There once was a time when women wouldn’t dare leave the house without every hair in place. Luckily for us busy professionals, today, we have adopted a much more relaxed approach to hair. In fact, one once dreaded hair faux pas has actually risen to the top of our must-try style list: bed head. The trick to perfecting the look is to be subtly styled, and not straight up sloppy. To keep our locks looking intentionally messy, without looking like a big ol’ mess, we talked to hair master and NYC-based stylist Zachary Morad. Here are his tips for bed head done right.

Medium to Long Hair

“For medium to long hair, it all starts with a bun,” says Morad. Before you turn in for the night, twist your hair into a high bun at the very top of your head. Secure your bun with hairpins instead of an elastic to avoid dents. Morad notes this will work on wet or dry hair. In the morning, release your mane, give it spritz of dry shampoo or texture spray (we love Serge Normant Meta Revive Dry Shampoo and Redken Quick Tease 15 Backcombing Finishing Spray), and fluff it with your fingertips. “You will look completely undone, in the chicest of ways.”

Quick Tip: If you’ve got a lot of hair and you find yourself waking up to a mostly damp bun, blast it the hair dryer for a few moments before you shake your strands loose.

Short Hair

“For shorter hair, it’s all about the product,” Morad explains. After showering, dry your hair using only hands to smooth it out. “Using a brush will smooth it too much and it will fall flat,” says Morad. Then take a little bit of hair clay, such as Shu Uemura Clay Definer Rough Molding Pomade or Bumble and bumble Sumotech, and massage it into the roots. Morad warns not too fuss with it too much because “it isn’t bed head if it’s ‘done’.”

Will you try out some of bed head done right tips? Let us know in the comments.

Photos: Thinstock