Give your flatiron and dryer a break. Instead, master the air-dry. If you have straight hair, smooth a styling cream such as Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment ($26, livingproof.com) from your roots through the midsection, then clip strands on the top of your head until they’re almost dry. “When you let your hair down, you’ll have more lift in the root area,” says New York City hairstylist and salon owner Eva Scrivo. For curly hair, apply a curl-enhancing cream like Ouidad Wave Create Texture Taffy ($23, ouidad.com) then twist sections around your finger to encourage spiral shapes. Once hair is dry, don’t tousle it. “A broken curl is a frizzy curl,” warns Scrivo. Smooth any remaining frizz with a bit of serum, like Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Serum ($7, garnierusa.com). Load up on protein. “If you pull lightly at a strand of your hair and it stretches like an elastic band, it means it’s been so damaged that the structure of your hair, which is made of mostly proteins, has been degraded,” says New York City-based hair colorist Paul Cucinello. “Use a spray or mask that has wheat-based or vegetable-based proteins listed in the ingredients.” These proteins help fortify the strands and patch the damage. Try Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Moisture & Shine Leave-In Conditioner ($11, carolsdaughter.com) MORE: Best Hair Colors For Women Over 40 Trim regularly. looking full and fresh Not only do split ends look scraggly, but they can travel far up the hair strands if they aren’t nipped in the bud. Go to a stylist for a mini-trim called a “dusting” (named for the fine dust of hair left on the floor afterward) every few months—it’ll barely change the length of your hair, but it will keep ends . Smooth safely. Sure, in-salon straightening treatments leave hair silky smooth, but at a potentially serious cost: According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), some contain ingredients that produce formaldehyde gas when heated, and the National Academy of Sciences reports that high concentrations of formaldehyde can cause respiratory lesions or cancer. Instead, try a formaldehyde-free, at-home treatment like KeratinPerfect Smoothing Duo ($65, keratinperfect.com), which lasts up to 30 days. MORE: Fast Fixes For 4 Major Hair Mistakes Watch out for UV rays. SPF isn’t just for your skin: Products that contain sun-blocking ingredients prevent hair color from fading and weakened strands. Try Clarins Sunscreen Care Oil Spray Broad Spectrum SPF 30 ($36, sephora.com), a non-greasy, water- and sweat-resistant dry oil mist, before heading outside. You can also create a protective barrier by running your hands through your hair after applying sunscreen to leave a super-fine coating of SPF on your strands, says Boston dermatologist Ranella Hirsch, MD. Give your brush a break. If it’s muggy out, that is. “Brushing when it’s humid can damage your hair more than in other types of weather,” says hair scientist Trefor Evans, PhD, at TRI/Princeton Labs in Princeton, New Jersey. “When hair soaks up moisture from the air, it swells and becomes more likely to break as you pull the brush through.” To prevent this from happening, make sure to untangle tresses using a wide-tooth comb; it’s less likely to snag strands than a brush. Prep for the pool. “Water (of the salt or chlorine variety) can be one of the harshest aggressors on hair and hair color,” says stylist Nicholas Penna, Jr. of Salon Capri in Massachusetts. Bring a bottle of conditioner like Malibu C Swimmers Wellness Conditioner ($15, malibuc.com) with you to the beach and apply to hair before taking a dip in the ocean or pool. “The coating of conditioning ingredients and silicones will help protect your hair from the water,” explains Penna. MORE: 5 Rules For Age-Defying Hair
