Kelly Mulrooney Johnson's summer cut and style is a short bob, said her stylist, Danny Stevenson. Johnson wears it shorter in the summer because she spends much time outdoors with her 8-year-old twins.Got the summer hair blues?
Stylists say the combined effects of sun, wind, salt and chlorine can be hard on the hair.
"This is something I have preached for years," said local stylist Danny Stevenson, owner of a namesake salon on South Broad Street. "Dry hair is porous. If you get in the pool or ocean, (hair) is going to soak up the chlorine and salt. If you wet hair and coat it with a little conditioner, it won't."
Stevenson advised spraying a mixture of conditioner and water on hair before swimming or going out in the sun. "You'll be getting a deep conditioning job with no effort."
In a CBS "Early Show" interview, celebrity stylist David Evangelista said simply wetting the hair with tap or spring water can help.
"If you do, dulling chlorine and saltwater won't be able to permeate the hair membrane. Make sure you carry a bottle of water with you so you can wet your hair throughout the day before jumping in for a swim."
It's also important to protect your scalp from the sun so you don't burn, Evangelista said. "Take a bottle of spray, no-rub suntan lotion and spray at the roots of your hair, where your scalp is exposed. It doesn't take a lot of spraying, and if you use a clear spray, it lessens the mess."
For color-treated hair, Stevenson suggested using a semi-permanent, high-gloss, clear-color treatment in summer. "It protects from fade and damage." Still, he says, use the conditioner/water treatment and/or wear a hat when in the sun to keep it healthy.
GREAT LENGTHS
Because heat and humidity can play havoc with a hairdo, many women opt for easier styles in the summer, often sticking with their natural texture, whether curly or straight, and opting for a length that suits their lifestyle. Stevenson said younger women tend to favor long hair, while working moms and older women often choose shorter cuts.
Donna Laster Goza, 57, of Chattanooga, said she usually straightens her short, curly hair, but not in summer.
"The heat and humidity make straightening my hair a waste of time and effort, because the curls come back once I start sweating," she said.
Tracy Norton Daverson, 36, of Signal Mountain, said she wears her shoulder-length hair a little shorter in the summer. "But it is always up in a ponytail," she said. "It is just too hot in Chattanooga to wear it down."
TRIMMING A NECESSITY
Regardless of one's age or hair length, hair needs to be trimmed on a regular basis to stay healthy, Stevenson said.
On average, men should have their hair trimmed every three or four weeks. For women, short styles need trimming every four to six weeks; long hair, every six weeks. "After six weeks, hair splits faster than it grows," Stevenson said.
Men, especially those with extremely short cuts, require more frequent trims than women because men's hair tends to grow faster than women's, he said. "Our hair grows faster because of testosterone, and most businessmen don't want their hair to ever look drastically cut."