Summertime can bring bad-hair days

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By ERIN ANDERSEN / Lincoln Journal Star

We may love summer …

But our hair?

It does everything from freak out to wilt. Pretty much every day has the potential to be a bad hair day in summer.

[+]Enlarge

(Heidi Hoffman illustration)

(Heidi Hoffman illustration)

But wait.

We asked hair care experts for quick and easy tips for keeping our locks happy, carefree and attractive, regardless of what Mother Nature doles out.

 Try a little salt of the sea

A little spritz of Sea Salt Texturizing Spray (Aquage, $16.84) will perk up wet and wilted hair, say Lincoln cosmetologists Jessica Meyer of Studio 56 and Jaci Kottman of Salon Avalon.

“The sea salt adds thickness, volume and textured style,” Kottman said. “It works awesome.”

It’s also easy.

“Just spray, scrunch and go,” Meyer said. “Or spray, blow dry and go.”

Sea Salt Texturizing Spray gives hair a beachy wave, perfect for the carefree looks of summer, Meyer said.

Protect you hair before you dive in

If you know you are going to hang out in the pool, saturate your hair with a cream conditioner before you jump in, said Meyer of Studio 56.

Kottman recommends outdoorsy women who spend a lot of time in the sun and swimming use a reconstruction treatment once a week for 10 to 15 minutes. She recommends Redken All Soft for thick hair ($16) and Redken Clear Moisture ($15) for finer air.

Hair needs sunscreen, too

Hats and scarves offer fashionable ways to protect your hair from the sun, especially if you color your hair.

But if you don’t like hat hair or aren’t a hat person, Meyer recommends spraying yours with Phyto Organics ChromaLife spray ($24). Just spray it on like sunscreen, she said.

For another option, Hairfinder.com suggests Paul Mitchell Color Protect Locking Spray ($12.99).

Summer styles

This summer’s in style is the over-directed angle cut.

Lots of young women are doing this short cut, she said, and twinning it with “the beach wave,” allowing hair to naturally curl and wave in a slightly mussed up look.

“The beach wave is definitely in,” Meyer said.

If you don’t have natural waves in your hair, she recommends getting a big-rodded perm.

And when her hair starts to get hot on her neck, she just puts it up in a messy bun at the base of her skull.

Bangs can be a real bummer in the summer. They either curl too high and wing out, or they fall flat and lifeless across your forehead.

Stylists say there are no fool-proof answers to the summer bang dilemma. But your best bet is to keep your bangs long enough to fall on the brow, so you can sweep them to the side or pull them up and back with a clip, leaving a little pouf in front.

Here’s some other style tips from the experts:

Thick, curly hair:  Choose a cut that is long and slightly angled. Longer hair creates more weight, preventing too much curling and frizz. Angled or slightly layered cuts will prevent hair from looking too bulky. But avoid too many layers, or your hair will really frizz out in the humidity.

Fine, curly hair: Longer layers will help give you that beach wave look.

Thick, straight hair:  Choose a cut that will reduce the weight.

 Fine, straight hair: Long layers will give your hair more movement. Another option is the blunt cut that falls no lower than your shoulders — a longer blunt cut will just weigh down your hair. For an extra boost, add some color or highlights, which swells the hair shaft, giving your hair a thicker appearance.

Fighting frizz

When curly or thick hair becomes dry — from too much sun exposure or overuse of heat tools — it soaks up the excess moisture in the air, causing hair to frizz.

Terri Knopik, cosmetologist at Lincoln’s Utopia Salon and Day Spa, recommends a good anti-frizz serum. One of her favorites is B Excellent shine mist by BennieFactor ($19.50).

Or you can always raid the laundry room. Kottman, of Salon Avalon, confesses that when her hair gets full of static, she runs a dryer sheet through her curly tresses. If dryer sheets aren’t your style, she also suggest Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum ($20) or the new Smoothing shampoo/conditioner by Biolage ($15).

Here are some other tips for beating the frizzies, courtesy of SheKnows.com:

* Start with a good hair cut. Then get your hair cut regularly — split ends make your hair look even more frizzy.

* After shampooing, rinse with cold water. It will help the cuticle layers of your hair lie flat.

* Use a rich conditioner. The drier the hair, the more it will frizz in the humidity. Many stylists suggest leave-in conditioning sprays such as Alberto V05’s Lightweight Leave-In Conditioner ($3.99). Wearing a baseball cap until hair dries will prevent it from expanding so much.

* Rinse your hair immediately after returning from the pool or beach. Chlorine and salt water can add to dryness and frizz.

* Braid your hair while it is still wet for a sleek, bold look. Use a little pomade to keep it in place.

* Avoid blow drying. Instead, scrunch hair with your fingers.

* Consider using some spray gel or anti-frizz gel if you really want your hair to be straight. These silicone-based products not only protect hair but lock in moisture, which prevents humidity from seeping in and frizzing you out.

* If your hair starts to frizz, wet your hands and run them over the top layer of your hair to put the moisture back in, says Hairfinder.com. Use a wax or texturizer like Sexy Hair Concepts Frenzy Bulked-Up Texture ($15.99) or Redkin Water Wax Shine Defining Pomade ($15.99) to add control. Twist curls around your finger to reform them.

* When all else fails, put hair in a ponytail or don a hat.

Flat is not where it’s at

If you have fine hair, you don’t have to worry about frizz. But you have to weather flat attacks, which are virtually impossible to fix (outside of re-washing and re-styling) once the humidity sets in.

Kottman says volumizing shampoos and conditioners are a must. She really likes Joico’s Body Luxe products, which include shampoos, conditioners, root boosts, elixirs and reconstructors ($12-$17).

 Some other flat-busting tips from stylists:

* Apply conditioner to the middle and ends, but avoid using it at the roots so it won’t weigh down hair.

* Use styling products such as volumizing spray, mousse or lotion at the roots to boost body. But use just a little — it can weigh down hair if too much is used.

* If you want maximum fullness, spray freshly washed roots with a volumizer and then use your fingers to lift them as you blow-dry your hair. When hair is almost dry, use a round brush to smooth hair surface from middle to ends only, without pulling on roots. Finish with a light-hold hairspray or a thickening spray.

* No touching after you’re done. Oils from your fingers can flatten fine hair fast.

Color-treated hair

Colored hair is already drier than untreated hair. The sun only makes it worse, and hair can quickly look dull and damaged.

For super-stressed and damaged hair, Kottman recommends women pick up the Joico K-Pak ($20). “It’s the No. 1 reconstructor,” she said. “And it is awesome for dry, brittle damaged hair.”

Other suggestions for colored hair:

* Use products specifically for color-treated hair. They are gentler and offer more hydration.

* Wash hair with warm water, not hot. Rinse with cool water, which fills the cuticles.

* A hat or scarf is the best way to keep hair color from fading. Or, if you prefer, use a styling product containing sunscreen.

* Highlighted strands can take on a brassy appearance since they are more porous and susceptible to oxidation by the sun.

* Again, style less. Limit use of blow dryers, curling irons, etc.

* If this information comes too late, head back to the salon for a color gloss, which will tone down the brassiness and add shine for less than the cost of getting highlights redone, says Hairfinder.com.

Reach Erin Andersen at 473-7217 or eandersen@journalstar.com.