Save yourself the added stress of a bad hair day, and read up on these easy tips for troubleshooting your "mane" nightmares.
1) Fight Frizz Like a Pro |
Frizz happens when the cuticle layer (the outer layer) of the hair opens, moisture gets inside, and the hair swells up. It's made worse when your strands are pushed against each other, due to weather, tool damage, or even rubbing wet hair with a towel. Prevent a frizzy mane during warmer months, and cut back on your flatiron and blow-dryer use to every other day, or every third day.
2) Work with Your Curls |
Fighting your hair's texture in humid climates will only lead to more frizz and breakage. Instead, apply a flexible-hold gel on wet hair and twist coils or waves in the natural direction of the curls to eliminate friction. This will add definition to your do.
3) Hands Off! |
Mandate a "no touching" rule for your strands on hot, muggy days, no matter your hair type. Roughing up or scrunching curls with a towel or your hands can pull your hair out of place and cause more frizz. Finer textures are prone to greasy scalps (oils from your hands move down straighter strands faster), meaning limp locks later.
4) Slick Back Shorter Styles |
Keep cropped cuts off of your face (the shorter pieces are more likely to cling to sweaty foreheads and cheeks), by taking a page out of Hayden's book. Instead of blow-drying hair to fall along your natural part, coat wet hair with a light gel and mold pieces back and away from your face for a simple and chic 9-to-5 look.
5) Troubleshoot with Braids |
Wispies are cute for daytime picnics, but they don't always translate to the office or post-work plans. Tame the halo around your head, and weave face-framing pieces into small braids. This style also works well for women with layers, who want to keep all of their hair off their neck and mug.
6) Be A Seasonal Swapper |
Just as with skin-care products, trade in your cold-weather regimen for formulas better suited for heat-related hair stressors. If you have fine hair, avoid styling oils and creams, because these heavier mixtures can weigh down hair. Opt for water- or alcohol-based volumizers to add a oomph to damp strands. Conversely, thicker hair types need more moisture during warmer months.
7) Get Some Clarity... |
...In the form of a quick hair rinse. After swimming in a pool or pond, immediately cleanse hair with a clarifying shampoo. Non-salt water can contain hard metals and chlorine that will oxidize dyed strands, making the color look brassy or even, green.
8) Go Retro! |
Old school swim caps are not just vintage throwbacks. These rubber caps are the most effective means to blocking chemicals and rays from burning your scalp, drying out ends, and altering your salon-perfected shade.
9) Soak Your Strands |
Because your hair is like a sponge and can only absorb so much water, saturate your strands with bottled or filtered water before going swimming and pull it into a bun. That way, your hair will be unable to soak up any hue-altering properties."
10) Be Sun Savvy |
The sun acts as a catalyst and oxidizes newly highlighted or lightened strands to bring out unwanted warmer shades. Beach-dwelling blondes and brunettes should look for shampoos that contain blue or violet pigments to counteract yellow, red, and orange tones.
11) Add Mega Amounts of Moisture |
Environmental factors, like pollution and water type, will all determine what adjustments you need to make to your hair-care routine as the mercury rises. Women with coarse, curly hair should use styling formulas high in glycerin to attract moisture into your strands and combat dryness.
12) Baby Treated Hair |
Women with relaxed hair need to apply their moisturizing hair dress more often than usual. Also, try to keep your body temperature as cool as possible. Any excessive perspiration on your neck or scalp will revert your straighter hair back to a frizzier state. A sky-high sleek ponytail can help beat the heat.
We hope you find these tips helpful.
