Hair today, woebegone tomorrow

If anyone has mistaken your hair for a straw hat lately, we understand. "Even the most attentive, expensive hair care regimen can get blown out of the water by summer's abuses," says Christopher Mackin, Teratology Director of the famed Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon in New York City.

"Sun, heat, chlorine, hair color, over drying, and product buildup all conspire to mess up your tresses," Mackin says. His advice "Take all the time you save with easy, breezy summer hairstyles and put it into extra hair care."

As if a busy total-beauty-philosophy.blogspot.com life weren't hairy enough, here's a new worry: the water in your stylish home. "Well water in many parts of the country—particularly mountainous or mining areas—has a high mineral content," says Mary Cohen, colorist at the Tim Casey Salon in New York City.

"This so-called 'hard' water neither lathers up nor rinses out easily, so it may leave your hair feeling less than sparkling-clean," says Mary. And, says this hair maven, "hard water may react chemically with colored or processed hair, especially blond or red. It can turn it brassy or aquatic," she says. "You don't have to be a blonde lifeguard at the Y to get chlorine-green hair!"
Mary recommends charcoal-based shower filters "that take out the garbage." One such device, called the Filter pure Shower Unit, sells for about $40 at nationwide retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond.

Robert Craig, of New York City's Color by Robert Craig Hair, has another solution. His "No More Bad Hair Days Kit" includes water test strips, a conditioner, and three shampoo concentrates for different water types. "Iron and calcium in so-called hard water cling to your hair and make it dull," explains Craig, "not to mention what it does to lightened hair. And soft water doesn't cut shampoo suds, leaving locks filmy and limp." Adds Craig, "Even if your town, like New York City's, has perfect water, sometimes you have to live dangerously and take a vacation."

Twelve Steps to Detox Summer Hair

1. In the sun, keep hair covered with a hat or scarf.

2. Or pony it up with a slick Euro coating of extra-help conditioner.

3. Rinse ASAP after ocean or pool. Try a final pour-through with club soda; its bubbles zap chemical residue.

4. Use products designed for summer, like Kiehl's Swimmer's Cleansing Rinse or the Phytoplage line (both at Barneys), or Senescence Inner Hair Care with UV protection (call 800-242-9283 for stores).

5. De-gook your hair weekly with a clarifying shampoo like Aveda's Hair Detoxifier; Neutrogena Shampoo; Origins' Clear Head; Paul Mitchell's Shampoo Three; Redken's Hair Cleansing Creme; or Frederic Fekkai's Shampoo due Jour followed by his Apple Cider Clearing Rins.

6. Deep-condition regularly with rich formulas like L'Oreal Color Vive Dry Defense; Paul Mitchell Creative Revitalizing Hair Masque; Phytoplage After-Sun Repair; or Sebastian Potion

7. How to deep-condition: start an inch down, since summer scalps don't need more oil. Comb through and massage into ends. Keep on several minutes, or wear all day on trendily twisted, pinned-up tresses.

8. Never brush wet hair or tug at tangles.

9. Brushing dry hair will stimulate clogged scalps and lift out grime.

10. Set your blow-dryer on low and quit before that bone-dry stage.

11. Don't pull your hair too tight with bands, pins or clips, and avoid sharp-edged barrettes.

12. If your hair is colored or processed, all this goes double.