How To Get Your Hair Ready For Fall - The 3 C's

There is no time like the end of summer

to take drastic measures to rehab the hairdo.

image L'Oreal of Paris

After a long hot summer of taking a beating from sand and surf,

sea water and chlorine, hot air and air conditioning,

and the burning, damaging rays themselves,

your hair (and believe me, mine) needs some serious TLC

to take it into autumn.

Which, by the way, with the advent of the glorious 

September issues, is the equivalent of the New Year in fashion.

And hair TLC is all about the 3 C's.

1. Make The Cut

This is the time of the year to get drastic.

End the summer/start the fall not with the usual little trim, but with the big cut. Have your stylist take off all the damaged, trashed out hair - everything that he/she tells you needs to go.

Hanging on to the old, beat up tresses does you no favors, it just looks bad. Going a bit shorter than you planned can be nerve wracking, but it will grow back quickly, and will look far more luscious.

2. Changing The Color.

Everyone's color needs reworking at the end of summer. 

I'm a firm believer that every single head of hair benefits from color, with the exception perhaps of natural blue blacks and natural white blondes.

Linda Evangelista baby beige blonde

At the end of summer blondes that have become too brassy or too iridescent need toning down. Platinums and high blondes look better converted to more autumnal blondes.

Reds can add some deeper low lights, brownies also benefit from toning and adding chestnuts and lowlights. 

Everybody wins with color.

Your best bet is to go see your colorist and get some ideas. 

Freewheeling it with a box of color from the drugstore seldom works out that well.

3. Conditioning

There are a myriad of conditioning treatments available, from in salon processes to at home masks.

The trick is to get the right product or treatment for your specific hair type and needs. You don't want to weigh your hair down too much, or leave it feeling greasy. If you have thick hair or coarse hair you need products that pack an extra punch. 

Plenty of hair products don't penetrate the hair shaft and literally just run down the drain, while others can coat the hair and leave it looking and feeling dirty.

Ask your hairstylist to recommend the best product or service to refresh, rejuvenate and revitalize your hair.