The transition from summer to fall brings plenty of changes, from the start of cooler weather to fun autumn recipes and more, but for many, the seasonal shift can wreak havoc on our hair, causing ends to feel dry and roots to feel more oily than normal. Before you give up on your hair goals and reach for a baseball cap, check out some of these fall hair tips and the latest trends for the season from veteran hair stylist and owner of Ellee Salon, Ellen Lee.
With over 25 years of experience, Lee has worked with countless hair types. She opened Ellee Salon in Long Island City this past May and has just the right tips and tricks to keep your hair looking fabulous all season long.
“There’s a couple of things as you’re going from summer into fall,” said Lee. “Something that people really experience is that their ends are really dry, and the roots start to get very oily. A lot of the time, that happens because over the summer, we’re not really thinking about our hair, so hair can get very porous and really dry, and as your roots are growing in, it’s kind of weighing everything down. And so you’re dealing with two different things at the same time.”
When this happens, Lee recommends different solutions depending on hair texture because clients with fine hair tend to have different needs from clients with curlier or straighter hair. For finer hair, Lee suggests more of a balancing act so the ends are replenished without making the roots too oily.
“Something I always recommend is, if you have very fine hair, shampooing with a moisturizing shampoo, but then a lighter conditioner that you can put on from the ponytail on down through your ends, that way the conditioner isn’t weighing you down, and you’re front loading all of that moisture in your shampoo, so you are still getting that moisture into your hair, because it’s so important,” said Lee.
For those with thicker and curly hair, hydrating their hair may be more necessary; however, frizz can still be a concern, for which Lee also has a solution.
“If you have thicker hair and curly hair, then you really want to moisturize, because curls need more moisture,” said Lee. “In general, curly hair is drier than straight hair, so you want to make sure you’re using something that’s both moisturizing shampoo and moisturizing conditioner. You may even need something like a serum or a curl cream that has some moisturizing and is anti-humectant, which will help protect against frizz. That would be really helpful in terms of keeping the curl shape, but also making sure that it’s well moisturized.”
Another important and overlooked aspect during seasonal changes is making sure not to overdo hot tools, from blow-dryers to hair straighteners and curling irons, which can dry out hair even more and potentially damage it if they’re being used too often. According to Lee, ideally, any hot tools should not be used more than a few times a week.
“Ideally, you’re not using hot tools more than three times a week, and if you are, you really want to be using a heat protectant in your hair before each time that you’re going to use some kind of heating tool, whether it’s a curling iron or flat iron,” said Lee. “I’m not against hot tools, I just think that there are ways that you need to prep your hair if you’re going to be doing that by using a heat protectant and trying to extend the life of that curling iron pattern, whether you’re using dry shampoos or something like that in order to extend the life of it.”
For those who are very physically active but want to preserve their hairstyle or are concerned with drying out their hair from rinsing and blow-drying it frequently, especially after particularly sweaty workout sessions, Lee suggests a really great dry shampoo or a cleansing conditioner, which can keep your hair healthy and clean without interfering with the need to break a good sweat.
“Kevin Murphy is the brand we use at the salon, and they have a product called Restore, and it’s basically a cleansing conditioner,’ said Lee. “Restore is perfect, because it’s not too harsh on the hair, it’s very gentle, and it’s moisturizing, but it takes away both the oil that you’ve produced as well as the salt from the sweat, so I would recommend something like Restore in that situation.”
As with a change in season, there’s always a popular trend in styles and colors. This fall, it’s all about bangs. Lee has also noticed an uptick in bob-style haircuts, giving clients the chance to start fresh with a good haircut and enjoy a nice change.
“Right now, we’re back to bang season; the fall is always when everyone wants either a curtain bang or a straight across bang, but this year, it seems to be longer, and face frames seem very popular, but maybe a little bit more grown out than they have been recently,” said Lee. “I feel like every Sept., October, people just cut off all those old ends from the summer. It’s just like this back-to-school mentality where everything just becomes a little bit more almost preppy, and then we all become a little more bohemian throughout the year.”
Ellee Salon provides a range of services from cuts to color and styling in an environment that makes clients feel both elevated and relaxed. The salon is also a registered space for Strands for Trans, a global network that provides a directory for transgender and non-binary individuals to find safe and gender-affirming haircuts and beauty services. The salon is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
To book an appointment or learn more, follow @ellee_salon or visit their website.
