Chic & Healthy Summer Hair

It isn't easy getting hair to cooperate in the summer heat and humidity. Here is some advice for keeping your hair chic and healthy throughout the summer months

Healthy Hair Tips
1. Rinse your hair immediately when coming back from the pool or beach to reduce chlorine damage.
2. Get your hair cut every six to eight weeks to keep in healthy and smooth. If you use hair color, get your roots touched up too.
3. Don't shampoo daily. Over-shampooing can strip your hair of its natural oils. If possible, shampoo your hair every other day.
4. Blot dry instead of blow dry. If you aren't in a hurry, avoid the blow dryer and blot dry you hair instead. Don't rub, which can cause damage.
5. Always remember to protect your hair from the sun and chlorine. Wear a scarf or wear a protective spray with SPF. Redken has a great line of products to help combat UV damage (UV Rescue by Redken). These products will keep your hair safe if you want to wear it down when you are in the sun.

Key Summer Styles
#1 The Bedroom Look: The key to this look is separating the hair in large portions when curling - you want waves, not curls. People with curly hair should use big brushes and Velcro rollers. Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Biel are among the stars who fancy this look. The idea is to get a messy, tousled, sexy look.

For straight-to-wavy hair: Use a curling iron and curl your entire head, beginning with the bottom of your head and working your way up. Flip your head over and blow cool air over your hair. The curls should look more like waves. Make sure your hair has waves and bends in it.

If you have very curly hair: Use large Velcro rollers or use a large round brush to blow out the curls and make them into waves. Those with straight hair can curl with a curling iron, but the key is to curl or make it into a wave using large sections of hair. That way, your hair will be more wavy and less curly.

#2 The Greek Goddess Look: For this, you must use a curling iron. Hair with this look can be in a ponytail or bun. The idea here is to get the "natural curl" look. Blow your hair dry or use a diffuser. Use a small curling iron, around 1/2 inch, only on the ends of your hair. Try to get some spiral curls. Choose the curling iron that's best for you, depending on the kind of curls you want. The larger the iron, the bigger the curls you'll get.

For the best curls, make sure the wire of the curling iron is always facing the ceiling. When all your hair is set, put it in a ponytail, keeping the top loose. Let some curls fall toward the front of your face. These curls are much tighter and more controlled than the curls and waves used with the bedroom hair. You can put it in a ponytail or bun.

#3 The Bohemian Braid: Mix braids in with your hair down like Lauren Conrad or up like Sienna Miller and Ashley Olsen. You can do this with straight or curly hair. You can also mix braids with a pony tail. For a more natural look like Sienna’s, let hair air dry with a little Frizz-Ease to prevent fly-aways. Then, starting at a deep part by your ear, French braid a two inch band across the top of your head. If you can’t do this after trying a couple times: ask a friend. A simple alternative is to do a long braid next to your ear and pin it over your head.