Summer Lovin' Hair: Fight Frizz and Limp Locks

Wonderful Waves

Wavy hair, a beautiful combination of straight and curly, is undeniably sexy. Straight-haired types will need to get started with a curling iron, while curly girls will first need to blow-dry their hair until it's fairly straight. Then mist the hair with a wax spray or light pomade, says Garrison, and separate the hair into several half-inch-wide sections. Wrap each section around the barrel of an iron from the midshaft; do not curl the ends. This will ensure that you get a cool, rumpled look that's not too "done." Another option is to spray slightly damp hair with hair spray or spray gel, wrap several pieces around sponge rollers before going to sleep. You'll love the result!

As if naturally dry and brittle hair weren't enough of a challenge, damaged hair -- hair with split ends and breakage caused by over-styling and coloring -- will make you work even harder. "The sun really works against colored hair," says McMaster. "Ultraviolet radiation breaks apart proteins in the cuticle and bleaches out some of the color molecules. Color shifts and becomes brassy and orange."

Getting your stiff hair under control in the summer is a matter of smarter hair habits. For starters, treat your hair to a cleansing and hydrating shampoo, such as (1) Umberto Beverly Hills M Moisturizing Shampoo, $8.99, followed by a hair mask. We like (2) Sunsilk Hydra TLC Multi-Symptom mask, $3.59, and recommend using it as often as once a week. When you're ready to style -- or before you take a dip in the pool -- coat your hair with a protective spray, such as (3) Ouidad Summer Shield, $20, which guards against the sun's ultraviolet rays. In fact, it's always smart to have a conditioning and replenishing product in your hair before exposing it to water. "Your hair won't grab the chlorine or salt water because it's protected by the conditioner," says Simone Ciorobara, a hair stylist for the Valery Joseph Salon, in New York City. And don't forget to schedule your next trim. Nothing else fixes those split ends!

Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal, August 2006.