How Slick Hair Became the Supermodel’s Answer to Beach Waves

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There’s hardly a better signifier of a sunny day well spent than a finger-combed mess of windswept waves, but leave it to the street style set to spark a party-ready hair trend that adds a bit of polished yin to all that beachy summer yang: slicked-back hair that conjures up lazy poolside chic and ’80s-inspired power glamour in equal measure—while requiring little more than a fine-toothed comb and a dollop of gel to perfect.

It all began with Kendall Jenner and Joan Smalls, whose minimalist hair at Canneslast month looked like they had taken a quick dip in the Riviera before diving into their gowns, while Toni Garrn recently took the style into hard-edged Helmut Newton territory with a liquid off-the-shoulder dress in Monaco.

But for all its ocean-fresh appeal, the clean sweep feels just as right for an evening in the city: Josephine Skriver and Stella Maxwell wore the style on the red carpet in Manhattan this week, proving the look pairs just as nicely with clean skin and a floor-length dress as a smudge of eyeliner and an androgynous tux.

Just in time for a steamy Saturday night, here’s to summer’s coolest shortcuts to high-impact hair.

JUNE 11, 2016 8:00 AM by SOPHIE SCHULTE-HILLEN

How often should you really wash your hair?

Once a week, every day – there always seem to be conflicting advice on how often we should be washing our hair. When it comes to answering this age-old beauty question, we turned to celebrity hairstylist Maranda whose client list includes Olivia Munn and Catherine Zeta Jones. "On a general note, it’s not good to wash your hair too often because you remove too much of the hair's natural oils,” she explains. “Hair will eventually get used to not being washed as often - it almost starts cleaning itself!” So how much is too much? Here’s what you need to know for you and your hair type.

Fine Hair

Many people tend to wash their fine hair quite often since it can get very oily and limp. However, Maranda suggests that it’s better to wash it every 2 to 3 days. To control that oil in-between washes, use a dry shampoo on your roots.

TIMOTHY'S SUGGESTION: Densite Shampoo paired with Lait Vital Conditioner (Kerastase)

Thick, Curly and Coarse Hair

Maranda gives the same recommendation for these hair types as well. Curly and coarse hair has a propensity for dryness and washing them too much can just make that problem worse. Besides, curls tend to get better a few days after washing.

TIMOTHY'S SUGGESTION: Discipline Shampoo & Masque (Kerastase)

Colored Hair

This hair type definitely dries out with too much shampooing so Maranda suggests limiting your wash sessions to once a week. “Just give it a rinse and apply some conditioner,” she says. “This will help preserve the hair color and prevent it from drying out.”

TIMOTHY'S SUGGESTION: Full Shimmer Shampoo & Conditioner (Shu Uemura)