Shape

Friday, June 01, 2007

Beauty in action

Summer hair Dilemma: "Humidity makes my hair flat"

Your strands naturally soak up excess moisture from the summer air, weighing them down, says Amy Abramite, creative director at Maxine Salon in Chicago.  Tackle limpness with a clarifying shampoo that removes dirt, oil, and product buildup.  Follow with a lighter-weight conditioner that won't overhydrate-it works best when applied to the ends only.  Then use a weekly body-boosting treatment like Biolage Volumatherapie Cera-Repair PRO4 ($15; biolage.com for salons), which is rich in volumizing ginseng extracts.  Then add a dime-size amount of mousse at the crown before blow-drying.  Try Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing mousse ($3; at drugstores).  And be sure to limit use of other styling products like gel, wax, or hair spray-too much will make strands limp, says Abramite.