Hair and now

You've got your new fall wardrobe and you've switched from the brights of your summer cosmetics to the earth tones of autumn. Is it time, now, to rethink and refresh your hair? We chatted with some local stylists about what to do with your hair now.

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Extensions
"If you don't have hair that you like naturally, extensions are the greatest thing. There are solutions to any problems with hair," says Tina Yanick of Chez la Femme Salon & Spa in Arlington. Female pattern baldness; chemo hair loss; thin, lank hair; or just a yen for something new can be addressed with extensions. And with new technology, such a temporary extensions, they are getting more popular.

"They definitely seem to be bigger than ever, now that they're not a long-term commitment," says Dallas hair and make-up artist LB Rosser. "On a long-term basis, unless you can devote a lot of care to them, you can end up with a lot of damage."

Temporary extensions bring easy playfulness to extensions. "Movie stars are working with them-Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Eva Longoria," Mr. Rosser says. "Some are done with clips and some are done with tape. You can put them on and take them off that day and there is no damage whatsoever."

Pretty much anyone can wear extensions, he continues, although "the best way to deal with them though is to have a more kind of textured layered kind of hair because they blend well."

Technology is improving on permanent extensions, too, says Ms. Yanick, and they are less damaging than before. And, she points out, with good extensions you can do anything with your fake hair that you do with your real hair. An added benefit: No more bed head. "You can go to sleep and wake up and your hair looks as good as it lookedwhen you lay down," Ms. Yanick says.

Take care: The best (and priciest) extensions are real hair but because the hair is not living, and therefore not secreting oils, you'll want to use a hydrating shampoo. Ms. Yanick likes Pureology Hydrate Shampoo and Pureology Hydrate Conditioner.

If you're using permanent extensions, says Mr. Rosser, you'll need to have them tightened every six to eight weeks. "You also have to make sure you watch the condition of your hair, and it's extremely important to use a special comb or brush."

Do it yourself: Try at-home temporary extensions, such as Diva in a Box (http://divainabox.com/) if you dare. What you need most to do it yourself, says Mr. Rosser, is "Patience. And trial and error." And don't try to slap these babies in the afternoon of an event. "Do it the night before." Perhaps your safest bet is to enlist the help of a friend who is handy with hair.

Bangs
Bangs are big.
"Mod bangs are the hottest trend right now. It's straight across, but angled on the sides,," says Mr. Rosser. "Also a Nicole Richie kind of bang, we call it a swoop bang."

Anyone can wear bangs in some shape or form, Mr. Rosser says, with modifications for face shape and the weight of your hair. "For example, for anybody with extremely dark hair, they tend to look almost menacing. You might want to make them a little lighter." But properly styled bangs also can help soften up a square head or prominent features.

Mr. Rosser does caution, however, that "Bangs are a commitment." Growing them out again is a long-term project.

Take care: Tried bangs and ready to move on? Your hairdresser can help with those awkward in-between stages. "The trick is trying to keep them blended in while you're growing out. It's about blending and texturizing," says Mr. Rosser.

Do it yourself: If you want to try cutting your own bangs, be sure to do it while hair is dry, cautions Mr. Rosser. "Don't cut them wet because they'll shrink up and you'll have overcompensated," he says. And don't use cuticle scissors or your kitchen scissors. Use proper haircutting scissors.

Color
"Color is becoming the new texture of hair," says Warren Wilkes of Warren Wilkes Salon in Uptown. "It's the new haircut, almost. It wasn't five years ago that less than 50 percent of people colored their hair."

That's all changed.

The way salons approach color also has changed in recent years, Mr. Wilkes says-even the color card, on which your stylist notes your shades, is a fairly new development.

Before he suggests a color, Mr. Wilkes learns all he can about his client's lifestyle, pointing out that the way a woman dresses for a salon-perhaps in sweats or jeans-may have nothing to do with the life she lives. "She might be a senator's wife or teach school," he says.

Blonde still rules in Dallas, Mr. Wilkes says. "All the way up into their 40s and 50s, you'll see them wearing longer blonde hair. If you wear long blonde hair, it looks thinner, so I like shading a little bit darker on the bottom so it looks a little thicker and fuller."

What's out these days, stylists agree, are the stripey highlights we've seen the past few years. "That is so done," says Mr. Rosser. "Way done." Also out are dark roots "unless you're planning to be Cruella Deville."

Gregg Asher of Premier Atelier Salon and Spa in Preston Center has spotted a trend towards fewer highlights. "These days colors have more conditioning agents and so the new color has more illumination within a solid color. One-process color is adding dimensions while at the same time keeping shine."

Mr. Asher is pleased with the trend towards restoring health to hair with one-process colors-which also means less time in the stylist's chair.

For fall and winter, Mr. Asher suggests going darker, richer and warmer. Then, as summer approaches, your brighten the look with a few face-framing highlights. However, Mr. Asher says, Dallas women seem resistant to warm tones. "I think everyone wants to be as a cool of a brown or as cool of a blonde as they can. I tell them it's OK to have a little bit more warmth to their hair I encourage people to go for a richer tone."

Mr. Asher encourages clients to bring in photos of color they like because words can't adequately describe colors. "What you think is blonde and what I think is blonde can be different," he says. And, he adds, if you're considering a drastic change, you might want to try on a wig, first.

Take care: Mr. Wilkes can give you a whole chemistry lesson about caring for colored hair. "With blondes, you take a lot of the protein out of your hair so you need to add it back in with a protein shampoo," he says. Your shampoo and conditioner should be by the same company so as to be chemically compatible. Moisturizing products are also good, he says, although used too often, they can leach color from hair. And they should not be used with protein products. (In other words, a protein shampoo and a moisturizing conditioner.) Mr. Wilkes suggests alternating protein products with moisturizing products.

Mr. Asher discusses with his clients what shampoo and conditioner they use on their hair to make sure they are compatible with the color products he applies. "I use a lot of L'Oreal, so the Kerastase line works well because it has the same conditioning molecule that maintains the color. I need to know if you're using Head & Shoulders or something. And I can't tell you that every time you do your hair color, it's going to look exactly the same. Medications, shampoos, vitamins-all that's going to affect what your color will do."

Do it yourself: "There are great at-home products out there to do minor touch-ups," says Mr. Asher. "But it's important that you don't vary to extremes. Stay within the general proximity of what you've got going on and you'll be safe. And consult your stylist before you start doing it at home."

If you're tempted by an at-home highlights kits, know that the results will be a lot warmer than you will get at a salon. "The volume of peroxide is a lot lower," says Mr. Asher. "It's a little safer, but it's all in the application." The best advice he has for anyone trying at-home highlights: "Ask a friend to help you. You can't see the back of your hair."

And remember: It can be a lot more difficult (and expensive) for a stylist to correct your mistakes than to do your color in the first place.