Rocking your slept-in hair loose is an art, but it takes just a few minutes to make your hair look polished. If you have bangs, take the time to curl or flat-iron them until they're smooth. Then, take the front sections of your hair and use a one-inch curling iron held vertically to create beach-y spiral curls that bend away from your face. Take a section of hair from the upper part of the back of your head and curl; grab another section just underneath and do the same. Spray the curls with hairspray. When they've cooled, lightly mist the bottom half of your hair with a salt spray like Garnier De-Constructed Beach Chic, $4.59, and scrunch with your hands to blend the curls with the rest of your hair. If your hair's naturally stick-straight, before you go to bed, comb mousse (like Oribe Surfcomber Tousled Texture Mousse, $37) into damp hair before putting it in three loose braids. Rita Hazan Salon stylist Roz Safdari also suggests twirling your hair into a bun on the top of your head. When you take it down in the A.M., you'll have that tousled, Alexa Chung thing going on.

This messy knot may look elaborate, but Janine Jarman, owner of Hairroin Salon and spokeswoman for Sebastian Professional, says it's a breeze. "Put hair in two low pigtails," she says. After fastening them with elastics, "tie the pigtails together in a chain knot as many times as the hair length will allow. Then, bobby pin in place to the nape of your neck." Jarman suggests pinning your bun in such a way that the elastics around your pigtails don't show. You can leave the ends of the hair free to make a ponytail (see photo).

This style is perfection for busy/lazy ladies who can't be bothered to shampoo daily; the oil that tends to accumulate around your hairline when you haven't washed gives the braid a little more staying power. First, make a deep side part. Position the pointy end of a teasing comb about two inches back from your hairline and draw a line from your part to just behind your ear. French braid this section until the braid is long enough to pin underneath a layer of hair. (You may want to tie the rest of your hair back while braiding.) Secure with two bobby pins in the shape of an "X."

Here's how to get a full-looking messy bun that doesn't involve cutting up your socks (because ew). Gather your hair into a high ponytail and secure with an elastic. Tease the hair on the underside of the tail with a brush; if you have fine hair, spray on a generous amount of dry shampoo to fluff it up. Then, loosely wind the hair into a knot, twisting slightly. Use bobby pins to hold the bun in place, pulling out a few pieces to make it look undone. A few hairs pulled out at the hairline, just in front of the ears, looks chic, too.

Mix up your hair routine using something you probably already have in your closet. (No, it's not a sock. Stop it.) Put your hair up any way you like. (The previous instructions for a topknot with volume are perfect for this.) Take your scarf and fold it lengthwise; you want the scarf to be long enough to tie securely around your head, with only a few inches of width. Tie the scarf headband-style with the knot at the top of your head. You can leave the ends of the knot out or tuck them underneath the band. Use a silk or cotton scarf or one designed expressly for hair; we like Ban.do Twist Scarf, $20, which has a built-in wire to keep your look securely in place.