From work to the gym to yoga on the beach and long runs over Key Biscayne, the last thing I want to worry about is how my lifestyle is killing my hair.

Thankfully, a surfer babe in La Jolla Shores, California, Lauren Otonicar, felt similarly and so she created the Tonic hair care line. I’ve spent a couple weeks with Tonic in my shower and only have good things to say about the brand. A little background info – Tonic offers a complete organic hair care regimen, is 100% Earth-friendly, and includes NO sulfates or parabens….you have to figure since an outdoors-loving surfer chick developed the products!

Out of the three Tonic products I tried, my favorite is the Luster Tonic - a leave-in conditioning mist with powerful UV-inhibitors and natural botanical oils designed to protect hair from the damaging effects of sun, salt, wind and chlorine. Let me tell you, this product comes in handy in Miami’s tropical, humid-ass climate. Luster Tonic goes from cream-to-mist and can actually double as a moisturizer for your skin. You know how I am all about multi-purpose products. Great for split ends, breakage and dry, tangled hair, Luster Tonic contains aloe vera, grape seed oil and wheat protein. Here’s a breakdown of how these key ingredients keep hair healthy:

· Aloe Leaf – The source of aloe and aloe juice. The leaf acts as an emollient and absorbs ultra-violet light.

· Silk Protein – Protects the hair against dehydration, leaving it smooth and soothed.

· Wheat Protein – Contains elastic properties that also add moisture, condition and firmness.

So if you’re planning on spending your weekends at the beach this summer, taking a cruise vacation or just want to protect your hair from everyday wear and tear, check out Tonic.

Since I began growing out my natural hair (and maybe even a little before), I started reading lots of natural haircare blogs to prepare for the trails and tribulations I knew were inevitable. I’d read lots about people who co-wash their hair but never knew anything about it. . . .until a few days ago. And funny enough, I’ve been “co-washing” my hair for years. So, what is co-washing you ask? It’s sorta like washing your hair, but instead of using shampoo, you wet your hair, apply conditioner, rinse it out the and then style. At some point I realized that washing my hair with shampoo every morning, wasn’t the right solution for my hair which is naturally dry. So, shampooing it more than once a week would just continue to dry it out. But I still wanted to wear “wash-n-go”styles. So I began wetting it and applying conditioner — which I thought would help with the dryness. Now that I have natural hair, I co-wash my hair every morning and let it air dry on my way to work. With only two inches of hair on my head, my hair is usually dry by the time I walk into work. And my hair always smell absolutely delicious!

Photo: StyleTips101

I went for a run this morning and it was very apparent summer is here! Well, at least in Miami anyway. Humidity is in full force, there is no doubt about that. On the topic of summer, we had the chance to talk with Marcy Cona, Clairol’s Global Creative Director for Color and Style. She gave us some great tips on how to maintain your hair color in the summer. Read on!

PGH: What are some tips/products to help make color last?

MC: The key to long lasting beautiful hair color is first to start with the right hair color product, if you desire a lighter shade with beautiful dimensional results, I would recommend a Nice ‘n Easy shade because it is permanent. If you would like to stay close to your natural hair color with a hint of shimmer or tone I would recommend Natural Instincts.

Another tip for keeping your hair color fresh is to promise to use weekly the in box conditioners found in each of the Clairol kits. These conditioners are designed to condition, refresh and renew your shade until you are ready to color again!

PGH: Is it still a trend or more so a “beauty rule” to go light in the summer, dark in the winter?

MC: Going “Lighter” is always on trend for summer; the new trend for this summer is the combination of going lighter and mixing it up with a new tone and dimension.

PGH: What are some hot colors/shades for this Summer?

MC: My favorite shades for Blondes:

Nice ‘n Easy 102G – Natural Light Golden Blonde

Natural Instincts 03G- Rich Light Golden Blonde

My favorite shades for Brunettes:

Nice ‘n Easy 116 Natural Light Caramel Brown

Natural Instincts 21 Rich Medium Brown

My favorite shades for Redheads:

Nice ‘n Easy 107 Natural Strawberry Blonde

Natural Instincts 22 Medium Auburn Brown

PGH: After dying, how many days should you wait before getting in the pool/going to the beach?

MC: I recommend that if possible you wait 24 hours, and if you need to be out in the sun right away, keep your hair covered with a great looking hat or scarf.

PGH: What are you recommendations to get rid of the freshly-dyed scent? Sometimes it can be very overbearing!

MC: Rinse, Rinse, Rinse, and condition! The reason for lingering odor of color is due to the porosity in your hair, the best way to get rid or minimize the odor is to rinse, use your ColorSeal Conditioner and Rinse again!

PGH: Any other tips related to color in the Summer?

MC: Tip 1#- Enjoy the Summer, but remember your hair needs some attention! The summer rules are the three C’s- Color, Cut, and Condition every 8 weeks!

Tip 2#- For your beach and outside activities, make sure you have a few hair accessories to keep your looking good, while adding protection. Hat, headband, ponytails, fun hair clip, mini water bottle to mist your hair while keeping it protected.

