Avoid hair horror

Whether you prefer a hair style that is free-flowing, slicked back, curled, braided, or a natural style, how you wear your hair is vital to polishing your appearance.

If your strands are frizzy and out of place, it may be hard for colleagues, supervisors and clients to believe that you are serious and business-like.

There are a number of surefire ways conscientious career women can maintain well-coiffed heads while at the office.

Simplicity is the key. Dure of New York suggests that working women stay away from severe styles. "Keep your hair conditioned and shiny, not oily. People do notice hair," he says. "Don't concentrate on elaborate styles. You want a style that is soft, feminine, pretty."

Hair care for some may consist of picking up a small mirror and smoothing down a strand or two with the palm of a hand. For others, it may require a quick fix with a curling iron. Those who style their hair close to the nape of the neck may only need to add a little mousse to their crown to get it glowing again.

Dure and other hair specialists suggest that women carry "a little bit" of everything to manage their manes, including a small silk scarf, natural bristle brush, comb, curling iron, holding spray, oil sheen, decorative bobby pins, and possibly mousse.

Hair that is healthy, well-shaped, and conditioned will require the least amount of attention during the workday. "If the shaping is there, there's not a lot of work that needs to be done," says hair-care consultant Taquilla Hamilton of New Orleans.

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