As we begin our “Low Blow Dry July“, it’s worth assessing the general starting condition of your hair. After all, one of the main reasons to lay off heat tools for awhile is to give your hair a rest and get it in fantastic shape. One of the things a lot of us will find is that we are probably due for a trim (or more).

Now, if you regularly keep up with trims, it will be business as usual. But if you are sporadic with trims (which can happen if you are trying to grow your hair out), you may have more to cut off than you’d like.

Here’s the thing – split ends won’t disappear on their own. Ends that are thinner than the rest of your mane won’t either. There are some fantastic products to revive hair, but sometimes your ends are just beyond repair and need to go. If it’s several inches, you may not want to do it. While it might seem like a small matter to part with a few inches, it does indeed become an emotional issue – hair is such a part of self-image. Last summer about three inches of my longest layer needed to come off, and when I did it all at once, it just didn’t feel like my look for a few weeks, despite my hair being long enough that three inches less doesn’t really make a difference.

If that describes you, and you have the knack for trimming your hair yourself, try this: trim off an inch. Wait a couple of days. Then trim about half of what still needs to come off. Wait a couple of days. As you notice your hair looking better, bouncier, flippier and flirtier, and all around healthier, getting rid of the last bit will be a snap. This sort of “week-long trim” takes away the shock factor of cutting it all at once.

Happy trimming!

Take a look at this picture of Angelina Jolie in the new Louis Vuitton ad. Of course our eye immediately went to her hair – it’s a soft, touchable, movable, easy style, which are all things you want in your summer hair. Here’s how to do it:

1) Wash and condition your hair. There is a lot of wear and tear on your locks over the summer – the sun, surf, and air conditioning can all do a job on your hair and/or color. Keeping up with conditioning and conditioning hair masks is crutial.

2) Use a volumizing product on wet hair that gives volume yet keeps hair soft. We love Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Instant Thickening & Strengthening Serum. It will immediately thicken your hair yet won’t feel like you have any product on your hair.

3) Let your hair mostly air dry. What makes this style elegant yet casual is that it sort of looks like you didn’t spend all morning under the blow drier. That’s because you don’t have to. It’s hot enough already – the last thing you’ll feel like doing when it’s 95 degrees out is blasting hot air at your head. Let your hair air dry most of the way, and then while it’s still damp, just dry it a bit to activate your volumizing product and style it. And if your hair is still slightly damp, let it be – it will dry fast enough on its own.

4) Keep up with your layers. Even easy summer hair has upkeep. Make sure that the layers around your face don’t get too long or this look won’t work. And absolutely keep the ends trimmed – your hair should be thick all the way to the ends.

Angelina Jolie for Louis Vuitton, WWD.com