How a Good Braid Can Save You From Bad Hair Days During Summer

From the runway to the backstage of Samsung Hall, hairstylist Bertram K showed just how natural it was for him to handle women’s hair. Even after his live demonstration during L’Oréal Professionel’s show last Wednesday, he was still giving quick tips to one of the models with super-teased hair before she walked out the door. (Take note that this was also during our group interview with him.)

But with 25 years of experience under his belt, plus a clientele which include personalities like Jamie Lee Curtis and Donna Karan, it should come as no surprise how experienced he is in caring for women’s hair no matter where they are. “I love women,” he declares. “I wouldn’t be a hairdresser if hair didn’t grow on women’s heads. [They’re] difficult, unpredictable, they change their minds every few seconds, and I can deal with that. I like doing hair because I know that I make people feel good.”

Since most of us are braving the heat and exposing our hair to harsh sunlight, it’s likely that we’ll get bad hair days from time to time. With this, we asked Bertram some tips on having the perfect summer hair that’ll have us looking and feeling fresh when going out.

#1 Braid your hair while damp
While most of you, including me, are hesitant to tie your hair without drying it first, Bertram suggests that a good tight braid after showering would give you bouncy locks later in the day. “I believe that when you braid your hair while it’s damp and let the sun dry it, when you open them up, you get these really lovely big beach waves,” he tells us. And if you’re looking for the right braided look for you, you can check Vogue‘s most recent list of celebrity hairstyles.

#2 Go for big hair
“If you look at the catwalks today, you’ll see a lot of voluptuous and voluminous hair like in the 60s,” Bertram says. One of his easy hacks to achieve this is to use kitchen napkins to roll your hair and heat it up with a straightening iron. He adds that making it look “a bit powdery, not too shiny, and a little dry-looking from the product” will add more dimension to your hair.

#3 Show off your cheekbones
For those who love putting our hair up in a ponytail during summer, you’ll be glad to know that Bertram absolutely approves of this look because it shows off our cheekbones. But he advises that your ponytail should be directly proportional to where your cheekbones are to make them look further up. Otherwise, your face will look tired if your ponytail is below your cheekbones.

He also adds, “If you have a very long nose, you mustn’t put a ponytail [directly proportional to it] because it’ll make your nose longer. It’s the same when you have chunkier cheeks and a long-ish face.”

#4 Don’t stay in the sun after swimming in the sea
“Nothing in this world can save you from salt water and sun,” Bertram says. It may seem drastic to say that, but salt water can indeed damage your hair by causing it to split and break, and exposing it in the sun would just add more damage to it. For beach bums out there, Bertram suggests that “when you get out of the water, you should rinse you hair with sugar water. If you just shield yourself under a towel the rest of the day then it [will become] difficult [for you].”

 

Photo courtesy of Castro PR

Jacqueline Arias: