We've already covered told you all about how much we love the Keratin Smoothing Treatment—how it changes your relationship with your hair, cuts your blow-dry time in half… Well, you can read the rest for yourself: The Battle Against Frizz.

So, what's the only thing that sometimes gets in the way of a true love affair with Keratin? For many of you it's all about getting through those first few days: the 72 hours after your treatment are a strict no-shampoo, no-ponytail zone (or you could run the risk of breaking down the Keratin, thus shortening the life of your treatment).

^{Stylist Sanda Petrut, recently featured in Elle}

Enter our second option, an additional line here at Maxine Salon that gives you the same frizz-fighting results without the wait. It's still color-safe and it's priced the same, but in the words of Sanda Petrut, platform four stylist, "Once the treatment has been applied, we rinse it out and style the hair again. It's really perfect for someone who doesn't want to interrupt their normal routine."

The process is pretty much the same: a clarifying shampoo, the Keratin application, intensive straightening, with just one more step thrown in. After straightening, your stylist rinses out the Keratin treatment and styles your hair as usual. Sanda recommends that her clients try to hold off on shampooing, but lets them know they can go back to their normal routine the very next day.

 As with other Keratin treatments, there are a few things you can do to keep your hair looking shiny and smooth:

You might have seen the recent post on Lucky Magazine's blog, right, featuring stylist Lisette Dezort and colorists Leslie Shores and Stacie Dybala talking about unconventional ways to keep your hair looking fab all summer long.

We collected a few more of our stylists' summertime tips for you to keep in mind in the next few humidity-prone weeks. Put them to good use - and let us know what you think!

From colorist Robert Bennett:

Summer hair requires more protection and layering than winter hair. Let us protect your color, even if natural, with a clear glaze. It protects the cuticle layer and makes it less susceptible to attracting the moisture in the air so hair is easier to manage.

For fine hair that gets limp throughout a hot sticky day, run a dry towel around and through the hair and scalp to soak up some of the oil and old product.

From stylist Lisette Dezort:

Touch your hair less. Touching hair a lot releases hair’s natural tendencies (the ones that you typically have a better time fighting when there is less humidity) and also stimulates the oil production of the scalp.

Pull your hair back in a slick pony or dress short hair with a wet-look product (we like Shu Uemura’s Kengo Feather) and keep your fingers and hands off! The exception is for summer curly hair: wet your fingers and scrunch to reactivate styling products.

For easy waves put curl product in your hair when it is wet and twist a few sections, then go to bed. We like Shu Uemura’s Kaze Wave – it’s a lightweight mousse. Your hair will have a soft wave to it when you wake up.

From colorist Stacie Dybala:

Don’t be a chemical blonde addict during the summer. The sun will exaggerate whatever salon blonding service you have. So, be conservative in the salon or go a little darker for shinier hair and to prevent it from fading too fast. Then protect your color with Kérastase Soleil Micro-Voile Protecteur spray.

Anyone with long hair is acutely aware that hot weather can be murder. We understand this. The only thing you want to do is get the hair off your neck.

We know you don’t really want to cut it all off right now, so we offer an alternative, which our stylists call “Two Tails.” This easy, polished up-do looks equally gorgeous at the office or at a club.

Enjoy!

PS: If you have a question about “Two Tails,” ask any of our talented stylists about it the next time you’re in their chair.

"Two Tails" Step-by-Step Guide

1. Make a side part.

2. Gather hair into two pony tails, one on top of the other, starting under the crown (the pony tails can be placed at any desired height at the back of the head).

3. Split the hair above the rubber band, at the scalp, in half.

4. Bend the top pony tail through the split from under the band through to the top of the band.

5. Gently pull up on the length of the pony tail to tighten.

6. Repeat with bottom pony tail.

7. Make a sub-section with each tail and secure each section away from the band and on the head with a bobby pin. Random placement is best. You can make as few or many sub-sections you want, depending on your ambitions.

un•der•cut:

^{Shorten layers underneath the hair; lets hair lay more smoothly and creates a better shape by removing bulk.}

Wednesday and Thursday they were led through a variety of demonstrations and exercises by instructors from the Charles Worthington Academy. “We loved the Charles Worthington team – they’re all about making sure everyone has the proper training, and they have such a great team morale there.” Some of the highlights of their classes:

Short Hair: “For shorter clients it’ll be about introducing some undercutting that will make your cut so much more interesting and flexible,” said Adrianne, going on to talk about the endless styles that can be created through the technique. 

“They also did a demonstration using clippers to create a really blunt edge, something I’d never seen before—it really had a nice, dramatic effect to it," a technique that works for short or long cuts [photo].

Long Hair: “We did a lot of soft internal layering to keep hair looking less bulky,” said Adrianne. Knowing big changes can be a little daunting for clients attached to their long locks, Adrianne talked about some smaller changes:

“It could be playing with an interesting fringe or encouraging my clients to try a fishtail braid [photo],” going on to talk about the sky-high ballerina bun [photo] to change things up from your tried-and-true bun.

The perfect complement to sometimes daunting (but potentially phenomenal) styles above? “Whether it’s a simple change or something more extreme, it’s crucial that I understand my client’s lifestyle and their abilities with their hair."

"They really focused on that in the class—but it’s something we really pride ourselves on at Maxine.” Even a cut that’s structurally perfect in every way can be a failure, purely through miscommunication with the client.

^{"The Shuffle"}

When they weren’t in class (or watching gravity-defying runway hair), they were taking in the rest of what London had to offer. Walking down the street, Adrianne noticed how daring British women were when it came to their hair, “They’re very bold and confident; it wouldn’t be unusual for almost every girl on the street to have a short, kind of androgynous cut.”

The common theme for the competition, the runway show, and their classes? “Finding different ways to reapproach classic looks.”

Her second most important initiative these days: finding incredible outdoor dining. The idea of sitting inside on a July evening seems pretty distressing; luckily, some of Chicago's most acclaimed restaurants are embracing the weather as much as Jaime is.

"The riverfront seating at Japonais has been so fun this summer," said Jaime, going on to mention cocktails at The Terrace at The Peninsula Hotel Chicago, evenings on NoMI's seventh-floor oasis, and a few other neighborhood faves:

Seated at one of the secluded gardens at Piccolo Sogno (River West) and Bistro Campagne (Lincoln Square), you'd never know you were in a city.

Nightwood in Pilsen provides a similar, rain-or-shine option: "I've been really loving riding my bike in Pilsen, stopping at Nightwood – they've got a great outdoor seating area." In Bucktown she's all about sushi on the patio at Mirai and sitting street-side at Via Carducci.

Have a question for Jaime? Send us a tweet at @MaxineSalon and Jaime will let you know where to eat, what to see, and where to shop in Chicago.

^{Photo c/o Nightwood}

_{From left, Color-Rich Shadows in Lava, Galena, Graphite, and African Violet; Eye Definer in Obsidian} 

_{Powder Blush in Bronze}

_{Satin Lip Shine in Mysterious}

_{Lip Definer #4}

For this demo (and for applications at Maxine Salon), Arianna uses Being True cosmetics. Their mineral-based products won’t clog your pores, making their foundations and powders a definite favorite—and the perfect gift for our clients...

For a limited time, you can receive a complimentary foundation (a $42 value) with your application with Arianna. Call now to schedule your application and mention this blog post for your special gift—and a special price for your application, just $50. Enjoy!

_{Protective Mineral Foundation}