DryLand Salon

a hair salon in Baltimore

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Tips and Tricks

Baltimore Humidity and Hair Hacking

Curly haired woman with frizz free hair

We know, it’s hot out this Summer 2025 and we’re not sure how you’re staying cool, but we know how to make sure that your breezy blowout or bouncy curls can keep their look without the humidity giving you all the frizz!

First let’s understand where frizz comes from. Frizz happens when your hair panics. Dry or damaged hair is like a sponge; it sees moisture in the air and absorbs it, swelling up because it’s trying to repair itself and reclaim the lost moisture from the damaged spots.

There’s a solution: Since your hair wants its hydration back, give it a style that first seals in all the water from washing, and doesn’t overheat or unneccessarily strip any moisture away during the styling process. Fill that cuticle up then smooth it down, and you’ll be frizz-free. Some products are better suited to do this than others, but our experts can help you find the right ones for your hair and look.

The styling itself can be cool relief for you and your hair. Use the cool setting on your blowdryer! Cool down the cuticle of your hair so that the style you give it, is the style that your hair settles in and doesn’t have to shrink in on iteslf after being heated up.

The damaged ends of your hair are also letting frizz play havoc on your locks. Split ends act like a wick soaking up all the moisture in the air and pushing it up the shaft of your hair blasting it apart and creating more damage that could cause more frizz. A clean cut at the end of your hair creates a smooth surface that is harder for humidity to penetrate… Yes, we are recommending that you get a cut if you are having a hard time with frizz.

Good luck out the Chesapeake Humidity this summer!

Super smooth blowout without frizz after a fress haircut

Hair Care for the Cold

The crazy cold weather in Baltimore has us thinking about hiding inside until spring, but until it warms up, this little hair salon has some hair care tips to help your hair handle the freeze!

1. Water is the best ingredient for your hair

Winter air is dry, and so is heated indoor air. This double whammy can strip moisture from you, your skin, and your hair faster than you can say “snow day.” Here’s what to do:

  • Moisturize with the Right Products: Shampoo with an aloe base gives that extra kick of moisture when you really need it.
  • Condition, Condition, Condition: Pamper your locks with a deep conditioning treatment every other week, and for our curly folks, consider an apple cider vinegar wash once a month for added defense of your more porous hair.
  • Curly Hair Bonus Tip: Make sure your styling product holds the moisture that you put into your hair when washing. We love Windward Curl Seastate Gel for its ability to lock in that water but dry with a soft finish.

2. Limit Heat Styling

We say this all year round, but especially in winter!

3. Protect from the Elements

Your hair faces a brutal battle against snow, wind, and static:

  • Let your scarf defend your hair: A fabulous shawl draped over your head when you head out into the cold does wonders for protecting your hair. It also keeps the wind from whipping it around, and less movement means less friction and roughening of your hair strands.

4. Nutritious Hair Diet

What you put inside counts as much as what you put outside:

  • Omega-3 Rich Foods: Salmon, walnuts, and flaxseeds are your hair’s best friends for internal hydration and shine.
  • Protein: Hair is protein, so it needs protein to grow; eat some more!

We hope you’re staying warm and that you’re having a great hair day!

interior boutique hair salon in baltimore specializing in curly hair

What Your Stylist Wants You to Know About Balayage

Balayage is a technique where your hair stylist artfully paints color into your hair with sweeping motions. In french, “balayage” means “to sweep.” The effect is super subtle highlights and/or lowlights that look like you just got back from a summer cruising the Mediterranean. Balayage tends to grow out more subtly than traditional highlights as well, so you may be going longer between service visits than traditional highlights.

To get the most out of a Balayage service, our stylists recommend the following:

  • Book a consultation beforehand if it’s your first time considering coloring your hair! Balayage is an art, and your stylist wants time to contemplate your unique look. This is not a one-size-fits-all color technique.
  • Come to your appointment with your hair as smooth as possible. Tangles and creases from hair-ties don’t lead to the best color application.
  • Those Instagram looks you love often include a technique where the roots have been colored a darker shade to ensure photo-worthy contrast.
  • That super-frosty silver/white color is tough to achieve if you have darker hair to begin with, and may require multiple visits to achieve full ice-princess.
  • If your hair has been colored before (yes, professionally or at home) it will affect your results, so please tell your stylist about any past coloring. It might mean that you need additional time or visits to get the best result.
  • The best balayage looks are overlapped looks, so multiple visits lead to the pretties most dynamic looks.
  • Yes, you can switch to balayage from highlights! It looks great!

Did you forget this for your Vacation?

Hair care tips you might have forgotten (or not even know) as presented by DryLand:

It’s Vacation season!! Going somewhere warm and sunny? With a beach!? We’re Jealous. However, If you have a smoothing treatment, you may want to limit the amount of time you spend in Salty Ocean Water.

Beach Hair

Personally we LOVE swimming in the ocean, and you can’t stop us from hitting the surf, so here are some tips to minimize the ill effects of salt on your smoothing treatment.

Before: Use a leave-in conditioner, or don’t fully rinse off your regular conditioner.

During: Put your hair up in a bun! Your head spends the least time underwater, so a pretty, high bun can minimize your hair’s exposure to the salt.
Hats!!! Hats can protect your skin and your hair from UV damage.

After: Rinse with fresh water as soon as you can! Letting the salt dry on your hair is the time when the keratin in smoothing treatments breaks down the most.

All along: Embrace it. You’re on vacation. Odds are you’ll have a fabulous, beachy look and a good deal of that vacation glow. Your stylist can always fix you up when you get back!

Beachy Waves on the Helm
Captain Kate embracing her Vacation Hair