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!