One of our favorite things about summer in Tucson is the monsoons.
But, the added humidity makes good hair days few and far between — especially for us curly girls.
So, we went to a couple local professionals to get advice on morning routine, products and quick and simple up-dos we can do on days when leaving it down is not gonna happen.
The Studio Hair Artistry
Krystal Velasco, who co-owns the salon with her husband, Justin, says the key to managing your hair is hydration and anti-humectant styling products.
Favorite products: The Studio, located at 3449 E. Speedway, is a Paul Mitchell salon so it recommends his line of products. Velasco's fave is called "Mirror Smooth," which is a hair primer that can be applied to wet or dry hair before styling cream.
Morning routine: After shampooing, conditioning and applying a leave-in conditioner, Velasco says you should saturate your hair with your styling product. She used Paul Mitchell's Fast Form on a demo for us. It's important to do that while it's wet though, before the frizz sets in, she says.
A side braid acts as a headband in this cute half-up half-down hair style. It's a good way to keep the frizzy hair out of your face while still displaying your curly mane.
Before blow drying (or air-drying), get a micro-fiber towel — a t-shirt works, too — to absorb some of the extra water from your hair. The t-shirt or micro-fiber towel are softer and causes less frizz inducing friction than a regular bath towel, Velasco said.
If you've never used one, a diffuser is your bff when blowdrying curly hair. It softens the air, so you're not blasting it. It's is a great way to add more volume if you like big hair.
Go-to up-dos: "I'm a big fan of incorporating braids in front of the face and kind of pinning them back, so it's out of your face, but you can still keep the rest of your hair texture in the back," Velasco said. "You can even incorporate twists into each other and pin them with bobby pins. You can do one side or both sides. It gives you more of a point of interest instead of just putting it back."
Her other favorite is a top knot with the front and top portion of hair. It gets hair out of the face, but also leaves the back down.
Krystal Velasco, co-owner of The Studio Hair Artistry, puts her long straight hair into a top not when it's humid. It's her go-to hairstyle for days when her hair isn't cooperating.
Up-do how-to: All you need is two bobby pins and two elastic hair ties. After parting your hair, take about a two-inch section on each side and loosely braid them, grabbing more hair as you go. Don't start too close to the scalp and don't worry about making it perfect. Secure it with a small elastic hair tie a little below the end of the braid then go through and gently pull pieces of the braid to give it a loose, messy look.
Loosening the braid by pulling pieces adds more interest.
Grab a bobby pin and pin each braid under your hair in the back. It gets the hair out of the face and makes you feel kinda fancy. For date night, just get another hair tie and pull the rest up in a pony tail, leaving your curls hanging over, then secure with bobby pins to look like a messy bun.
Pro tip: Co-washing, which is using conditioner to wash your hair, instead of shampoo a couple times a week is a great way to promote hydration. "We need all the moisture we can get," Velasco said.
Emergency kit: Velasco says you should keep a small bottle of hair spray, bobby pins and hair ties in a baggie in your purse in case the rain messes up your good hair day.
Carry bobby pins and hair ties just in case you get caught in the rain.
About Me Hair Studio
Maria Sicre and Edith Gastelum, friends who met in beauty school, own the studio located at 1 E. Broadway.
They say to eliminate frizz, you should air-dry your hair with product in it to maintain control. Also, you should not comb through your hair with a brush. Use your fingers, instead.
Favorite products: Gastelum's faves include Whipped Creme by Sebastian, which is like a leave-in conditioner with gentle hold to it and curl defining cream by Moroccan Oil to control frizz. If you want to be brave and straighten your hair, she says the Moroccan Oil Frizz Control Spray works wonders.
Sicre recommends Amika Oil Treatment to control frizz and the same line's heat serum if you're going to blow dry or use a flat iron.
Spoil yourself: If you want straight hair during the monsoon season, but don't want to mess with it every day, Sicre recommends going to a salon and getting the Keratin Complex treatment. It lasts three or six months.
Sicre gets the Keratin treatment. She says her hair is usually very curly, but on our visit, it was silky smooth and straight.
Go-to up-do: Both ladies favor a messy looking bun made from two pigtails. It's super quick and can be casual or dressed up for a night out.
Up-do how-to: You'll need two hair ties and several bobby pins. Part hair into two loose, low pigtails, on the back of your head, and secure with hair ties. Don't worry about making a straight part. Go underneath each pig tail and flip it up over the elastic, pinning with a bobby pin. If you want to add more flare, you can twist the sides. Then go through and pin your curls up randomly to make a messy loose bun.
This style literally took about two minutes and it looked adorable in a demo they did for us.
SwirlyDo is a type of hair tie that does not give you ponytail lines.
Emergency kit: SwirlyDo hair ties. These are pretty cool. They kinda look like old phone cord/key chains, but cute. And they don't leave pony tail lines.
The curly girls of This is Tucson
Several of us are blessed with curly hair. Here's how we've managed every summer.
Angela Pittenger: My go-to hair product is Curls Rock by Tigi. It's a curl cream that makes my hair super curly, without frizz or crunchiness. I put it in while my hair is still really wet, flip my head upside down and scrunch it up into a t-shirt that I tie around my head and leave on for about ten minutes. Then I blow dry with a diffuser and fluff it up with my fingers. When it doesn't want to do anything cute — which is a lot these days — I put the front back with a claw clip or do a pony tail that looks more like a bun. Also, I only wash it a couple times a week. On the other days, I wet it and scrub my scalp with conditioner."
Irene McKisson: My curls are wavy and misbehave regularly. I've probably tried all the advice that exists on the internet for curly-girls and this is what I've settled on... I wash with shampoo and conditioner then scrunch the excess water out. I run through it with a wide-tooth comb then smooth through a curl lotion like Aveda's be curly. I use my fingers to twist and twirl sections of my hair and lift a little volume at the top, then let it air dry. This monsoon I've been using Ouidad's Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel and it's been awesome. Every-other day I skip the wash and use some dry shampoo.
Andi Berlin: Andi loves her hair big and crazy. She also says curly girls have it good because they can cut their own bangs and no one will know if they're not straight. Bonus! She shampoos and conditions regularly, uses Tigi's Catwalk Curls, then twists the curls with her fingers and lets it air dry.
