Have you noticed how your hair acts up in winter? It can look limper, drabber and less bouncy due to environmental dryness, indoors and out. But with a little forethought, diligence and indulgence, your winter hair story doesn’t have to be one of frizz and flaccidity. You can change your hair narrative and sail through the cold months with bouncy, shiny, healthy hair that will elevate your look and your mood. Here are four “musts” to get you through.

Create A Shampoo “Wardrobe”

If your philosophy about shampoo is “whatever’s handy, I don’t really care,” it’s time for an attitude adjustment. “I always tell my clients they should have three different shampoos in the shower,” says Biolage Artistic Director Dilek Onur Taylor. “It’s like matching your shoes to your outfit. There should be shampoos for every way you wear your hair. In the past, people got their hair done in the salon and went home and wore it the same way every day. Nowadays they mix it up. They may blow it out one day, create beach waves another day, air dry or braid it the next. So, you should change your hair care products to accommodate all the different things you do.” For example, if you’re going through a blowout or thermal styling iron phase, you’re going to need extra moisture. So, use a mega-hydrating shampoo that will combat the dryness that can be caused by hot tools. If you’re going through an air-dry phase, switch to a lighter-weight shampoo that won’t cause your hair to become oily or weighed down. “When it comes to shampoo,” notes Onur Taylor, “one size does not fit all. You should have lots of options on hand.

Always Use A Hair Conditioner, No Matter What Hair Type You Have

Regardless of whether or not you think you need one, it’s always wise to follow every shampoo with conditioner. Hair Conditioner softens the texture of your hair, reduces tangles and repels frizz. Just like with your shampoo, you might want to keep a few options on hand, such as a lightweight hair conditioner for when you decide to air dry your hair and a more richly moisturizing formula for those times you’re your blow dryer and curling iron are in heavy rotation!

In addition to National Summer Sun Safety Month, National Twins Day and Simplify Your Life Week (we’re all in for that last one), August celebrates the glory of sun-drenched, luminous highlights with National Balayage Week. To kick off this last auspicious occasion, “highlighting” one of the most popular hair color trends ever, here are seven fun facts and tips about the art, craft and care of balayage highlights.

Balayage Originated In France

Leave it to the French to create such a sexy and beautiful hair color effect. It was there that hairdressers originated the method of painting lightener or color directly onto the surface of the hair, foregoing the use of foil or pulling the hair through a cap. In fact, the word balayage means “sweep” or “sweeping” in French because the hair artist sweeps the hair color along the strand in a fluid motion.

Balayage Hair Mimics The Sun

If you’re looking for a natural lightening effect that looks as if you’ve summered in Malibu or the French Riviera, balayage highlights is the way to go. Inspired by his Southern California hometown, Biolage Celebrity Stylist George Papanikolas is one of the pioneers of balayage technique in the U.S. “Balayage highlights should look sun-kissed,” he explains, “as if you’ve spent the summer on the beach instead of a few hours in the salon.”

Balayage Hair Color Is Relatively Low Maintenance

The difference between balayage highlights and traditional highlights is the fact that the latter start right at the roots, whereas balayage highlights are typically placed from a quarter to a third of the way down from the roots, through to the ends. “This type of placement mimics the way hair lightens naturally,” says Papanikolas, “with the newer growth at the top appearing darker and the older hair on the ends becoming lighter due to exposure to sunlight, heat styling and the overall effects of time.” So because balayage doesn’t start at the roots, it looks great as it grows out, which means your touchups can be much less frequent than with conventional highlights.

You probably know if you have fine hair or thick hair, but to make it perfectly clear, here’s a test. Remove a hair from your head and place it next to a piece of sewing thread. If it’s thicker than the thread, you have thick hair. If it’s the same size, you have medium hair. If your strand of hair is thinner than the thread you have fine hair. Suspicions confirmed. But here’s good news. Fine hair doesn’t have to mean you’re doomed to a lifetime of limp, lank hair and meh hairstyles. Here are pro tips for making your fine hair look full and fabulous. Because you like big hair and you cannot lie.

Hair Volume Starts In The Shower

“Your shampoo and conditioner play a big role in what happens next if you have fine hair,” says Los Angeles hairstylist Sunnie Brook, who works with celebrities like Elisabeth Moss and Allison Williams. “For example, I like to recommend Biolage R.A.W. Uplift Shampoo and Conditioner to my clients with fine hair. They contain kaolin clay which absorbs oils from the hair and scalp. Eliminating oil will help prevent your hairstyle from going flat as the day wears on. And the conditioner moisturizes fine hair without adding weight.”

Be Gentle

Fine hair will look even thinner if it isn’t healthy yet it’s very delicate, so it’s important to treat it with loads of TLC. After applying your conditioner in the shower, use a wide tooth comb to detangle your hair before rinsing out the conditioner. Gently blot your hair with a towel—no vigorous rubbing that can lead to more tangles, which in turn can cause breakage. Don’t use a brush on your wet hair—stick to big plastic combs that won’t catch or snag. Mist on a lightweight, leave-in conditioner to help with detangling. When you use blow dryers and hair styling tools, opt for the lowest heat settings to avoid burning or singeing your fine hair and apply a heat-styling primer first for thermal protection. Explore air-dry styling options to give your hair a heat styling break. Try a lightweight air-dry spray that will provide shape and shine.

Get The Right Haircut

Skip heavily layered haircuts—they will make your fine hair look even thinner. Instead, says Brook, “ask your stylist to create solid, blunt ends. They will give your hair more body and bounce by causing it to stack on itself. For wavy or curly fine hair,” she adds, “I like to create a few shorter layers underneath or within the interior of the hair. The shorter hair lifts the longer hair on top, which gives the style a fuller, ‘stacked’ appearance.”

Color Dos And Don’ts

As long as you don’t over process and damage your hair, hair color can actually help make your fine hair look thicker. The color itself works by swelling each hair shaft slightly in order to allow the dye to penetrate, so it will actually become slightly thicker. Getting highlights can also “rough up” the texture of fine, silky hair a bit, which helps hold a set longer. Also, artful placement can make a huge difference. For example, if you have dark hair, your hairstylist can create lighter highlights that will diminish the contrast between your hair and your scalp. He or she may also create a multidimensional look using two or three shades--such as a medium base with highlights and lowlights--to give the illusion of fuller hair.