“There is no wrong way to do your hair for school, and any style is appropriate,” says innovative hairstylist, freshman Grace Blankenburg. In fact, she thinks that there is no such thing as a “bad hair day”. Ah, what a liberating idea for those of us who stare into the mirror each morning, wondering how to transform the birds’ nests on our heads into presentable heads of hair. Her extravagant hairstyles seem like dos that would only make appearances at fancy parties, but she says they could definitely be worn to school.

Grace started styling hair a couple years ago, and developed her skill through experimentation and by watching how-to videos on Youtube. She invented many of her hairstyles herself, such as the flower braid and the bun with the white ribbon, both seen in the gallery.

Though most of her hairstyles take 20 to 30 minutes, in the interest of saving time, her advice for students rushing to do their hair in the morning is to stick to hairstyles that are familiar and easy. To keep your overall look fresh, she suggests changing your hairstyle each day, even if that means switching from a ponytail to a bun.

Keep in mind when choosing a hairstyle that hair and clothes must coordinate to create balance in an overall look. Choose the centerpiece of an outfit, and then tone it down or complement it with the other components of the ensemble. For example, someone dressed in a glitzy getup may want to pair it with an understated hairstyle so that the whole look isn’t overbearing. Grace has narrowed down her principle for balancing an outfit with hair. She says that the clothes are the main part of an ensemble, and the hair is the “cherry on top” that adds an extra punch to an outfit.

Grace says that hairstyling is “definitely in her future”. She might create her own instructional how-to videos for the internet, or utilize her skills as a part time job. Either way, Grace loves her craft and won’t be stopping any time soon.