Toronto’s Bob + Paige Salon, master stylist Frank Calandrino answers your burning questions about summer haircare:

1. Can I Skip The Hair Washing (I’m Lazy)?

If you’ve been in a chlorinated pool, you should be rinsing at the very least. People usually want to refresh their hair on vacation but don’t want to worry about dealing with a lot of products. I’m really into cleansing conditioners (aka No-poos or Co-washes). Instead of penetrating deep into the hair like a traditional shampoo, they just wash the surface of the strand and remove product and mineral build-up. It’s like a really good rinse and it’s great for people who don’t want to wash their hair a lot. I love Oribe’s Cleansing Crème because it leaves hair feeling not too clean and not too greasy.

2. How Do I Protect My Hair From UV Damage?

Exposure to sun doesn’t just mess with colour, it damages the hair itself causing breakage, split ends, and dryness. If you’re putting product in your hair you’re getting some protection. But, if you leave it completely exposed, it’s basically just cooking. There are UV hair care products out there but to be honest, if you really want to maintain your colour, wear a hat or a scarf!

3. Can’t I Just Put My Wet Hair Up (And Forget About It)?

You’re always better off letting hair dry before putting it up. Most hair bands will either damage your hair if it’s wet or leave a dent (in which case you’ll just have to rinse it again anyway). When you do pull it up, go with a loose pony rather than something tight. For buns and ponies I like EZ Bobbles. They look like those 1970’s hair cords but they lock together so there’s no pressure on the strands.

4. How Can I Avoid Frizz?

The secret is to prep! Get a trim at the start of the summer and again at the end. Curly hair might need some extra layers to give it some shape in the humidity. You’re going to get more frizz in summer so we recommend our Goldwell Keratin treatment. Here’s how it works: If you look at textured hair under a microscope, there are little holes in the hair strand. Keratin treatments fill in the gaps so your hair is smoother and straighter. It gradually washes out over time so if you wash less it lasts longer – perfect for lazy holidays! Traditional Keratin treatments can take 3 to 4 hours and last 6 months. At the salon we can do an Express one an about an hour, and you get 2 to 3 months for half the price.

5. Do I Have To Stop Using My Hairdryer?

People think you should avoid blow drying during the hot months but the opposite is true. Air drying is actually bad for your hair. There are so many chemicals in water, even plain tap water. If you just leave water on your hair it’s damaging it. So you definitely want to dry it. Over drying and pulling isn’t good but by doing it properly you’re actually protecting it. But make sure not to touch hair while drying or you’ll just create frizz.

6. What’s Your Number One Must Have For Summer

A diffuser! It protects hair from the heat and it’s a more controlled way of drying. When you see Sports Illustrated models, their hair didn’t just dry like that. You need a diffuser to get this kind of “natural” look. It helps dry at a controlled temperature and makes it look like you’ve been air-drying by the beach. Even people with straight hair can get that beachy look by using one. It’s amazing what happens when you diffuse super straight hair, it makes it really textured and piece-y.

7. How Should I Style My Hair In Summer?

Step 1: Wash with a cleansing conditioner
Step 2: Gently towel dry then saturate with product that will keep your hair soft. Depending on your hair type this could be a curl cream, gel or mousse. For fine to normal hair, use a salt or sail spray or a light cream. For thicker hair, go with a heavier cream from Oribe Curl Control or High Dive from R+Co.
Step 3: Blowdry with a diffuser until hair is 50% dry. As you dry use some kind of spray. At the salon, we’re really loving Sail Soft Wave Spray by R+Co. It’s lightweight and it doesn’t leave hair gritty and dry like some salt sprays do.
Step 4: Scrunch the ends and voila! Beautiful, beachy, summer hair!