There’s something about back-to-school time that calls for a refresh. That’s why this week, we’re throwing it back to the basics: putting “easy” makeup hacks to the test and a spotlight on the simple products that’ll make a big difference. Class is now in session.

If something kills you about your hair, you can bet thousands of other women have been there before. The challenge is finding the people with the expertise you need (without wasting hours combing through Reddit). While strangers on the internet often know their stuff, the most trustworthy, life-changing hair tips typically come from a few usual suspects: your friends, family, and hairstylist.

They’re ones who can get away with bluntly saying, “You’re doing this completely wrong, and there is a better way.” But for everyone who doesn’t have a truth-telling advice dispenser in their midst, we gathered Glamour‘s hair-savvy staffers, sorted through the war stories, and pooled a list of the tips that changed their hair for good.

On Drying Your Hair

“I have really wavy, frizzy, kind-of-curly hair. One of my friends suggested I start using Miss Jessie’s Quick Curls. After applying a palmful of the goop to my damp hair (I toss my hair upside down and scrunch it in), I twist locks of hair into spirals with my fingers and let it air dry. Now I can have perfectly curly ringlets whenever I want, and the best part is, no frizz. But, very important: you cannot achieve the same effect with a blow dryer, you have to let it air dry. If you don’t, the curls don’t look like perfect curls—they fall flat a lot faster and they get really wonky looking.” —Jacqueline Wladis, commerce manager

“To get beachy waves, a stylist once told me to twist your hair into a bun while wet and let it air dry. When you take it down, you have perfect waves that look like you spent hours curling.” —Abigail Libers, contributing health editor

“I always flip my head over when I blow dry it. Drying the roots upside down helps give my hair great volume.” —Alex Pisauro, communications associate

“Finish a blow dry with a blast of cold air. It makes all the difference in achieving a smoother finish, especially when you rough dry your hair with your hands as I do (a lazy woman’s approach but it works for me). A lot of hairdryers have a cool setting; I find the one on my Harry Josh model really cold and effective. I blast it for 15 seconds and I’m done.” —Ying Chu, executive beauty director

On Finding Your Cut

“The best piece of hair advice I ever received may sound simple, but it was a revelation to me at the time. I was a young beauty assistant at Jane magazine and a stylist on a shoot told me that I needed to make sure that whoever was cutting my hair had real experience with curls. Honestly, I don’t think anyone had properly cut my curly hair until that point, and once I realized how important it was, it made all the difference—even if I just wanted my go-to look of long, flowing layers.” —Abby Gardner, contributing writer

“Bangs aren’t for everyone, but I will say this: It’s a low-lift way to have a distinct look without much styling required. Maintenance isn’t as hard as people make it out to be, either; just find a stylist who offers free bang trims between cuts. But don’t forget to tip. ” —Anna Moeslein, senior editor

On Shampoo

“I have a lot of naturally wavy hair that I cannot manage to keep straight. It springs back to full body no matter how much product I use or how long I blow-dry it. When my gorgeous-tressed friend told me she didn’t wash her hair, I balked at first, but now I use dry shampoo most of the week instead of washing it and it’s so much easier to style.” —Molly Gulati, managing editor

“My best piece of hair advice came from my sister, who is a fab stylist. We were showering at the same time one day—because, sisters—and she was like: You’re washing your hair wrong. Now, instead of starting at the crown, I divide my hair into four sections and work the shampoo from the back of my head to the front, at the roots. I swear that not only does that mean my hair is cleaner and shinier, it also means that it’s not as dry in the front, because that section doesn’t have suds sitting in it forever.” —Elizabeth Kiefer, contributing writer

“At my first Devachan appointment they assessed my curls, and at some point in the process, my stylist said to me, ‘Your hair loves cold water.’ It was a strange thing to hear, but it’s true: when I want my curls to look their best, I use cold water and they fall in line (or in 4C-terms, ‘steps’).” —Christina Draper, credits editor

On Conditioner

“I have super thick, curly hair that can get tangled easily. Something I learned to do from a young age was to comb my hair in the shower before I rinse out conditioner, using a wide tooth comb. It makes a world of difference. I’ve done this since I was about 8 years old, and have never had to deal with painful, tangled, wet hair post shower.” —Azadeh Valanejad, social video producer

