Best Hair Secrets from America's Top Salons

Get Salon Know-How

No more bad hair days! Get the know-how to do your hair like a pro. Here, our nationwide guide to the best hair-care advice from America's most savvy salons.

Get even. Maintaining perfect posture while you're getting your hair cut will allow your stylist to give you more even results. Believe it or not, if you cross your legs, you throw off your alignment, which can result in a lopsided cut. Says who: Spa Roma, Morgantown, WV

Perfect chemistry. Before you have your hair colored, permed, or straightened, tell your technician what chemical hair treatments you've had in the past. The technician has to determine how the chemicals that are already in your hair will interact with any new chemicals. Says who: Salon Red, Atlanta

Fresh start. Before coloring your hair, remove all traces of styling products. Any residue prevents color from going on smoothly. Before washing your hair, work in a little Apotheca Resurfacing Balm ($14.95; 800-888-2875), which will loosen product buildup. Says who: Jon English Salon, Minneapolis

Color refresher. To keep haircolor looking fresh between touch-ups, twice a week rub a small amount of color-enhancing shampoo into roots at bedtime. (Blow-dry roots to keep pigment from rubbing off on your pillow.) Shampoo it out the next morning. Says who: Gary Manuel Salon, Seattle

Straightening Strategies and Beautiful Hair Secrets

Frizz control. When blow-drying your hair straight, be sure to get it completely dry. Any moisture left in the hair will cause it to expand, resulting in frizz. Says who: Salon Capri, Newton Highlands, MA

Lock in shape. When straightening hair with a round brush and blow-dryer, allow each section to cool a second or two while it's still wrapped around the brush to lock the smoother shape into the hair. Says who: Attitudes Hair Studio, Langhorne, PA

Iron in a sleek finish. The speediest way to straighten hair? Use a flat iron. How-to: 1. Blow-dry hair, smoothing it with your fingers. 2. Once hair is dry, brush it out with a flat paddle brush; apply shine-enhancer or heat-activated spray. 3. Working up from the ends, flatten 1/2-inch sections with the iron; doing bangs last. Hair will stay sleek for two or three days. Says who: Zano Salon, Batavia, IL

More shine, less shampoo. Don't wash your hair every day unless it is oily. Daily shampooing can strip away the natural oils needed to coat the hair shaft and reflect light. You can let hair go two days without lathering up if hair is dry, damaged or color-treated, and one to two days if hair is normal. Refresh your style without shampoo by rinsing with warm, then cool water. Says who: Salon Beauchesne, Manchester, NH

Best blow-dryer. The Super Solano, a 1,600-watt dryer, has the power to dry hair fast but controls the airflow so the heat won't do damage. The motor also outlasts most standard blow-dryers ($109.95; to order, call Zitomer, 888-219-2888). Says who: Euphoria Salon, Charlotte, NC

Fast Fixes

Be a smoothie. To tame flyaways, mix a few drops of an anti-frizz serum such as Bumble and bumble Defrizz ($17; to order, call 800-728-6253) with a drop or two of a straightening cream. Rub it in the palms of your hands; smooth over wet or dry hair, concentrating on the ends. Says who: A Perfect Face Day Spa, Ocean City, MD

Tame your mane. To control unmanageable hair, use a leave-in detangling conditioner such as Rene Furterer Fioravanti No-Rinse Detangling Spray ($18; for salons, call 800-522-8285) on wet or dry hair. Apply before your styling product. Says who: Elan Hair-Skin-Body, Nashville, TN

Mend split ends. Overdue for a trim? Try this temporary fix: Work Paul Mitchell Instant Moisture Daily Treatment conditioner ($9.95; for stores, 800-321-5767) through wet hair. Do not rinse. Blow-dry hair as usual; massage a few drops of an anti-frizz serum such as Paul Mitchell Gloss Drops ($14.95) to the ends. Says who: A Robert Cromeans Salon @ Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

Style Like a Pro

Blow-drying basics. For more control, lift sections with a flat brush and blow hair forward. When hair is completely dry, blow it all back, away from your face. Bend over and shake your head. Finish with a texturizing product. Says who: Gil Ferrer, New York City

Instant hot rollers. To add more volume to your hair, buy three metal round brushes. Section hair at the crown into three sections and mist with styling spray. Roll each section around a brush, the way you would set hair with rollers, and spray again with the styling spray. Moving the dryer back and forth, heat the brushes until hair is warm, then let hair cool before unwinding. Says who: The Clip Shop Grand Salon and Spa, Bennington, VT

Speedy body booster. Spray Aveda Witch Hazel ($10; to order, call 800-328-0849) on dry hair. Roll sections with Velcro rollers. As the witch hazel, a nondrying natural astringent, evaporates, it helps hair hold its shape. After 10 minutes, remove rollers and style as usual. Says who: Neroli Salon & Spa, An Aveda Concept Salon, Milwaukee, WI

Styling savvy: To prevent the greasies, apply styling gel, mousse or cream by rubbing a dab between palms and raking hands through your hair, starting at the back. Do the ends first, and gradually go up the hair shaft. Stay away from the scalp. Says who: Laru Ni Hati, Albuquerque, NM

Fast up-do: Pull hair about two thirds of the way through a pony wrap, leaving the rest of the hair banded with the ends free. Also, try pulling it to one side for an off-center chignon. Says who: L'Image Salon and Spa, Dallas

Curly Cues

Curl talk: Don't fry your hair when using your curling iron. For silky curls, start with dry hair. Spritz on a heat-activated styling spray to protect tresses. Take skinny sections of hair, about 1/2 inch to one inch wide. (Make sure ends are tucked into the clamps of the iron or they'll flip up.) Hold each section in the iron for no more than 30 seconds. Says who: Clarisse Salon & Spa, Malibu, CA

Quick curls: Apply L'anza Urban Elements Bodifying Foam ($9.95; for stores, log on to www.lanza.com) to a two-inch section of clean, dry hair. Then, wrap hair around one, two or three fingers -- the more fingers you use, the bigger and looser the curls will be. Clip each curl with a bobby pin. Blow-dry with a diffuser for 10 minutes. Remove clips and shake hair loose. Says who: London Influence, Portland, OR

Let it wave. You don't always want to play it straight. Up-to-the-minute and ultrafeminine, a loose tumble of waves is a snap to style with new cloth curlers. One big advantage: no roller ridges. Wind each section around the fabric curler, then tie the ends together. To order, log on to www.markgarrisonsalon.com and look for Candy Wrappers ($29.99). Says who: Mark Garrison Salon, New York City