Nightmare Hair Scenarios and How to Fix Them

The best-selling Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook may have taught you how to fend off a shark and escape from quicksand, but what about the real catastrophes in a chick's life — like having a heinous hair moment before a big date or botching an at-home dye job? Fear not...Cosmo comes to the rescue with our own EMT (Emergency Mane Treatment) advice.

Disentangle Your Hair from a Round Brush

Resist the urge to grab the nearest steak knife and slice off that entire section of strands. The better approach:

• Don't panic and tug. "That will only make the knots tighter," says Guy Romeo, a stylist at the Privé salon in Los Angeles.
• Pin up loose strands. Gently remove as much hair as you can with your fingers, and clip up the freed strands as you go.
• Pick the locks. Take a rattail comb, knitting needle, or similar skinny stick and use the pointed tip to dislodge the remaining hair bit by bit from the bristles.

How to avoid barrel-brush entanglements:

• Never work with a section of hair that's wider than the brush you're using.
• Lift each section up and away from your head before you start rolling the brush underneath it. (Tangles often occur when you inadvertently involve hair that's below the section you're working on.)

Fix a Dud Dye Job

While nobody's saying that orange roots couldn't have a big fashion moment, now's not it. So in the meantime:

• Go to a pro. See a colorist as soon as possible. If you try to fix the problem on your own, you'll just make it worse. This process is typically more complicated than a straight coloring job, so be prepared to pay more.
• Style curls into your coif. Until your appointment, wear your hair curly. "Curls help the botched color blend in and be less noticeable," explains Rodney Cutler, owner of NYC's Cutler Salon.

How to Prevent Home Hair-Color Mishaps:

• Watch the clock. Leaving color on for too long can be a disaster, says Cutler. You might wind up with tangerine tresses.

Disguise a Botched at-Home Bang Trim

You thought you were so savvy trimming your own fringe — until you lopped off an inch where a centimeter would've sufficed. Some possible remedies:

• Go for a side sweep. Part your hair on the side where your bangs are the longest, then sweep them across your forehead so they fall over the too-short bits.
• Create piece-y texture. The more intentionally piece-y your do looks, the more effectively your bad bang job will be camouflaged. Work a dab of pomade between your palms and fingertips, then twirl little sections of hair from roots to ends.
• Tie on a hip head-scarf. If your bangs are too short but not crooked, Romeo offers this approach: Brush them against your forehead and place a scarf or headband at your hairline to nudge them down to a normal-looking length.

How to Avoid Bad Bang Cuts:

• Rather than cut your own bangs, finagle a free fringe trim at the hands of a pro. "Many salons offer complimentary bang trims to regular clients," says Cutler.
• If you're set on doing it yourself, don't make the all-too-common mistakes of wetting your bangs and taping or holding them down (either way, they'll seem longer than they really are and you're likely to overcompensate by cutting too much off). Instead, start with dry bangs and let them hang naturally to get the most accurate sense of their length. Then use sharp, fine-tipped scissors and a slow, steady hand to do the deed.

Deal with Last-Minute Product Overload

If you overestimated the amount of styling goo to use and now your strands look more oil-slicked than glamorously styled, take these measures:

• Remove excess product. Wrap your head in a dry towel, then scrunch with your hands to absorb whatever you can.
• Powder your roots. To absorb the rest, use cornstarch, talcum powder, or a dry shampoo. Create a part two inches above one ear and sprinkle powder into the roots. Use your fingertips to rub it in. Repeat every two inches until you get to the other ear.
• Tousle your tresses. Flip your head upside down, and with your dryer blowing on cool, run your fingers through your hair.

How to Prevent Product Overload:

• Start with less product than you think you'll need — you can always add more.
• Begin your product application at the nape of the neck. "When you work from the undersections of your hair, you'll deposit the bulk of the product in the least noticeable places," explains Cutler.

Treat a Curling-Iron Burn on Your Face

"Burn, baby, burn" has a nice ring to it on the dance floor — but if this is what happens when wielding a curling iron, here's first aid for your beauty flub:

• Prevent inflammation. Apply ice (wrapped in a washcloth or plastic bag) to the burn immediately for 10 to 15 minutes, says New York City dermatologist Arielle Kauvar. Take a break for a few minutes, then repeat for up to an hour or as long as you can.
• Assess the damage. Determine if the burn is first degree (redness but no blistering) or second degree (inflammation and mild blistering). Note: The chance of getting a curling iron-inflicted second-degree burn is pretty slim.
• Treat the skin. If it looks like a first-degree burn, apply an OTC antibiotic ointment (such as Bacitracin or Polysporin) twice a day to guard against infection, and stay out of the sun to prevent discoloration. If you've managed to get a second-degree burn, see a physician for a prescription topical antibiotic.
• Disguise damage. Don't use makeup on the burn, but obscure it by leaving your locks loose and tousling them forward.

How to Avoid Curling-Iron Burns:

• When rolling the curling iron against your head, stick a thin plastic comb between your scalp and the iron, suggests Cutler. A basic black comb that's about an eighth of an inch thick fits the bill — it's enough to block the heat but not so thick that it will block access to your roots. "I use this trick at shoots, because if you burn a model's face, she hates you for life," says Cutler.

Revive Limp Locks

If your do has drooped, you don't have to spend the day with strands that are as flat as a pancake. To make your flapjack style look more full:

• Shake dry any damp spots. If you were stuck in bad weather or in a sweaty situation (hmmm...), use a towel (or tissue if that's all you have) to get your tresses as dry as possible.
• Tease your roots. Pull out a comb, hold a two-inch section of hair straight up, then briskly move the comb up and down the backside over the roots only (from your scalp to two inches away). Make sure to do the back of your head as well.
• Pull it back. When all else fails, try a sleek ponytail.

How to Prevent Limp Locks:

• Don't overload on product. If you expect wet weather, use a humidity-proof styler.
• Use a root-boosting volumizer when styling.
• While blow-drying, lift your roots up and point the nozzle up into them to lock
  in lift.

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.

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