Expert Hair Tips You Should Steal From This Boy Band

When it comes to our pixies, we prefer styles that have a messy, tomboy quality. The more tousled, the better — not unlike a man's hair. Hey, we've been wearing boyfriend jeans and schoolboy blazers for as long as we can remember. So, why wouldn't we steal hairstyling tips from the dudes, too?

We're going to leave our pride at the door to admit this: That mussed, boyish look we want for our pixies frequently shows up on the heads of young, male pop stars, like the gents in One Direction. No, we're not exactly hanging posters or anything (no judgment). It's just that they've really got their short-hair game down.

To find out exactly how to get the tousled look seen on this tween-adored boy band, we tracked down the fivesome's hairstylist, Lou Teasdale. The first secret for achieving this effortless mess? "I treat it like it's long ladies' hair," Teasdale says. So much for our dream of simple, #wokeuplikethis pixie perfection. "Even though it's short, I still section it out," Teasdale adds, "and I still style every single piece with a round brush and a styling product."

Specifically, Teasdale likes to use Fudge Urban's styling mousse and then rough-dry the hair with a blowdryer. "Then, brush all the hair in the direction you want," she says. After it's all in one direction (sorry, had to!), rub in a strong-hold gel. (Teasdale prefers Fudge Urban's Coconut Rush Power Gel.) Blowdry it again so the texture sets, and then use your hands to tousle it. "Create some defined sticking-out bits with your fingers," she adds.

So, unfortunately, a boy-styled pixie isn't as quick and easy as a slouchy-soft pair of boy jeans. But, all is not lost. "You can do way more with short hair than with long hair," Teasdale assures us. "A lot of girls think that when they have short hair, they're stuck with it looking as it does naturally. But, it's really versatile — you just have to put in the time."