckenna of Oscar Blandi for their sexiest messy tips.

For Slightly Wavy Hair: The Beguiling Twirl

Step 1: Start with damp hair. You can either wait until it's almost dry after a shower or dampen it yourself by spritzing it with a water bottle.

Step 2: Apply a light hair gel to the entire head. Kieren likes Oscar Blandi's Acqua Marina.

Step 3: Run the fingers of both hands lightly through your hair, and as you do, twirl random sections around your index fingers ‑- the sections you twirl will maintain their shape by virtue of the gel.

Step 4: Allow hair to air-dry. Half an hour or so should do it.

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For Curly Hair: The Coquettish Wriggle

Step 1: Start with damp hair. In the palm of your hand, blend together equal parts shine oil and holding gel. "The serum takes out the frizz while the gel gives it some control," says Kieren, who recommends Oscar Blandi's Olio di Jasmine blended with Acqua Marina.

Step 2: Using the fingers of both hands, pull hair forward from the crown of your head toward your face, and as you do, wriggle your fingers against your head as if you were giving yourself a mini scalp massage.

Step 3: Now shake your head, allowing your hair to separate into its natural part; you can help it along, but with fingers only ‑- no comb allowed, because you don't want the sharp lines or orderliness a comb would create.

For Straight Hair: The Capricious Wrap 'n' Roll

Step 1: Shampoo and apply a light conditioner; towel dry until hair is damp.

Step 2:With your left hand, pull smallish, arbitrary sections of hair approximately two inches in width, which you'll then wrap around two of the fingers of your right hand. The index and middle fingers are probably easiest. "Think of your fingers as human hair rollers," says Kieren.

Step 3:Apply a volumizing spray to each section after it's rolled. Kieren uses Oscar Blandi's No Gravity. Then slide your fingers out, and you're ready for the next roll.

Step 4:Secure each section with a bobby pin for a tighter hold if you like, and allow the hair to set for about half an hour.

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For Longer Hair: A Sexy-Messy Bun

"The idea is to give hair a bit of a roughed-up, textured, slept-on look," says Bean Longo, the Beehive Salon.

Step 1: Use a setting gel like the Fresh Styling Gel on damp hair and dry with a diffuser. However, if your hair is very straight, try a few hot rollers to get the texture you'll need for this look; just roll them halfway up in two-inch sections.

Step 2: Pull your now roughed-up hair back into a ponytail and secure with a covered elastic band. To give even more texture, use your fingers instead of a brush to comb.

Step 3: Depending on how much hair you have to work with, divide the ponytail into four, five or six sections.

Step 4: Wind up each section (visualize wrapping thread around a spool), creating a spherical, flowerlike shape. Secure the ends with bobby pins.

Step 5: Finish the look with a mist of hairspray. Bean recommends Fresh Poppy Hairspray.

For Short-to-Medium-Length Hair: The Tease

Step 1: Skip a day of shampooing so hair is a bit more pliant. If your hair tends to be extra oily, Bean recommends dusting a sprinkle of talcum powder onto your scalp and massaging it in with your fingers.

Step 2: Using a teasing comb, portion off one-to-two-inch sections of hair starting at the crown of your head.

Step 3: Holding each section inert, position the comb at the center of the section from the underside of the hair, which is where you'll begin the tease, moving the comb away from the hair's grain so you're roughing up the cuticle instead of smoothing it. Four teased-up sections from the crown of your head moving forward toward your face should be sufficient.

Step 4: Using your fingers, arrange the teased-up pieces so they fall toward the back of your head and secure them with two hair-colored pins.

Step 5: Set with a spritz of hairspray. Bean loves Fresh Poppy Hairspray.