What the old masters had to say about style

I went to The Met yesterday, and even though I spent most of my time looking at Buddhist and Hindu devotional art, I did do my best to see a little of everything. Looking at old (as in, between 200 and 600 years old, so yeah. . . old) paintings made me realize that, through high-heeled shoes for men, corsets, embellished bodices, tiny bonnets, hoop skirts, and everything in between, one thing that has never gone out of vogue is soft, touchable, long, wavy hair. Now, I would strongly advise against 80's poofs, but volume is just kind of sexy. Healthy hair, I guess, is a symbol of general health, because I suppose it means that you're not always out working in the sun, or. . . protein-deficient. Or something. I don't know what exactly it means, but I do know that it's attractive.

No matter how much you hate your hair and feel that you have to beat it into submission in order to make it presentable, or my abuse of choice, drugging it up on products, I think that the best way to acheive this (literally) timelessly classic hair is to just wash your hair, condition (but don't overdo it), brush it out so there are no tangles, and then just let it airdry. Now, if this idea makes you retch, you can work a little *tiny* bit of hair serum into your hair while it's wet to avoid the frizzy poodle thing. I like Giovanni's organic hair serum because a little goes a long way, and the natural ingredients keep me from panicking about what polyplethamebedenumvitawhatever is doing to my hair. But remember, part of the point of air-drying your hair is to let it have a little natural bounce and unruliness. Oh, and don't overbrush--you'll just fill your hair with static. Vermeer never would have painted someone with their hair plastered to their face. Pull it (loosely) back or leave it down, and don't reach for the styling products. There! You look like a Rembrandt!