33 hot insider tips: hair

Colour caution
If you're a natural blond, don't get your hair coloured while you are menstruating, says Annie Humphrys, director of colour and technical research at Vidal Sassoon. "I have no scientific proof," she admits, "but after 40 years of experience, I've noticed that colour doesn't take as well."

Day-old success
Got a big event coming up? Don't wash your hair before you twist it into an updo, says Richard Marin, creative consultant for Goody Hair Products and former stylist of the Friends cast. He suggests washing your hair the night before and then rinsing it with water only before styling. "Hair is stripped of its natural oils when you shampoo, leaving it soft and slippery. Day-old hair is easier to style."

Colour keeper
Washing freshly coloured hair daily makes it fade quickly, says Heather Wenman, creative director of Salon Entrenous in London, Ont., and a member of the team that won the 2002 L'Oréal Professionnel Colour Trophy. If your hairstyle needs frequent upkeep, skip the shampoo on alternate days and just rinse your hair with water and apply a light conditioner. Once a week, Wenman recommends applying a shine-enhancing treatment such as L'Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Gloss Color Highlighting Shampoo for Coloured Hair, 250 mL/$14.

Body and shine
Clients of Kimberley Ashley, an international award-winning stylist at Richard Jeha Hair Company in Vancouver, always ask for her "love potion." That's the nickname she gives Sebastian's Potion 9, 150 mL/$23, a wearable treatment that has nine essential oils that help add body, shine and definition to hair.

Sleek lift off
Having trouble getting smooth volume in your hairstyle? John Donato of Donato Salon & Spa in Mississauga, Ont., recommends brushing and blow-drying your hair in the opposite direction from the way you wear it. By doing this, you'll dry and gently stretch your strands from the roots, so when you flip your hair over to your usual part, you'll end up with lots of smooth body.
Chatelaine.com's pick For extra lift, spritz Clairol Herbal Essences Natural Volume Root Volumizer, 177 mL/$4, into your roots before blow-drying hair.

Body builder
If your locks are limp and just plain lifeless, try Paul Mitchell Extra Body Daily Shampoo, 250 mL/$12. Jenny Ryce, a stylist at Heavens the Salon in Fredericton, claims that it "makes hair feel fatter"—and that gives you a big body boost.

Frizz fighter
"Canadian weather can be tough on hair that's already frizzy," says Lesley Cantwell, a stylist at The Head Room in St. John's, Nfld., and 2003 Canadian Makeover Colourist of the Year. She mixes together L'Oréal Professionel Liss Control Plus Intense Control serum, 50 mL/$21, and Liss Control Extreme Leave-In treatment, 150 mL/$16, and applies them to tresses before blow-drying to protect hair against the effects of humidity. The combination also adds loads of shine and banishes flyaways.

Hat-head
Toronto makeup artist Alice Kilpatrick picked up this hair-smoothing tip from actress Minnie Driver: after straightening her curls, Driver prevents her hair from getting pouffy by wearing a fleece toque while applying her makeup. "A satin scarf or cotton bandana also does the trick."
Chatelaine.com's pick To smooth flyaways you get from straightening locks, try Redken Glass Smoothing Complex, 60 mL/$17.

Lengthy conditioner
"Some leave-in conditioners are too heavy for long hair," says Dee Fortier, owner of Deeva Hair in Kitchener, Ont. Her solution? Eufora Fortifi Reconstructor, 200 mL/$22, adds shine and control without weighing down hair. She combines it with Eufora Hydration Leave-In Conditioner, 180 mL/$22.

Curl control
Martin Hillier, co-owner of The Lounge Hair Studio & Spa in Vancouver, always uses a flexible styling hairspray such as Joico Con_text Texture Spray, 200 mL/$15, before curling hair. "It will help your curl last longer, whether you're using a curling iron or hot rollers."