The effect of a flat iron both straightens and smooths. Even if your hair is already straight, a flat iron will leave it with a more intense sheen.

To utilize a flat iron it is important to use a frizz control product beforehand, preferably while your hair is still wet, before you blow dry. When you blow dry, the most important thing is to get the hair completely dry, not to try to straighten it while you dry unless you have uncontrollably frizzy hair.

Once the hair is dry, you will need a comb to section the hair. Doing small sections at a time guarantees the greatest straightening and smoothing effect. If your flat iron comes with an adjustable heat setting, start with a medium setting. If that isn’t sufficient to straighten your hair, you may increase the heat but only go as high as is necessary to give you the desired straightening effect. The more heat you use, the greater the risk of hair damage.

Comb each section of hair smooth once it has been straightened. If necessary you can apply a finishing product to your hair but nothing that adds moisture. The time to moisturize is before you straighten your hair.

If you use a flat iron regularly, it is important to remember that it can make your hair dry and thus more susceptible to split ends and other damage, so moisturize your hair thoroughly when you shampoo and condition.

All through high school I wanted straight, sleek hair and envied girls whose hair naturally fell that way. Usually mine looked that way only when it was soaking wet. If you have wavy or curly hair, you know what the humid weather does to it. Try as you might to straighten as you dry it, once exposed to the moist air, it frizzes and fuzzes. I remember trying everything from mayonnaise to fabric softener in my efforts to achieve that shiny, smooth look.

Straight and smooth styles are in again in both long and short styles. This time around we have many more products to help us achieve our hairstyling goals. I have learned something since then, too. If your hair is already full of moisture, it is less likely to pick up excess moisture from the air.

So, the first step is to condition, condition, condition. Don’t get stuck in the habit of the same old shampoo and conditioner you have used for years. Experiment, try different brands and find the one that moisturizes your hair best. Pantene Smooth & Sleek is a my choice, promising 75% smoother hair.

Your hair dryer is the next most important factor. Too much heat dries out your hair and causes damage that leads to breakage and even more fuzzy ends. I recommend an ionizing hair dryer. They produce less heat and better air flow and the ions smooth out the hair as it dries. The Sharper Image has an Ionic Hair Dryer for $39.95 but you can find them under $20, such as Conair’s 209 Ion Shine model.

Your last step is a smoothing product. There are several excellent products on the market that can be applied to your hair either before or after drying or in conjunction with the flat iron. VO5 (yes, they are still around) makes a frizz-reducing cream and Frizz-Ease products are self-explanatory. Most of these products are priced between five and ten dollars.

Summer is here with long days, golden and glorious. It’s the season for outdoor living: gardening, walking, cooking out, and soaking up the sun at the pool or the beach.

Yet we all know the damage that prolonged sun exposure can cause to delicate skin tissue, making it dry and causing premature aging. We are all well-versed in the abbreviated language of summer sun: UVA, UVB, SPF. Sunscreen is now a part of life for sun-worshippers. We know that sunburns and overexposure to sun lead to permanent damage and discoloration. We have seen the reports of the increased incidence of skin cancer. Sunscreen has become a part of every womnan’s summer wardrobe.

But what you may not realize is what all that sun is doing to your hair. Hair is just as susceptible as skin to the sun’s damaging UVA/UVB rays. The sun bakes down into the inner layer of hair, destroying it and causing hair color to fade. It also dries and damages the outer layer of the hair shaft, causing it to become brittle and break easily.

While there are hair care products that contain sunscreen, many of these won’t have much lasting effect. Shampoos and conditioners are rinsed out and there is no way to know how much sunscreen may be left on the hair. A leave-in conditioner with sunscreen won’t get rinsed out but brushing and blow-drying your hair can remove the sunscreen from the hair shaft.

So, what’s the answer to protecting your hair from the sun…?

L’oreal Paris is moving this season’s colors from bland to bold with their new line of make-up called HiP, High Intensity Pigments. Gone are the days of the “natural” look, these products promise greater intensity and impact of color. The products are designed to be used to create either a “harmony” with harmonious colors blended to create a more understated look or a “disharmony” which takes advantage of bold and contrasting eye and lip colors. Both looks employ eyeshadow applied beyond the natural lid lines creating a look that is both dramatic and sophisticated.

The colors are bold and rich with names like Sassy, Dreamer, Elated, Mischief and Vivacious. If your goal is to be noticed this season, this is the look for you. The liquid foundation sells for $13.00, the eyeshadow duos around $7.00 and the lipcolor and cheek color sell for $10.00 each.