A ray of hope for hair

Posted on Thu, Jul. reprint or license print email Digg it del.icio.

us AIM A ray of hope for hair When the heat is on, keep your tresses looking cool You love summer's carefree, let-loose attitude, but your hair is taking it a little too seriously. When the season of heat, humidity and scorching sun arrives, your hair goes haywire, morphing into a mass of frizz, lying limp or simply refusing to hold a style. It's time to take control.

With a few strategies for fixing common summer hair problems and some preventive measures to keep them on permanent vacation, you can get your tresses to do what you want -- and even look good -- in no time. Then you can let loose and enjoy a carefree summer in style. Your hair is flat, stringy and lifeless Fine, straight hair can become limp when exposed to humidity.

"Moisture from the air settles on the surface of this type of hair instead of penetrating it," says Armando Corral, owner and artistic director of Armando Corral salon in New York City. In other words, it weighs hair down. Add volume at the roots with an anti-humidity hairspray.

(Try V05 Max! Hold Fast Drying Hair Spray, $3.50 at drugstores.

) Divide the top layer of hair into four sections. Lift each section at the roots and spritz the underside. Give the spray a minute to dry, then gently backcomb each section.

Lay off the heavy styling products. It's tempting to douse fine hair with volumizing sprays to help combat limpness, but these products cause buildup at the roots and, in humid weather, flatten hair even more. Bulk up with protein.

Fine, straight hair lacks protein that gives hair body and helps it hold a style in humidity, says Erica Colameta, a senior hairstylist and director of color at James Joseph Salon in Boston. To add body, shampoo and condition twice a week with protein-rich products, like Aveda Smooth Infusion shampoo and conditioner ($20 each, www.aveda.

com). Your hair is puffy and frizzy Curly, coarse and chemically treated hair is often moisture-deprived, so the cuticles on each strand are raised, making the hair more porous. This type of hair absorbs moisture from the air, which makes the hair shafts swell up.

Fight frizz with a moisture-blocking styling cream or serum, like Arrojo Defrizz Serum ($14, www.arrojoproduct.com).

Look for products with silicone or oil to smooth and slightly weigh down hair. Rub a quarter-size dollop between your hands and work it through the strands. Get the right cut.

Layers, which add volume, encourage poufiness in the summer. Ask for a blunter cut, which holds down the ends and reduces the fluff factor. Razors thin out hair, making it prone to frizz.

Use an oil treatment to seal cuticles so hair can't absorb moisture, says Abell Oujaddou, a senior hairstylist at John Frieda Salon in New York City. (Try Molton Brown Hair Treatment Oil, $30, www.moltonbrown.

com.) Apply from roots to ends, leave in for 15 to 20 minutes, and then rinse well. Posted on Thu, Jul.