I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve to help make the heat and humidity more manageable. I can’t guarantee that your hair won’t frizz, but I can guarantee that it will take a little longer to do so!

[Post courtesy of out friends at StyleBakery.com. For more awesome fashion, style and beauty news, check them out!]

Even short haired girls know, a summer outdoors is a hair disaster waiting to happen.  Cruising in a convertible. Spending a windswept day at the beach.  Biking with friends. Floating your day away in a pool.  They all sound fantastic right about now, don’t they?  Well your hair doesn’t agree.  Tame those wind ravaged, water logged tresses with these cute, chic and fabulous accessories.

Cute Clips:

Throwing your locks into a simple half updo, is a classic, chic solution for limp strands that hang by your face.  Secure with a statement clip to add character and charm.

This Miniature Bug Hairclip is adorable for summer yet its gold and rhinestone detail make it dressy enough for evening. $16, bananarepublic.com

So you can’t go to Hawaii for vacay?  Well bring the island home with this set of Blue Leopard Hibiscus Flower Hair Clips.  The tropical touch is perfect for any beach party. $8, torrid.com.

Shockingly, neither of these are good looks.

But what am I supposed to do? If I let my hair go naturally, it blows up Monica-Gellar-goes-to-Hawaii-style. But if I add product, my hair becomes a slick, oily mess.  One summer problem would be enough; dealing with both of these can be tricky.  Luckily, I’ve devoted lots of time to fixing this problem before the heat sets in this summer and I’ve found some products that can help tame these heinous summer looks.

Control the Oil:

Shampoo: Oily hair is actually caused by an oily scalp.  Your scalp produces sebum (oil) and it transfers to your locks.  So when you are looking for a shampoo to combat the oil, you want one that will control the root of the problem.  Shampoos labeled “Sebo-control” are designed to remove the oil from your scalp, like this shampoo from L’Oreal. After lather/rinse/repeating with it, I’ve noticed that the grease stays away longer, especially when hair is straight.

To Condition or Not to Condition: If your hair is only mildly oily and you want to condition, make sure you don’t condition the roots of your hair.  If your hair is especially oily, condition only twice a week and just apply a small amount of conditioner to the ends.

Other Oil Control Tips: Don’t excessively brush your hair; it encourages oil.  Keep your hair pulled back from your face and away from makeup.  If you need some serious oil relief, Jonathon makes a dry shampoo powder that can be used in between washes or on-the go. I’m sure it works great…but then again, so does baby powder.

Combat summer’s other problem: Control the Frizz:

Use a small amount of hair serum on your hair when it is still wet; try Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Hair Serum.  It will keep the frizz to a minimum and add a healthy shine, not oil.  For colored hair try Okara Protect Color Serum.  This can be applied in a small amount to dry hair to protect your color and control the frizz.  For a cheap alternative you can also try Suave’s Anti-frizz cream which happens to smell quite delicious.

Other Tips for Frizz-Control: Mousse and Hair Spray can help control frizz but you don’t want to overload your hair and create a build-up (which would add to the summer grease problem!). The serums and cream above are light and effective and thus a better alternative to piling on other products.

Best of luck with the summer hair care qualms!

But not anymore!

Now the hippest women in Hollywood are sporting the fringe. And as with every Hollywood trend, the general public (fabulous us) is always tempted to follow suit, despite the reprecussions. So for all of you toying with the idea of bangs, read the pros and cons before taking the plunge!

PROS:

1. Instant Chic – As we are college students, ponytails are our hairstyle of choice. But with bangs, a ponytail can suddenly become stylish! If you only have a few moments in the morning for you hair, leave down your bangs and sweep back the rest of your hair for a quick, but classy style. I guarantee that you’ll always look polished unlike the rest of those hungover girls in your lecture hall.

2. Edginess – Even though bangs are quite popular now, they still give your look a sense of mysteriousness. (Yes, that is a word…now.) People tend to associate bangs with European models and super fashionable women (Daisy Lowe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, etc), so you are automatically clumped into that category too!

3. Coverage – Fact: bangs cover your forehead. And what else is potentially on your forehead? Acne and messy eyebrows. It’s not rocket science that with bangs people will not be able to see these little problems. I stumbled upon this genius of bangs in Edinburgh when I could not for the life of me find a tweezer. So I cut myself a pair of full on fringe and, Voila!, the issue was gone. Or at least hidden behind some fabulously chic new bangs.

CONS:

1. They stick to your forehead – Find yourself in a bit of humidity and – BAM – your bangs are glued to your face. And working out? Don’t even think about leaving them flying free, unless you want to look like a greaseball. They’re going absorb the sweat from your face and get real ugly, real fast. And pinning them back becomes a total pain when you have to use 37 clips just to keep them off your face.

2. They get in your eyes – You never realize how fast hair grows until you get bangs. Trim them in the morning and by lunchtime they’re back in your line of vision! Which brings me to my next point…

3. Upkeep – You cannot be a low maintenance person and get bangs. They require constant trimming, straightening, gelling, etc. If you are already strapped for time in the morning, probably not a wise decision.

Just like most things in life, the glory of bangs comes at a price. But is it a price you are willing to pay? You tell us: are they worth the fuss or are we better off without em?