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I'm convinced "bad hair days" are synced to our mobile calendars. Is it a coincidence that just when we need to look our best our locks look their worst? Of course, we could blame decades of chemical treatments, as well as daily heat styling and attempts to turn our locks into what they're not — since that's the cold, hard truth. Instead of a healthy, glossy and enviable mop, we look in the mirror and find thin, stringy, frizzy, damaged, dry, dull, dyed and fried strands that suck the life out of our fabulous 50-plus faces. Even celebs are not immune to BHD syndrome. Here are 10 new tricks to turn tresses in distress into coiffures of confidence.
Getty Images (3), Desiree Navarro/WireImage; Amanda Edwards/WireImage; Kris Connor
1. Wear your hair up ... with bangs
If you already have a fringe the solution is simple (and if not, add them ASAP). Pull the rest up in a ponytail or topknot and let those feathery, brow-grazing face framers do the flattery work, like (from left) Halle Berry, Molly Ringwald and Linda Evans. Since hair grows about a half inch a month, bangs fatten up first and are always are the healthiest part of your hair. Plus, they give the illusion of more hair and cover a receding hairline. Head for a salon snip today.
Getty Images (4), Greg Doherty; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Matt Winkelmeyer; Jim Spellman
2. Fake it
At some recent point in time whether your hair was entirely your own or not became moot. Some stars, like (from left) Christie Brinkley, Iman and Raquel Welch, even have their own brands of extensions, bangs, pieces and wigs — and make no bones about wearing them. (Check out Iman's quick switch, above center, from a huge brunette natural hairdo one day to ripply bronze waves the next.) Having worked on shoots with nearly every star and supermodel over age 50, here's the truth: Nearly everyone adds clip-in extensions to cheat volume and thickness, if not length. Adding faux extra topknots, bangs and ponytails are now as simple and acceptable as changing your shoes. Camouflage is fast and easy. Google Hair2Wear.com and Wigs.com.
Getty Images (3), Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic; Lester Cohen; C Flanigan
3. Distract with unexpected color
While not for every woman, temporary pastel blues, lavenders and pinks are adding spice to damaged hair. Most of us won't go so far as Jenny McCarthy's (top center) blue bob or Lisa Lampanelli's (right) blue and gray crop, but adding supersubtle candy-color tips like Cindi Lauper's (bottom center) locks and colorful clip-in extensions like Vivica A. Fox's (left) top-knot mix add edgy glam fast. For a head-turning one-day or night statement and solution, try a spray-on wash out-with-shampoo temporary color like L'Oréal Paris Colorista 1-Day Hair Color Spray ($7, target.com) in blue, pink and lavender, or try Splat Instant Color Hair Chalk ($6, target.com) and just do the ends or one big streak.
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