Want a hair professional’s advice, but don’t want to pay the high salon price? No need to shell out the big bucks for a classy coiff — the ladies from fab NYC hair salon Butterfly Studio gave us the blow-by-blow(dryer) on scoring styling tresses when you don’t have the time or money for a salon visit. Here’s advice straight from the salon’s hairstyling professionals:

Kattia Solano on how to create va-va-voom volume:

1. First, apply a volumizing product on damp hair.
2. Then flip your hair over and dry it upside down, which is the key to creating volume at the roots. At first, it will look a bit out of control, but you can set the hair with Velcro rollers or smooth out with a curling iron.
3. If you use a roller set, blow dry with heat for a few minutes and then finish with cool air.
4. Remove rollers and brush or run your fingers through hair. If you use a curling iron, then you can set the curls in place by spraying 2 inch sections with hairspray and curling.

Dana Vuljevic on reducing oily buildup in hair:

“If you have oily buildup: add a 1/2 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, such as Palmolive or Dawn, to your shampoo.”

Nicole Descoteaux on ditching hairspray buildup:

1. Shampoo hair as normal to prepare.
2. Create a paste with baking soda and water.
3. Work the paste into hair. Comb through and leave on for five minutes.
4. Rinse and condition for optimum results.

Kattia Solano on making hair grow faster:

“Brushing your hair 100 times a day will not make your hair grow faster.It simply stimulates the scalp, but it will cause breakage. To help your hair grow faster, simply massage the scalp for five minutes at a time. This will also stimulate the blood flow and will NOT cause breakage.”

Listen up, ladies! I will have a unique opportunity soon to ask the haircolor experts at L’Oreal anything my little heart desires about coloring your hair at home. But I’m a generous blogger, and I want to involve you lovelies! Sooo…whaddya want to know?

Seriously: anything and everything you ever wanted to know about DIY hair color but were afraid to ask. Just leave me a comment on this post with your question by Monday, August 24th and I’ll pass ‘em on to the bigwigs at L’Oreal. Who knows? Maybe I’ll make a video of the L’Oreal Q&A and your question will make the cut!

Hard times are hitting everyone these days, and it’s tough to make your hair a priority when you can barely make the rent. Here are some products for curly girls working within a budget:

PRODUCTS UNDER $20

• Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper, $15.50: a water-based leave-in conditioner that fights tough frizz.
• AG Re:coil Curl Activator, $18: activates curls and controls frizz.
• Karen’s Body Beautiful Hair Milk, $16, can be used as a leave-in or rinse-out conditioner.
• DevaCare No-Poo, $17.95: an innovative no-fade moisturizing cleanser that makes color last longer.
• HPO Simply Curly Conditioning Styling Pudding, $17.50, smooths and defines curls without leaving them sticky or greasy.

PRODUCTS UNDER $15

• TIGI Bed Head Foxy Curls Shampoo, $14: a great-smelling, moisturizing and sulfate-free shampoo for sexy spirals.
• Jessicurl Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner, $12.75: a deep conditioner enriched with shea butter and 14 herbs and spices including basil, peppermint, rosemary and lavender for sweet-smelling hair bliss.
• Kinky-Curly Knot Today, $12: a leave-in conditioner that smoothes and detangles.
• Curl Junkie Coffee Coco Curl Crème, $14: a rich curl crème that works like a leave-in conditioner and gel to moisturize curls and provide a light hold.

PRODUCTS UNDER $10

• ISO Bouncy Cream, $9.99: a must-have, crazy-rich conditioning treatment that’ll leave your curls super-soft and frizz-free.
• Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner, $8: Skip your shampoo and wash extra-dry curls with this hydrating and hair balancing conditioner.
• Oyin Handmade Honeywash, $9: Gently cleanse and moisturize hair with this blend of honey, aloe vera, jojoba and walnut seed oil for silky smooth curls.
• Curl Junkie Curl Fuel, $9: Refresh your worn-out curly hair with this unique spray that provides shine and added definition.
• Miss Jessie’s Quick Curls, $9: a quick, easy and lightweight styling cream.

While springtime brings beautifully bloomed gardens and 70-degree temperatures, it’s also the season when frizzy hair and flyaways are rampant. I wrote an article for Misikko.com detailing the causes of spring weather’s most maddening effects on hair and how to fight March Hair Madness:

The Culprit: Humidity

Spring’s influx of humid weather leaves hair flat and squelches even the most zealous efforts at styling. No matter what natural texture your hair has, this isn’t the time of year to force your tresses into an unnatural style. If your hair is curly, find a ‘do that embraces your curls. If your hair is straight but tends to curl up in humid weather, incorporate loose, light curls into your style. Consider applying a humidity-resistant product like Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Serum to towel-dried hair for added humidity protection.

The Culprit: Wind

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May — not to mention creating some massive flyaways! Windy gusts grab at split ends and create the static-y look, and damaged or naturally coarse hair has it worse because they have rougher hair cuticles, giving the breeze something to hold onto. Windy times call for hair accessories: headbands, ponytails and clips are a must. Also try products specially formulated for blustery days like Ouidad’s Climate Control Gel, which tames and smoothes unruly tresses while conditioning frazzled ends.

The Culprit: Moisture

April showers bring more than May flowers — they also add constantly changing moisture levels in the air. The problem? Frizz is caused by hair trying to soak in moisture from the air, so chances are you’ll end up with a frizz problem at some point during springtime shifts in the weather.

If you find that blowdrying makes your hair look frizzier, gently blot it dry with a towel instead — but don’t rub. Rubbing hair dry can cause further breakage on already weak strands, increasing your chances of frizz. After you’ve towel-blotted, apply an anti-frizz serum or hair gel to your damp hair and comb it through so the product is distributed evenly. Finally, consider keeping a little product on hand throughout the day to use for smoothing down any strands that may curl up. (You can always toss it in an extra container and keep it in your purse.)

The Culprit: Heat

Spring’s refreshingly temperate weather can be a cleverly disguised cause of hair havoc. Why? Hot air opens the hair cuticle, which leads to split ends, breakage, and duller hair color. Plus, most hair products make your head feel like an oil slick when exposed to hot weather. To beat the heat, give your hair a blast of cool air using the “cool” setting on your hair dryer when you’re almost done blow-drying. Cold air closes the hair cuticle and seals in the moisture. Also consider trying a weather-friendly product like Blow’s Weather or Not Climate Neutralizer, a weightless hair serum that protects hair from the elements without leaving a greasy residue.

As if interviewing celebrity colorist Jason Backe wasn’t enough of a treat, Jason also gave me a bonus tidbit about the latest trend in haute couture haircolor shades: champagne blonde. (Of course, the fashion victim in me had to have him mimic the trend when he colored my hair. I gotta stay current, you know.)

This hot new shade of blonde haircolor is popping up on the runways of designers like Calvin Klein, Versace, and Prada—and Spring Fashion Week hasn’t even begun yet!

What makes champagne blonde so special? It solves the age-old conundrum blondes face in trying to choose a natural-looking shade that’s still flattering and gorgeous on its own.

• Ash blondes are traditionally the most natural-looking blonde haircolor shades, but can look dull and add a grey cast to some skin tones.
• Golden blondes, on the other hand, don’t take much to go from beachy to bleachy-looking, and often take on a brassy tone that simply screams fake.

So what’s a blonde to do? Simple: try champagne blonde, a natural beige-y blonde with hints of golden tones to add luminosity and depth. To get the look, Jason used Clairol Perfect 10 in shade #9 on my roots, then used their new shade 9G through the ends of my hair.

Images via Style.com