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Hair

16 Hairstylist-Approved Tricks To Get Rid Of Summer Hair Bothers

Get hair that stuns all season.

Spending time outside during the sunny season easily boosts our mood and our health. But along with the benefits of the welcomed warmth come high heat, humidity, and powerful UV rays that cause summer hair bothers such as frizzy strands, oily roots, and faded or brassy color — adding years to our look.

So we tapped top celebrity hairstylists for their tips to preventing your biggest summer hair arghs from occurring, as well as the easy hacks (using things you likely already have on hand) to remedy them when they do! Read on to find the solution that will leave your strands looking gorgeous this summer and beyond!

Fall-flat hair?

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When humid air settles on fine, straight strands, it weighs them down for a limp, lifeless look.

Prevent it with sunflower seed extract! The seed’s vitamin B-5 gives hair more structure so it’s lifted up and off of the scalp for lasting volume. Plus, says hairstylist Daniel Koye, who’s worked with Vanessa Williams and Susan Lucci, the plant’s fatty acids plump hair for an even fuller-looking mane.

To do: Spritz a sunflower-infused spray like Rusk PUREMIX Blooming Sunflower Volumizing Mist (Buy from Ulta Beauty, $18) all over damp or dry hair.

Fix it with cornstarch! “The powder provides grit to help prop strands up at the root,” says Koye. And it will sop up any volume-sapping moisture that settles onto hair.

To do: Dust 1⁄4 teaspoon of cornstarch onto fingertips and rub into the scalp for 1 minute.

Frizzy locks?

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Instar

Curly hair is typically dry and porous, so it grabs on to the moisture in humid air to quench its thirst — an excess of which swells strands, causing them to frizz up.

Prevent it with this acid! Just like hyaluronic acid restores moisture to skin, it also deeply hydrates hair so it won’t seek out more moisture. Even better? It seals hair’s cuticle so strands look more sleek. To do: Saturate damp hair from roots to ends with a hyaluronic acid hair rinse like Not Your Mother’s Smooth Moves Instant Shine Lamellar Water Rinse, (Buy from Walmart, $7.74) and let sit two minutes before rinsing.

Fix it  with hand cream! The emollients replenish moisture and slightly weigh down hair to nix puffiness. To do: Rub a pea-size amount of hand cream onto hair from the ears down. Gently pat any leftover cream onto strands near the scalp.

Oily roots?

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Heat from the sun opens pores on the scalp and increases oil production, making freshly washed hair go from gorgeous to greasy fast.

Prevent it with this mask! A scalp mask made of bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar, both astringents, tightens pores to cut down on oil production so roots look less shiny.

To do: Mix 1Tbs.of bentonite clay like Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay (Buy from iHerb.com, $10) 1⁄2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1⁄2 tablespoon of water. Rub onto a damp scalp; rinse after 10 minutes.

Fix it with micellar water! Used to remove makeup, the water’s micelles (tiny cleansing compounds) grab and whisk away excess oil in an instant.

To do: Soak a cotton pad in micellar water like Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water (Buy from CVS, $10.99); pat onto roots.

Lackluster locks?

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While sunshine can reflect light onto our locks so they look luminous, the powerful rays are more likely to strip hair of its natural oils for a dull, lackluster appearance.

Prevent it with aloe! Saponins in the plant form a barrier over hair to keep the sun from stripping shine-inducing oils, while its moisturizing aloins leave a youthful sheen.

To do: Lightly mist an aloe leave-in spray like Urban Hydration Aloe Vera & Cucumber Leave-In Spray Conditioner (Buy from Target, $8.99) all over damp or dry hair.

Fix it with coconut milk! Coconut’s hydrating lauric acid deeply penetrates hair to restore and lock in moisture to parched strands, says Kali Ferrera, a hairstylist in New York City.

To do: Apply 1⁄2 cup of coconut milk all over damp hair and let sit 10 minutes before rinsing.

Faded color?

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The sun is hair color’s arch nemesis, as its warmth lifts hair’s cuticle and allows dye molecules to escape, fading color fast.

Prevent it with SPF! A hair sunscreen like Coola Scalp & Hair Mist Organic Sunscreen SPF 30 (Buy from Sephora, $26) creates a protective shield over locks so UV rays can’t penetrate hair and alter its hue.

To do: Spritz the spray all over damp or dry hair before going outside.

Fix it  with tinted conditioner! The semi-permanent dye in these formulas deposits a light wash of color that enhances and enlivens hair’s hue each time it’s washed.

To do: Apply a conditioner like No Fade Fresh Color Depositing Conditioner (Buy from NoFadeFresh.com; available in 13 shades) all over damp hair, and brush through with a widetooth comb to evenly distribute. Let sit 10 minutes; rinse.

Dirty grays?

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Startraks

We’re washing our hair so much more often this time of year, and unfortunately, gray hair easily picks up colors from shower water that makes it appear dull and dingy.

Prevent it with a filter! A vitamin C shower filter like VOESH New York Vitamin C Shower Filter (Buy from Voesh.com, $29) screws easily onto your shower head so the vitamin can remove water’s hue-altering compounds before they reach your hair, says colorist Gregory Patterson, who’s worked with Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore. Bonus: Vitamin C seals hair’s cuticle, keeping color-altering compounds like chlorine and product residue from sinking in.

Fix it with baking soda! The mildly abrasive powder removes discoloration. To do: Mix 1⁄4 cup of baking soda and one tablespoon of water. Massage into damp hair for one minute. Let sit for 10 minutes; rinse.

Stray grays?

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Backgrid

The sun’s drying rays exacerbate the already coarse texture of grays, making it hard for color to latch on, leaving a fresh dye job to be scattered with still-there silvers.

Prevent it with this add-in! When mixing up hair dye, infuse it with a malic acid treatment like pH Plex Protect & Repair (Buy from Amazon, $4.89). The acid softens the gray hairs’ cuticles so color can more easily penetrate. Plus, it “re-seals” broken hair bonds to nix any damage caused from coloring.

Fix it with ‘mascara’! A tinted cover-up wand like No Gray Quick Fix (Buy from Walmart, $4.97; available in 6 shades) allows for precise placement of temporary dye that conceals random silvers where needed. Also smart: Switching up your part helps diffuse grays when they are concentrated in one specific area.

Brassy hair?

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To blame for blond locks taking on an unsightly yellow-orange tinge this time of year: overexposure to the sun and swimming in chlorinated water, says Patterson.

Prevent it with shea butter oil! The oil’s antioxidants act as a barrier to keep the sun or chlorine from penetrating hair and turning it an unf lattering brassy hue. Tip: Since many hair oils are yellow in color and can leave a yellow cast on hair over time, opt for one that’s clear like dpHUE Color Fresh Oil Therapy (Buy from dpHUE.com, $35).

To do: Work 3 pumps of the oil into damp or dry hair from roots to ends.

Fix it with toning drops! “Since blue and purple lie opposite from orange and yellow on the color wheel, a violet toner neutralizes any brass,” says Patterson.

To do: Mix 3 toning drops like OGX Blonde Enhance + Purple Toning Drops (Buy from Ulta Beauty, $10.89) with a palmful of your regular shampoo, then apply all over damp hair. Let sit for 5 minutes before rinsing.

This article originally appeared in our print magazine, First For Women.

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