Della Bass
Meet the latest wave of frizz fighters, each one customized to you and your lifestyle. Choose the option that's right for you and rock hot, happy hair all summer.
Smooth Hair for a Day
You want to keep your wavy or curly texture and need to wash your hair daily. Try Matrix Biolage Smoothproof Shampoo and Conditioner ($17 and $18, matrix.com for salons).
Wash your scalp with the shampoo and let the suds rinse through your strands (don't scrub them; that creates friction, which can lead to frizz). Before applying conditioner, wring out hair so that the nourishing ingredients can penetrate better. If your strands are dry and damaged, they'll pull in moisture from the air and frizz up, so instead of conditioner, use a mask instead to repair and hydrate. We like Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Smooth ($4, drugstores). Post-shower, blot your hair lightly with a towel and apply an oil from the midshaft to the ends. A good one: John Frieda Frizz Ease Nourishing Oil Elixir ($10, drugstores). Detangle with a wide-tooth comb and let hair air-dry without touching it. Once it's dry, twirl a dab of anti-frizz cream around curls. Try Carol's Daughter Sacred Tiare Anti-Breakage & Anti-Frizz Styling Cream ($10, Target stores). Finally, form an invisible shield around your style by misting on a dry, anti-humidity hair spray, like Rusk Freezing Spray ($19, Ulta stores).
Healthy hair tip: Shampooingevery day can be drying. Instead, suds up with a cleansing conditioner like Ojon Rare Blend Moisture-Rich Cleansing Conditioner ($27, ojon.com), a sulfate-free formula with just a little lather to clean gently and pack hair with hydration.
You want straight hair but have no time to wash and style every day. Try Orlando Pita Straight 72 Straight & Smooth Style Extender. ($30, beautysmostwanted.com)
Celebrity hairstylist Orlando Pita created a magic potion women could use to prolong a straight style. It contains natural silk proteins that help control unruly hair and add softness and shine, as well as a phospholipid complex that surrounds each strand to make it smooth, and will lock in your style for up to three days. Just spritz it on wet hair, comb it through and blow-dry hair straight. For a supersleek look, go over sections with a flatiron. Keep roots fresh the next two days with a dry shampoo.
Smooth Hair for a Week
You need a frizz fighter that will last through several shampoos. Try Tresemme 7-Day Keratin Smooth Starter Kit. ($8, drugstores)
Once upon a time, washing your hair meant starting your frizz-fighting regimen over again. Until now. This kit contains polymers that form a micro gel on the hair surface and bond with the cuticle, giving hair the memory to resist humidity -- even through three shampoos! First, wash and condition your hair with the products in the kit. Next, divide hair into small sections and apply the treatment serum. Comb through to evenly distribute, blow-dry and then flatiron your hair in small sections. When you wash again, use the 7-Day shampoo and conditioner, but you don't need to reapply the serum until after three washes. Ta-da -- a total time-saver!
You want to turn your unmanageable curls and frizz into bouncy, shiny strands. Try Goldwell Kerasilk Keratin Treatment Service. ($250 to $350, goldwell-northamerica.com for salons)
Unlike keratin treatments of the past, this version is customizable. There are two strength options for curl and another two for frizz, so you have the choice of leaving the salon with straight hair or your own texture with zero frizz. Another bonus: The formula is formaldehyde-free (no mask required!) and has a pleasant scent. After washing your hair, a stylist applies the treatment to sections of your strands, then dries them with a round brush and flatirons them. Keratin, glyoxylic acid and silk proteins penetrate the hair shaft, creating new bonds that lock in the shape. Your hair is shampooed again -- no walking around with stringy, limp locks for three days -- and blow-dried. You can even color it afterward. To prolong the smoothing effect, use the their line of at-home products, including Goldwell Kerasilk Ultra Rich Keratin Care Daily Intense Mask ($18, goldwell-northamerica.com).
Smooth Hair for the Long Term
You want straight hair that's easy to style. Try Aveda Smooth Infusion Naturally Straight ($26, aveda.com).
This lightweight styling cream progressively loosens your curls every time you use it. Naturally derived plant fibers attach to your hair to smooth curls and lock in straightness, so the more you use it, the easier it is to create a sleek style. Ingredients like cassava root and maize form a humidity barrier to protect against frizz. Apply a dime-size drop to damp hair one section at a time, then blow-dry with a brush.