Tip 3#- Use your ColorSeal Conditioner in and out of the shower, take your conditioner to the beach or pool for an additional layer of protection- add a small amount (dime size) to your dry hair, next use a wide tooth comb remove tangles, place in a ponytail, headband or leave natural.

Celeb stylist Ted Gibson perfected the beautiful and very talented Anne Hathaway’s hair last night for the 2010 Met Ball. With such a statement, embellished dress, it was important for Ted to maintain a classy, simple hairstyle. Re-create Anne’s hair in three easy steps.

1. Blow dry hair using the Ted Gibson hair sheets to help tame frizz.

2. Use a small barrel curling iron on the ends to create body.

3. Finish with a few sprays of Ted’s beautiful hold hairspray.

I give pop singer Pink credit for always taking risks with her hair…but this new boyish ‘do is just not working for me. Really? Pink? What were you thinking? There is nothing sexy about this haircut. Maybe she was going for the Halle Berry look and her stylist got it all wrong. Her color is pretty plain jane too…don’t you agree? Like her better as a blonde.

So, you know how sometimes you happen to come across something so great that you just have to tell everyone?

Well, that happened to me when I discovered evolve’s combs and brushes. I’m pretty picky about the products that I use in my hair — even down to the combs and brushes (what a diva I am, right? I know).
Well, evolve’s ultra styling comb is great for combing through my coils and curls and their rat tail comb is easy on the scalp.

Their products worked great on my permed hair and I love it on my natural hair just the same. They’ve also got satin pillowcases (which I swear by) and mesh caps to protect even the best hair styles.

Do you want to find out more about evolve’s product line (and I suggest you do)? Well, visit your nearest Walmart to browse their line of products.

American Salon Magazine caught up with Frank Barbosa, Hair Department Head for Sex and the City 2, who spilled behind-the-scenes details about working on set, and gave some great advice for hairstylists who are looking to break into film work. We really loved this interview and had to repost it. Read the entire Q&A here.

Q: What was the inspiration for the hair looks in Sex and the City 2?

A: We worked hand-in-hand with Patricia Fields, the costume designer, and we married everything together. We did a lot of Halston-inspired hair where we had to use a lot of wigs, and we collaborated with the director, as well. The director had this vision; he wanted it to be very old-Hollywood-meets-new-Hollywood. He watched a lot of old films and got inspired.

Q: Did you do anything specific to distinguish the characters from each other with respect to their hair looks?

A. Everyone had their own style and their own look in this film. We really set Kim Cattrall [Samantha] apart this time. She has a lot more going on in the film than she did in the first film, so she has a lot of looks that she goes through. And Cynthia changed her hair several times in the film. We got to put a wave in it this time, which she really liked. I also used haircolor to differentiate everyone from each other, not just the main character girls but also other girls who they had to interact with in the film. We didn’t want any two girls to look alike on camera.

Q: What was your most memorable experience working on the set of Sex and the City 2?

A: My most memorable experience on the film was working with Liza Minnelli. She’s such an icon and she has this huge scene in the movie. She does her own hair and makeup —she’s always done her own hair and makeup all her career. She had two dancers with her and she sent them to my truck and had her guy ask me to touch them up to look like her. He brought me a photo and I did them to look like her. When they got to the set she thought they looked so amazing. I think that’s when she trusted me and said, “Can you call that hair boy back over here?” And ever since, I was backstage with her for the next few days helping her out. It was pretty amazing. She was really great and down-to-earth.

Q: Do you have any recommendations for other hairstylists who may be interested in working in the film industry?

A: If you’re really interested in getting into the industry you just have to apply yourself by apprenticing under people. I think the best way to get into the entertainment industry is to start off in the theater. That’s how I started, and that’s how a lot of us start, because it gives you the knowledge of period hair. I think it’s a good thing to come to this industry from behind the chair in the salon, so you know color and a lot of technical things that have to be done to the hair like texturizing. A lot of film stylists have send their actors to the salon to get prepped with a color or a texturizing service, but if you’re coming from behind the chair you have such an advantage over anyone else. It saves the director both time and money if you can do it all.

We know many curly girls suffer from dry hair. With all the products we use on a daily basis it’s hard not stress out our locks. Here are 5 easy tips to squeeze into your daily routine to help heal dry hair.

1. Rinse with cold water. As much as you love your steamy showers, super hot temps can fry your hair. Cold water seals in the moisture you need.

2. Let loose while sleeping. Remove all elastics, clips, bobby pins, etc. Let your curls be free!

3. Take a break from heat tools. Give your hair a day off every now and then from the curling iron, blow dryer and flat iron.

4. Deep condition. This is no joke – deep condition as much as possible. You will truly see a difference in your hair’s health factor.

5. Work with second day hair. I admit, sometimes I wish I could wash my hair everyday. But doing this will really dry out your curls. Instead, discover how to work with second day hair. Maybe it’s wearing a headband. What about half-up, half-down? Or perhaps using a curl revitalizing spray. Figure out what works for you, on a night when you don’t have a hot date, and you’ll be much happier with your curls. Personally, a few spritzes of leave-in conditioner and some Pantene Pro-V Mousse for Curly Hair usually does the trick…but not always!

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