10 Hair Rules You're Probably Breaking.

Whether you're after gorgeous color, a bombshell blowout, or overall superhealthy locks, stylists know the tricks to get you there. Here, they reveal their top must-try tips.

1) Find a shampoo that lathers less. Sudsy doesn't necessarily mean clean—sometimes, it means the opposite. Shampoos that lather too much are often overloaded with moisturizing products, which can leave build-up in your hair, making it look and feel dirtier quicker. So opt for a sulfate-free formula.

2) Give your locks a burst of cold. Before you hop out of the shower, turn the cold water on for a second and quickly rinse it through your strands. It helps seal the cuticle, adding a sleek finish to your locks.

3) Play hot-and-cold as you dry. When using a round brush to dry your hair in sections, start from the roots and dry all the way to the ends, letting the brush linger at the tips of your strands. Let your hair cool off like this on its own for five seconds, then repeat on another section. Alternating between heat and cool-down time helps set your style, and your blowout will have more body.

4) Do an at-home glaze between color appointments. Glazes fill holes and rough spots in your hair cuticles, helping smooth your locks and put moisture back into your hair. This keeps your color shiny and bright so it lasts longer and look better. Plus, you can snag an at-home kit from your local drugstore.

5) Use rollers for high-volume. For sex-kitten lift, blow out your locks until they're dry. Then, section off the hair on top of your head—between your temples and all the way back to the crown of your hair. Divide that section into three smaller sections vertically (as if you were making a mohawk), and wrap each in a 2-inch velcro hair roller. Let your hair sit like this for 30 minutes, and then unwrap your strands, lightly comb them out, and spray for hold.

6) Drop the towel. Keeping wet strands wrapped in a towel for a half-hour as you do your make-up will just cause frizz! The roughness of the cotton forces your hair cuticles open, making them more likely to go every-which-way. Instead, squeeze out excess water as soon as you're out of the shower, then let your hair air-dry for five or ten minutes before blowdrying.

7) Apply products 10 minutes before you style. Whether you're curling, straightening, or whatevering, applying product 10 minutes in advance helps it fully absorb into your strands so you get all of its benefits and more bang for your buck.

8) Wrap—don't clamp—your hair for quick curls. When using a curling iron, you don't need to fasten your locks to the barrel. Wrap sections around the iron and hold in place for about 10 seconds to score the same soft, sexy curls.

9) Use spray bottles as your new lazy-day BFF. If you wake up and your locks are totally flat or grungy from the day before, just spray the top layer of your hair until damp, and then use a big barrel roundbrush (2 inches or more) to blow your locks dry. You'll score high volume on that top layer, and since it's freshly blown out, you'll create the illusion of all-over smooth hair.

10) Use dry shampoo a different way. Instead of waiting until your locks need an dirt-fighting pick-me-up, apply a dab of dry shampoo to your roots immediately after you wash and dry them. Though your hair's already clean, the barrier will stave off the debris and oil your strands will collect throughout the day before it hits. Bonus: It also gives you killer volume.

Hair salon etiquette: How much should you tip your hairstylist?

Not sure how much to tip your hairstylist? You're not alone. After all, the relationships you form in a salon can be the most intimate in your life. Who else but your hairdresser can examine your gray or damaged hair with such practical indifference? As for bikini waxing, she may not be your friend, but she is your ... bikini waxer. It doesn't get much closer than that. We asked Tahnee Seiler, student services coach at the Aveda Institute, and Elie Camoro, a top stylist at Frederic Fekkai, to tell us the right way to tip. They also share some customers' faux pas.

How much should you tip?

What customers do: In Aveda's informal poll, the lowest tip was 10 percent and the highest was 25 percent, but most women said they stick to 20. In and around big cities, the percentage was more generous, even though the services cost more. Women with super short hair, which they get cut and colored every four to six weeks, don't always give a huge tip because their annual beauty bill is so high to begin with. Stylists in some small-town beauty shops, however, report 15 percent as the norm. Those who work in mall or drop-in hair salons, and are less likely to have a loyal clientele, sometimes get tips of even less.