I tried TikTok’s most viral hair hacks —what’s actually worth it

There’s a mix of hair hacks here covering different hair types, styles, and levels of effort (and skill)
Most can be done with things you already have at home — very little specialist kit is required
If you only learn one, make it the super quick ponytail hack
Heatless styling and smarter drying techniques can make a real difference to curl definition and frizz

TikTok’s algorithm is very good at making a 30-second clip look like a hair revelation and my ego repeatedly tells me I can do styles that my clumsy fingers and fine hair say otherwise.

In an attempt to break this cycle and stop myself defaulting to a rushed messy bun each morning, I’ve spent the past month putting the most viral TikTok hair hacks to the test.

The results were mixed — some have changed my life; others have tested my patience — and below is my shortlist of hacks that cover different hair types, styles, effort and skill.

The superquick ponytail hack

A low ponytail is probably the first look most people master when they’re learning how to style their hair. It’s a simple classic but it can err on the side of boring after a while.

If your hair is thin, the low pony can end up looking flat, or if you’ve got shoulder length hair, you can end up looking like one of the founding fathers…

This hair hack, from Ava Scudillo, has been viewed more than 9.5 million times and takes just minutes.

Put the top half of your hair loosely in a clip (any clip will do)
Split the remaining hair in two and pull each side over your shoulders
Let down the clipped-up hair
Twist and wrap the two shoulder sections around the back of your head and pull forward again
Re-clip the top half
Bring the sections to the back and secure in a hair tie
Let the clipped up hair fall into place

It suits slightly longer hair, just because you need to be able to keep sections separate but it worked well on my mid-length hair and you don’t need skillful fingers. If you can work a clip and a hair tie, you can master this hack! Plus it’s meant to look chic and undone, so no precision needed.

The high-volume half-up hair hack

A slightly trickier hair hack than Ava Scudillo’s, but this style from influencer Audrey Victoria — once mastered — looks much more professional than the skill level would suggest.

It’s also ideal for elevating an everyday half-up hair do or adding volume to a ponytail if you have thin hair.

Put half your hair up in a tie, and leave half hanging down
Loosen the tie slightly and create a small gap just above where the ponytail sits
Pull the base of the ponytail through this gap to create a twist
Create another smaller half-up ponytail just below the original
Now pull that second ponytail up through the original gap created with the first

The most fiddly part is the little twist at the base of the first ponytail but anyone who grew up in the ’90s will be familiar with this technique and it only takes a couple of practice attempts.

To make this even easier, I recommend practising the twist on a single ponytail first before adding in the second. Just so you can get a sense for how it should feel in your fingers.

Like the quick ponytail hack, the outcome is meant to look undone and borderline messy so it’s another forgiving style.

The short hair claw clip hack

Claw clips are one of the easiest hair tools to use and can turn a regular ponytail into a styled up do in seconds.

However, this only really works if you have enough hair to flow and fall down the sides of the clip. If your hair is thin, or short it doesn’t have the same effect.

That’s why this hair hack from Katy McBride is so genius. It gives the illusion of having much more hair and is almost as quick as the original method.

Create a half-up, messy ponytail/bun
Create another ponytail at the bottom of your hair
Pull the bottom ponytail up and secure in place beneath the messy bun with the claw clip

If you want to make this look even more dramatic, pull bits of hair out of the messy bun or loosen the whole thing to give it more volume.

The hair-behind-your-ears hack

Wearing your hair down is great until the strands get in your eyes or tickle your face.

Tucking it behind your ears is one solution but it either doesn’t stay put, or you’re left with an ear-shaped kink when it inevitably falls forward again. Securing with bobby pins is another, but being able to see the pins can often ruin the overall vibe.

TikToker Melise Krem has the perfect hair hack that solves this problem.

