Give your hair a springtime update with simple styling advice that’ll yield sophisticated results. Harry Josh, celebrity hairstylist for the likes of Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow, outlines the following easy tips.

Let it grow
Ditch the traditional soccer-mom bob and go for more length. You can keep your style, but instead of chopping it at the jaw line allow for a little more length. “Almost everyone looks better with longer hair,” says Josh. “Get it cut at the collarbone at the shortest and make sure you get a nice, soft cut. It’s so much easier to work with than shorter hair.”

Ramp it up!
A little height in the crown (the very top of your head — the part a crown would cover if you were to sport one) suits any face, so make sure you get volume up top as well as all around the head. Lots of women say the hardest part of styling their hair is getting good volume, while width isn’t as difficult to achieve, height often is more challenging.

Styling tips: Saturate your hair in mousse when it’s wet, especially focusing on the roots. Then blow-dry lifting the roots up with your fingers as you blast them with the heat until they’re completely dry. Then blow out the rest of the hair. To get voluminous waves throughout, use a curling iron. Instead of using the clip on the iron just hold the rod vertically and wrap one strand of hair around it at a time with your hands (be careful not to touch the iron).

Tie it up
Moms pressed for time are not strangers to throwing their hair back just to get it out of their faces. However add an extra two or three more minutes of styling time and your bun or ponytail can be both convenient and classy.

Styling tips: For ponytails, add flare by giving yourself a high crown. “No matter what the face shape, height in the crown makes your hairstyle beautiful and glamorous,” says Josh. Divide the hair on your crown into layers. Working with one layer at a time, back-comb the hair so that it becomes teased. When you’re done, you should have a tuft of hair on the top of your head. Next, brush the front-most layer of the hair on your crown (this layer should not be teased) back over the tuft so that it’s covered by a layer of smooth hair. Then brush the rest of your hair up and tie it all in a high ponytail.

You can achieve a glamorous bun à la Gwyneth Paltrow at the Oscars in just minutes, too. Put some leave-in conditioner in your wet hair after a shower. Give yourself an extreme side part and comb all your hair around the back. Instead of tying a bun to the back of your head, tie it to the opposite side of the part. Voila — you don’t even have to spend time with your hairdryer.

Be realistic
Most importantly, don’t set unrealistic expectations for yourself or your hair. It’s common to be intimidated at the thought of having to spend all kinds of time and energy on your hair but it’s unnecessary. Just aim to master a few manageable styling techniques that you’re comfortable with and you’ll be the hottest mom on the block in no time.

Celeb style: Josh’s favourite celebrity hairstyles that are easy to imitate and maintain include: “Mary-Louise Parker’s great wavy layers, Reese Witherspoon’s unlayered length, and Sarah Jessica Parker’s carefree curls.”