Riders, don’t forget your helmets – your heads will thank you!
This season has given us plenty of beautiful days that would inspire anyone get outside and take a ride on a bike. We’ve also seen astronomical gas prices this summer which are none too fun. I see it as a great opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise and save our hard earned cash for things that we really need – i.e., anything but gas. So I decided at the beginning of Summer, at least a few times a week, to put on my helmet, get on my bike, and huff it out for work or play. Let’s be honest, helmets of any kind don’t necessarily leave you with the most immaculately executed coif after a fun day of riding. (I won’t give a treatise about why you should be wearing your helmet, but if you are planning on being on the road, please be smart and put one on). I’d nearly given up styling my hair on days I was biking knowing that it would end up in a mush no matter what I did beforehand – that is, before I turned to the help of the stylists at VAIN to seek advice on how to master the art of riding with great hair. They assured me that there is hope for us bicyclists, scooterists, and motorcyclists out there.
Jen C, who, along with fellow stylist Sharon, will be riding her bike from Seattle to San Francisco for the American Lung Association this month (see below for more info!), recommends Wool Shake from the Redken Urban Experiment line for helmet wearers. Spray it on before you ride and it bestows your hair with serious volume and texture – apparently this works on all kinds of hair; straight to curly. Literally shake your hair out after you take your helmet off, and you are left with a sexy, nicely tousled look.
If you’ve got short hair and normally use pomade, clay, or wax to bring out the definition and texture in your style, you might find that your edge is all but gone after a session under the helmet. Valentine, a VAIN stylist with serious short hair skills, suggests spraying some water on your hair to reactivate the product and doing a quick restyle with your fingers.
Liza Jo suggests getting a chin length cut with layers that will allow you to play up texture to avoid have hair that sits flat on your head. She also warns against putting your helmet on a wet head of hair; if your hair dries while you bike you will be left with the imprint of your helmet on the surface of your hair for the rest of the day!
The next time you decide to ride, know that you can still rock a hot style and keep your noggin safe.
Ride on!
-Sylvia
You can still donate to Jennifer Cassady and Sharon Blyth-Moss before they leave this week for the Big Ride Pacific Coast to support the American Lung Association! Please visit Clean Air Adventures and click on “Sponsor a Big Rider.”