Washington summers are hot enough. Why blast an additional 1,800 watts of heat into your head?
Styles that play up hair’s natural texture are summer’s big trend. To get the look, here are tips from the pros.
If Your Hair Is Straight
“Think Jennifer Aniston,” says Tony Savia of Stephen Anthony Salon in Rockville. “She has that ‘I kinda half did my hair look’ that’s easy to pull off.”
To get that tousled effect, Savia says to start with hair that’s really wet and work in Tigi Catwalk Strong Mousse from root to end. “The best thing to do is flip your head upside down and scrunch, scrunch, scrunch,” he says. “This will give you the most natural waves.”
If Your Hair Is Wavy
Jackie Bell, a stylist at Urban Style Lab in Dupont Circle, has a secret weapon to keep wavy hair from frizzing even on the most humid days. “Bumble and Bumble’s Wavy Woman is revolutionary,” she says.
After working it through a bit, Bell uses a technique called ribboning. For a smoother curl, take a one-inch-wide strand and, starting at the top of your head, press it flat between your fingers along the whole length so that it looks like a ribbon. Then twist the strand around your finger to form the curl. “Once you get the curls how you like them, don’t touch,” she says. “How it looks wet is exactly how it’s going to look dry.”
If Your Hair Is Curly
Elie Gerdak, owner of Tyson Corner Center’s Elie Elie Salon, says the key to taming curly hair is damage control. Gerdak, who specializes in curly hair, advises taking it easy on highlights, salt water, and chlorine. “And wash your hair only one or two times a week,” he says.
For styling, Gerdak, who has his own line of hair products, recommends his Elie Elie Curly Gel (“Warm the gel first in your hands,” Gerdak insists) or Kérastase Elasto-Curl. Use a dime-size portion of product for every one-inch-wide section of hair and work from the ends up to the roots. The other imperative: “You have to get the right haircut for any of this to work.”
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