I always wake up with wild hair. How can I beat bed-head?

A:

It certainly is exhausting to tame your hair along with taking care of all your other morning responsibilities. You can, however, wake up with smoother, more manageable hair.

Bed-head is usually caused by aggressive tossing and turning during the night. And since you can’t tell your sleeping self to stay still, take precautions before hitting the sack.

If you have long hair, try this step-by-step method:

• Shampoo at night. An hour or so before bedtime, shampoo, condition and towel-dry hair. (Or, just wet strands and towel-dry.) Comb out tangles and let hair air-dry until only slightly damp.
  
  
• Make a bun. Wind hair into a bun on the top of your head and secure with a few bobby pins. When pulled up this way, hair stays in place while you sleep -- and even if you don’t.
  
  
• Tousle hair. In the morning, remove the pins and shake out your hair. Mist shine spray all over and run your fingers through your hair. You’ll be left with a relaxed, wavy look that’s stylish, not scary.

If you have short hair, wrap a cotton bandana around your head to ensure hair stays smooth and lays flat to your head while you toss and turn.

Photo: Corbis Images