BEAUTY AIDS Having a bad-hair summer? Try these tips for sleek tresses

It's possible to get frizz-free locks, but you have to work at it.
By TARA WEISS
HARTFORD COURANT
Has the muggy weather turned your hair into an embarrassing puffy mess? Is the practically never-ending rain forcing you to pull it back into an unflattering ponytail? Do you feel like a good hair day isn't possible until the dry fall air moves back into town?
Help is in sight.
Frizzy hair is caused by either dry hair or too much humidity. The trick is achieving shine against the odds.
"If you decide to work against the frizz and want smooth, shiny hair like you have all winter, it's important to realize that you're going to have to work for it," says Kristin Perrotta, deputy editor and beauty director at Allure. "Shiny hair doesn't come easily or quickly in the summer."
The first step is to cut down on the number of times you wash your hair. Hair's natural oils actually help weigh it down, giving it a sleeker, shiny look.
"Our entire country tends to wash their hair every day, but you don't need to," says Laurel Naversen, a senior beauty editor at Glamour. "Once the natural oils have time to build up, your hair tends to look better on the second day."
After washing hair, towel it dry until it's moist, not dripping. Squeeze a quarter-size dollop of a heavy-duty anti-frizz product onto your palm and rub your hands together to heat it up. Work it through your hair's ends. Perrotta recommends several anti-frizz products: Umberto Giannini's Sleek and Chic Blow Dry Cream (cream, not serum!), Pantene Frizz Control Smoothing Cream, KMS Flat Out or Matrix Sleek Look in Extreme.
Then blow dry and, if possible, run a flat iron through it.
For shampoo, Perrotta recommends the ThermaSilk line of shampoos, which leave a coating on hair that is activated when heated.
A ropy look
To achieve a tousled, ropy look, the key is to get a bit of salt water into your hair after you've washed it. Perrotta recommends Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray -- or mix warm water and salt in a spritz bottle and spray it onto your hair. Then scrunch the hair while it's wet.
For black women who relax their hair, Pamela Edwards, a senior beauty and fashion writer at Essence, recommends John Freeda's Relax line of products to achieve a shiny, frizz-free, wavy look.
"Consider in the summer trying styles that have more texture. Opt for looks that don't require a straight-bone finish," says Edwards.
For women of color who don't relax their hair, Edwards recommends "cocktailing." That means mixing an alcohol-free gel with an oil (such as Hairobics) with a leave-in conditioner and work it throughout your hair. There's no perfect amount -- it's a process of trial and error.
If all else fails, ladies, wear a hat.