Weather-Proof Hair

Did looking good ever not have a price? Throughout the years, the most popular hairstyles have always meant doing destructive things to our locks: If you wanted Farrah’s feathers, you did plenty of time with a curling iron and getting the voluminous layered look of the infamous Rachel shag meant ironing out sections of hair. But more and more, stylists are saying it’s not only what you do to your hair but also where you take it. The humidity and sun exposure that go hand in hand during the summer can damage healthy hair and virtually melt time-intensive styles. Fortunately, Twin Cities stylists give us tips on how to maintain some semblance of style, come rain or shine.

Rain
Tip 1: Despite the humidity, the right products can help tame your hair’s texture whether it’s straight or curly. Those with curly hair want an anti-frizz product, such as Bumble and bumble’s Defrizz, that will protect yet still define the curls; those with straight or straightened hair want an anti-humectant, such as Aveda Brilliant Anti-Humectant Pomade, to repel the moisture at all costs while keeping the hair from going flat.

Tip 2: “Most people don’t towel dry enough,” says Larissa Wong, a master stylist at Juut Salonspa in Edina. “Any bit of moisture in the hair when you leave the house will cause a wave, so you want to towel-dry to death before you add product and blow-dry. And you can’t stop until the hair is completely dry; everyone wants the best results with the least amount of work, but hair must be dry.”

Tip 3: The Boy Scouts were right: Be prepared. Our stylists stopped just short of suggesting plastic rain bonnets for summer thundershowers, but umbrellas are a universal must-have.

Tip 4: Be fast and loose with product. Whether you have straight hair in need of anti-humectant or curly hair that craves anti-frizz serum, make sure you’re coating locks adequately.

Fact:
Humidity causes hair to stretch! When it’s humid outside more water surrounds the hair, which is made of protein, causing it to stretch as it begins to weigh more.

Shine
Tip 1: “You’re making an investment in your hair when coloring it, so you don’t want to waste your money by having beautiful color fade out in the sun,” says Alisa Halek, hair director at Sanctuary Salon Spa in Eden Prairie. Try products with sun filters and UVA protection such as Aveda’s Color Conserve Foaming Leave In Conditioner or Phyto Protective Sun Veil.

Tip 2: Every beach bag should contain a sun protector for the hair with serious UVA protection. To be serious about sun protection, make sure the products you use list an actual SPF. Most hair-care products will not use more than SPF 10, or the product will be too heavy for hair.

Tip 3: Wet hair thoroughly before diving into a pool, and for an added layer of protection, coat hair with a leave-in conditioner, such as Aveda’s Color Conserve Foaming Leave In Conditioner or Regis DesignLine Normal Care Leave In Conditioner to block out chemical absorption.

Fact:
1. Sun can dry and damage hair and cause the color to fade. But hair doesn’t sunburn. 2. Hair grows faster in warm weather. Temperate climates in the U.S. appear to make hair speed up growth.

This article has been adapted from the original, which was published in the May 2007 issue of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.