Charles Baker Strahan Talks Hair Care As We Transition From Summer to Fall
We spend a painstaking amount of time caring for our hair week after week, making sure the style is just right and that it is as healthy as can be. One of the many tests that we face is that as the weather changes from season to season, our hair changes as well. It’s frizzy in the summer and can be limp and lackluster in the fall, many times due to it’s health. We caught up with celebrity hairstylist Charles Baker Strahan (and Herbal Essences spokesperson) who not only introduced us to the new Moroccan My Shine line to help with that extra boost of shine and protection for color treated hair, but also to pick his brain for tips and tricks on keeping our strands healthy as we move from summer into fall.
Below he spills about proper hair care tips (especially for colored hair!) and even what trends to look out for this season.
Beauty High: Do you have any tips for when we are transitioning our hair from summer to fall to keep it healthy with the changing seasons?
Charles Baker Strahan: I think the first thing that happens when going from summer to fall is obviously your hair has been out in the sun. You’ve probably been going to the beach or laying out with friends. If you have previously colored hair or if you’ve got colored hair, one of the things that you might want to go in and do would be when you’re getting your single-process touched up, is infuse some demi-permenant lowlights throughout it or you can do a final glaze at the end. What this does, is it helps to bring the cuticle back, but maintain all the dimensional lightness, especially around your face. That’s why I always like to do lowlights as opposed to doing an overall single process, so you’re pulling the color down and through. The great thing about demi-permenant hair colors as well is they seal it. So if you go in and you know you’re going to get your color done in a day or two, do some treatments to your hair. Herbal Essences has the Honey I’m Strong treatment, you can do that as the base treatment, so that way when you go in to the salon and they’re putting that demi-permenant over it, it helps to seal that in. So that’s one way to rebuild and build that health back into it.
MORE: 10 Pinterest Hairstyles Perfect for Fall
Again, treatments or masks are a great way to do that as well. I always think about “back-to-school” haircuts, and fall haircuts are always something that’s really good as the seasons change. We’re seeing a bigger trend recently of hair going shorter overall. Cutting more mid-lengths to crops and that sort of thing, it’s a great time to do that as well. You’ll definitely be getting rid of all those old, dead ends; hair that’s maybe been windblown from being outside in convertibles or on motorcycles and Moroccan Oil, like in our Moroccan My Shine line can make a big difference too.
What hair trends are you seeing the most of for fall?
Something I’m definitely noticing is length coming off. The hair is stronger. Variation from dark to light. Hair has less layers in it; stronger and solid shapes, and the bob is getting even bigger. I think it’s a very fresh way of getting a new look and moving away from over-extended extensions. You start to look like a Real Housewife after a while!
MORE: Fall 2013 Trend Report: 12 Trends to Get You Through the Season
When it comes to caring for your wet hair, we often hear about a variety of ways that are “best.” What should we really be doing?
Going from wet to dry is one thing, like when you’re actually going through and trying to dry your hair overall, you can’t necessarily go without having some sort of brush or something. One thing that works really, really well when you just get out of the shower and you’re going through the process of combing your hair, that’s when you want to make sure you’re using a comb, a wide-toothed comb. You want to start from the very, very bottom because thats where the tangle starts, and then you work your way back up as opposed to trying to pull from the scalp. What will happen is that you are pushing the hair down into itself and creating more of a knot, and that’s where you’re getting a lot more breakage. Thats the key element.
Another thing when you’re going from wet to dry and you want to have smoother textures in the hair overall, using a denser brush as opposed to a finer, lighter space brush will help you grab those baby hairs that are running through the interior to get that sleekness you’re looking for.
Image via Istock