“A rhyme changed my life, and it goes ‘squish to condish.’ I tried all of Reddit’s best curl routines many months ago, and the one thing that stuck with me (after reading it repeated dozens of times) was that the key to your curls’ happiness is absolutely saturating them with conditioner. There’s a trick you can listen for: Keep adding conditioner, either regular or a leave-in, until your hair begins to make a squelching sound when you scrunch it. When it starts to sound like you’re walking down a hall in wet shoes, your hair is hydrated, and your curls will look incredible.” —Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer

“The most revolutionary piece of hair advice I ever got was from someone who was cutting my hair when I was about 15. At the time, I’d been following a rule that I should only use a quarter sized amount of conditioner, and only on my ends, which was a terrible idea for someone with hair as thick and unruly as mine. This guy told me I could stand to use a lot more—and I’ve never looked back since. The amount of conditioner I use is truly obscene.” —Amanda Fitzsimons, contributing fashion editor

“The best advice I ever received about my hair was to use a a slippery conditioner to detangle my curls. I always believed a custard-y conditioner would moisturize my thick hair best, but that’s only half-true. In order for those deep conditioners to work, I needed to detangle first. The silicone in slip conditioners soften and make it easier to separate those knots (and prevent breakage!). I’m still a sucker for a nice, thick deep conditioner to penetrate, however. But I usually use a inexpensive product, like Aussie, first.” —Christina Coleman, news and culture director

On Helping Your Hair Color Thrive

“Paying more for high-quality highlights is definitely worth the money. I love to pinch pennies as much as the next person, but after years of trying—and trust me, I have tried—I’ve concluded that $80 highlights are just that: $80 highlights. That is to say, every time I’ve skimped, my highlights have come out looking splotchy and funky, have faded within a week, or have made my hair crispy.” —Lauren Lumsden, video director

“I’ve been highlighting my hair for, dear god, over a decade, and spent most of that time avoiding expensive and time-sucking follow-up appointments. My hair grows quickly, so historically, my color is either blond goddess or skunky ombre with no in-between. I finally started taking my colorist’s advice and now I schedule a regular touch-up session every six weeks or so to keep my color intact. It’s the same mentality doctors recommend for keeping dentist appointments, and if I’m being honest, much more enjoyable.” —Leah Prinzivalli, contributing writer

“I’ve been just about every natural hair color you can imagine—blond, brown, red—and the only thing with every hair change that consistently helped was washing my hair (sparsely!) in cold water. The problem is, when you rinse with warm shower-temperature water, it opens the cuticles in your hair, which allows the color molecules to escape and fade faster. Sulfate-free shampoo, which suds less and is more gentle on color, along with a weekly reparative treatment like Nexxus’ Emergencee help too.” —Lindsay Schallon, senior digital beauty editor

On Nighttime Routines

“When I was younger, like everyone, I over-straightened my hair and created a mess of split ends. My mom told me that it was about time I started embracing my natural wave. Now, my daily look consists of brushing to detangle after I shower, and a pump of this amazing oil from Kérastase that I work into the ends of my wet hair before bed. The result is silky smooth hair in the morning, and best of all, no damage.” —Alexa De Paulis, junior designer

“I’m working with hair that’s naturally flat and floppy, so I’ve tried just about every trick to give it some oopmh. The thing that makes the biggest difference? Applying a touch of dry shampoo straight out of the shower while my hair’s still damp, and massaging it in while I rough-dry with my fingers. When it’s 80 percent dry, I hit the sack and when I wake up in the morning, it’s got a nice gritty, effed-up-in-a-good-way texture that holds a beachy wave all day.” —Maureen Choi, contributing beauty editor

“Being a competitive swimmer growing up, my hair was often dry and damaged from being exposed to high amounts of chlorine. Coconut oil—yes, god’s gift to the beauty world—proved to be my saving grace. I started sleeping with the oil in my hair between practices to try and restore some of the moisture. It wasn’t always pleasant to wake up feeling oily, but it definitely made a world of difference for my scalp and hair in the long run.” —Sarah Morse, associate social media manager

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