10 Hair Stylists Share Their Best Kept Secrets

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1. Use clean tools.

Clean your brushes and combs regularly—monthly or every 10th “styling session,” suggests Robert Lyon, a freelance stylist based in New Zealand. Good ones will last a lifetime if you take proper care of them, he adds. Most brushes and combs can be soaked for a few minutes in warm soapy water (dishwashing liquid is good), then dried on a windowsill in the sun. Bonus tip: When you first buy your boar-bristle brush, soak it overnight in water, and repeat a couple of times a year after that to soften the bristles so they’re even gentler on hair.

2. Detangle with care.

Hair in knots? Fear not. Use a wide-tooth comb first, starting at the tips of the hair and working up toward the scalp taking short strokes. Graduate to a finer-tooth comb after you’ve untangled your snarls. Alternatively, use a paddle brush after the wide-tooth comb. Go slow, don’t ever pull too hard and take a step back if there’s too much resistance. Don’t worry, all that brushing and combing helps make your hair look a lot silkier, Lyon says.

3. Keep frizz at bay.

If your hair is coarse and curly, celebrity stylist Tommy Buckett recommends using a cream styling product on your curls when they’re damp—and then again when they’re dry. This type of hair loves moisture, so the double dose of product prevents it from absorbing atmospheric moisture and getting frizzy.

4. Beat color-dulling buildup.

“People don’t realize how important the quality of water is in protecting hair color,” says celebrity colorist Sharon Dorram. “One the most common problems I see with highlighted hair is that my clients leave the salon with bright sparkling streaks and return eight to ten weeks later with dull, brassy color,” Dorram says. This is due to the buildup of minerals in the water. Dorram recommends using a clarifying shampoo or vinegar rinse once a week. If the problem is severe, then a shower water filter is a must.

5. Build body in the shower.

When washing your hair, apply shampoo directly to the scalp to lift extra oil and eliminate odor, says Eliut Rivera, owner of the Eliut Rivera Salon in New York City. When rinsing, run shampoo through the ends. Concentrate conditioner on the ends of the hair, not the crown. This will keep hair clean and hydrated without compromising volume. 

6. Turn up the volume.

To create volume when blow drying, Rivera says, “divide your hair in four to eight sections and mist each one with a strong hair spray.”  When hair is dry, apply texture spray, concentrating on the roots.

7. Conquer static.

“Spray the inside of your hats with Static Guard to help stop static,” says Nicole Casamassima, a freelance stylist in New York City.

8. Fight hat head.

Part your hair in the opposite direction you would normally before pulling on your hat, adds Casamassima. Then, when you take off the hat and shake out your hair, it won’t be flattened to your head.

9. Keep curls from getting stiff.

Try adding a drop of leave-in or just regular conditioner to your curls instead of gel, advises Casamassima. “You’ll be moisturizing your hair while also styling it, and your hair won’t get crunchy.”

10. Master the “rough dry” to avoid damage.

If you have types 1 or 2 hair, try haphazardly blowing hot air all over your hair while it’s sopping wet—about six to ten inches away from your scalp—before beginning to style, recommends Casamassima. Holding the dryer nozzle against your dripping-wet strands is akin to boiling them in water, which causes damage to the cuticle—and subsequent frizz.