Separate two strands at the front of your face, on either side of your parting
Secure both with tiny hair ties ideally in the same colour as your hair
Loosen each tie slightly and create a small gap just above where the ponytail sits
Pull the base of the ponytail through these gaps to create a twist
Tighten each tail so the tie sits behind your ear
Bring the rest of your hair forward

The beauty of this hack is that it works for almost all hair lengths, unless you have a pixie cut or similar of course.

A separate hack is to use a flat iron or curling tong to remove the tiny hair ties. Instead of pulling the tie out (and a chunk of your hair with it), put a hot hair tool near the tie and the heat will cause it to snap. You don’t need to even touch it in most cases, and you can then just throw the broken tie away.

Easy heatless curls – that are actually easy

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried to master the heatless curl trend, which involves wrapping your hair overnight so you wake up with ready-to-go curls.

I’ve bought various heatless curl kits too, but either I can’t get my hair to wrap neatly enough, or it’s impossible to sleep with all the clips and twists. Especially because I’m a side sleeper.

Thanks to this TikTok from Alexandra Haraldsson, though, I think I’ve finally cracked it. All you need is a couple of pairs of clean socks.

Separate your hair into sections – the number and size will depend on how many curls you want and how many socks you have
Place the toe part of the sock at your roots and clip into place
Wrap a section of hair around the sock – the tighter the wrap, the tighter the curls
Once you reach the end of the sock, turn it inside out so that it sits over the curl you just created. The elasticated top of the sock should keep it in place, or you can secure it further with a bobby pin
Repeat for the rest of your head and go to sleep
In the morning, remove the socks and voila!

If you’re using cotton socks, your hair may be slightly frizzy when you uncurl it.

I solved this by putting a few drops of hair oil in my hands and running my fingers through each curl. Avoid using a brush as this can make the frizz worse (in my experience.)

If your hair is still slightly damp, use a diffuser or a hair dryer on the lowest speed setting.

The ultimate fake French braid

I don’t have the skill, the patience or the type of hair that makes French braids look so effortless and beautiful, but even I can manage this fake French braid hair hack from Logan Rae Hill.

Instead of trying to fiddle with three strands, you start this braid with two at the front of your face and then twist all the way back until you reach the end.

Separate two strands of hair at the front of your face
Twist one over the other
Add more hair to the first strand and twist it over the second
Add more hair to the second strand and twist it over the first
Continue until you get to the nape of your neck and run out of extra hair to add to the strands
At this point, twist each strand once on itself, and then wrap the twisted strand over the other
Repeat until you reach the end of your hair and secure with a hair tie

This looks (and sounds) much trickier than it is. The key is to make sure the twists at the beginning are tight and as flat as possible, but you can be more carefree and loose as you move backwards.

You can also go back over and loosen each section after the hair is tied, if it’s sitting too flat or you want more volume.

The hardest part is trying to keep the strands equal in thickness but even then, that can add to the overall look so it’s not something you need to worry about.

Plopping for the ultimate curls

If you have curly or wavy hair, you’ve likely heard of the term plopping. Even if you haven’t actually attempted it.

Rather than rough drying your hair with a towel and potentially knocking out the natural curl, or adding frizz, plopping involves flipping wet hair forward onto a microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt and wrapping it up.

The idea being that the gentler drying reduces frizz while also keeping your curls defined.

As Kiana Davis demonstrates in the TikTok above, it’s relatively easy to do too.

Put your towel or t-shirt on a table
Lean forward and “plop” your hair on top
Wrap the base of the t-shirt or towel around your forehead
Gently gather your hair inside the rest of the towel/t-shirt and loosely wrap it around your head
Once dry, or damp, remove the towel/t-shirt

It helps to add as much hold into the hair as possible before plopping, in the form of gels or mousses, to maximise the definition, maintain moisture to reduce frizz, and keep the curls in place once you’ve removed the towel.

You can plop for half an hour, or overnight, depending on your plans and if, when you remove the towel, your curls are still damp you can diffuse with a hair dryer, or leave to air dry.

Google logo on a black background next to text reading 'Click to follow TechRadar'

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.