5 shortcuts to great hair

There aren’t many women out there (myself included) who want to have to worry about maintaining their hairstyle during the super hot days of summer. Don’t be that girl that just washes and goes. Instead save time, money and stay chic (not sweaty) by following these top tips!

Photo : Getty Images

1. Skip A Haircut

Time for a haircut? Maybe not! Jenny Cho, Suave Professionals Celebrity Stylist, suggests you follow these tips to make your current cut last longer:

• Ask your stylist to give you a haircut that will grow out gracefully with fewer trips to the salon. For example, longer hair with less layering will grow out nicely, but a short bob will need to be maintained to keep its shape.

• If you use heating tools such as blow dryers, curling irons or flat irons, be sure to use a heat protectant first. This will help to protect the strands by coating the hair and reducing the amount of damage caused by heat styling. (Try Suave Professionals Heat Protection Spray, $3, drugstores nationwide.)

Photo courtesy of moroccanoil.com

• Moisturize strands with an overnight mask or oil treatment. It can do wonders to rehabilitate your hair and keep it healthy in-between trims. (Try Moroccanoil Light Treatment, $40, moroccanoil.com.)

• If your hair has grown out or you’re noticing a few too many split ends, try giving yourself a faux-bob. This is a hot red carpet look right now because it looks like you gave yourself a haircut, but you actually just pinned your length underneath. The key to nailing this style is to keep it loose and unkempt.

TIME SAVED: Up to one hour (i.e. the amount of time it would take for you to get a hair cut at the salon).

2. Don’t Wash

There’s really no need to wash your strands daily when you can simply follow these tips from Rodney Cutler, owner of Cutler Salon NYC.

• Braid your hair at night so that when you wake up on the second day, any oils accumulated will have worked their way down the hair shaft. Not only will there be less oil on the scalp, you’ll get more texture all over.

• Using a good dry shampoo at the roots can help you to get an extra day without washing. Redken’s Powder Refresh 01 Aerosol Hair Powder/Dry Shampoo ($18, redken.com) is colorless so you can layer and apply throughout the day.

• When you wake up with second-day hair, instead of showering and washing again, just blow-dry in a lightweight hairspray (try Redken Fashion Work 12 , $15, Yahoo! Shopping) at the roots, which helps to diffuse oils and adds texture.

• At least once per week, just condition and don’t shampoo. Rinse your hair with warm water and apply a deep conditioner (try Redken Smooth Lock Buttersilk, $15.50, redken.com) on the ends and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse with cool water to lock in shine.

• If you simply must wash your hair daily, try to use a different shampoo at least once per week.

Another key tip: Don’t touch. “If you’re trying to prolong washing your hair, try not to touch it too much. The oil from your hands will get deposited on your hair every time you touch it, only to make it greasier faster,” advises Cho. “If you’re someone who likes to run your hands through your hair, I suggest wearing a chic ponytail or a top knot the day after you wash.”

TIME SAVED: Up to two hours (i.e. the amount of time it would take for you to wash and style the hair). 

Photo courtesy of Pantene

3. Color Less

Maintaining fresh looking hair color can sometimes be a serious (and expensive) chore. Beth Minardi, owner of Beth Minardi at Mark Garrison Salon in New York, offers these tips to make your color last longer.

• Never wash your hair with hot water. Always use warm water. Lather only once when washing and be sure to condition after every wash. Use a shampoo and conditioner specifically for color treated hair. (Try Pantene Pro-V Color Preserve Shine Shampoo ($4) and Conditioner ($4), drugstores nationwide).

• Don’t allow chlorine to get onto your hair when swimming. Apply a protectant first (try Ouidad Sun Shield Sun and Sport Leave In Conditioner, $20, ouidad.com) to dry hair before jumping into the pool. This will act as a barrier between your strands and the chlorine. Then, rinse hair clean as soon as you get out of the pool. Try not to sit in the sun with chlorine in your hair as it can fade your color. If you must, be sure to wear a hat.

Photo courtesy of Ouidad

David Stanko, hair colorist at Cutler Salon NYC, says that he advises his clients with hair color shades such as “high fashion reds, delicate blondes and even brunettes who tend to fade brassy” to go for as many days possible without shampooing after receiving a fresh color application at the salon. He also offers the below tips:

- Skip the steam room at the gym.

- Don’t use high temperatures on flat or curling irons and be sure to use a heat protectant first.

- Try scheduling in-between color glosses (instead of getting a whole new color job) if you want to make sure your color looks super fresh for a party or other special event.

TIME SAVED: Up to three hours (i.e. the amount of time it would take for you to get a fresh color application plus hair styling at the salon).

Photo : Getty Images

4. Wave It Up

Everyone loves a good wave; especially when it comes to their hair! However, if you have fine, limp strands, it can be a bit trickier (and take a lot longer than anticipated) to achieve this look. Dean Banowetz, celebrity hairstylist for The Instyler, suggests these tips:

• After shampooing and conditioning the hair, give yourself a nice, relaxed bun. Using a blow dryer, use your fingers and make sure that you get at least 90% of the moisture out of your hair.

• Next, gather your hair into a low ponytail and give yourself a loose, three-strand braid. Don’t use a ponytail tie as that will leave a band mark. Instead, wrap the braid into a loose bun and use bobby pins to pin the braid. Then, head off to work or run errands as you’d normally do.

• In the evening after work (or at least one hour after you’ve finished running errands), take out the pins, flip your head over and you will have instant wavy texture.

TIME SAVED:  Up to an hour (i.e. the amount of time it would take for you to create waves using a curling iron).

Photo : Getty Images

5. Do The Up-Down

The long days of summer almost guarantee for a busy social season. If you’ve got minimal time to go from the office to after-work events, JOICO International Artistic Director Damien Carney, suggests trying the half up, half down ‘do! Here’s how:

• Add in a side or center part. Take the side front area of your hair and lightly twist or braid.

• Repeat on the opposite side and secure and join them in the back part of the head just below the crown.

Another method is to comb rake your strands and sweep one side of your hair away from the face.

“By twisting, smoothing or braiding, the objective is to take one side asymmetrically away from the face; excellent for a summer look or a casual party and a great way to refresh and re-energize your hair and face shape,” Carney said.

TIME SAVED: Up to one hour (i.e. the time it would take for you to wash and style your hair).