SUMMER HAIR 911: AVEDA TO THE RESCUE

Let’s face it: summer is unkind to hair. The UV rays can zap your color. Heat and humidity can make your strand limp and listless, not to mention the absolute havoc that smog, heightened free radicals, and other air pollutants can wreak on your poor, hapless hair. LA, with its smog and stifling sun, might seem like the 9th circle of hell for our hair, but I’ve got good news.

Not to worry, ladies, not to worry. You don’t have to fret that your hair will end up like a pile of dried leaves. The always all-natural Aveda comes to our rescue with two new lines to de-stress our tired, weather-beaten tresses. I’ve tested both lines, and in a summer that kicked off with what feels like record levels of heat and humidity, my hair remained sexy and looking well groomed. My hair is pin straight, and sometimes gets an undesired mini-wave when it’s super humid, but this stuff helped keep it stylish, lush, and in excellent condition.

I lathered up each morning on the weekdays with Damage Remedy Restructuring Shampoo, which claims to cleanse, moisturize and repair damage, thanks to quinoa protein and coconut cleansers. The suds were fragrant – with the signature, yummy chamomile-lavender scent Aveda is known for- and my ends were sleek and healthy. Since I’m growing my long hair even longer, I get less trims in the summer (every 10 weeks instead of every 6) since warmer weather stimulates more growth, and this shampoo and conditioner combo was a godsend that kept my hair in tip-top shape. I am a skeptic when it comes to “damage repair” shampoos, but Aveda erased my doubts with Damage Remedy. The weekly Intensive Restructuring Treatment was pretty self-explanatory; a weekly deep conditioning routine, to help repair and restore my hair’s healthy balance and shine. It was worth every dime.

I color once every 2 months, so I employed the services of Aveda’s Color Conserve Shampo and Color Conserve Conditioner combo. The result? My rich brown hair is shiny and vibrant; it’s as though I have been wearing a hat every time I step outside, thanks to this duo. The cinnamon bark and wintergreen formula work to preserve my color; no fading here!

Show your hair some love this summer with these reasonably priced, environmentally conscious products from the Love-This-Planet folks at Aveda. You won’t regret it.

The Damage Remedy and Color Conserve lines are available at all Aveda stores and salons. Also, point and click to www.aveda.com for more info.