The first step in making your hair look fab for the next six months is to get a haircut with longevity. That trendy bob you've been eyeing won't make it six months without losing its shape. Hair grows about half an inch each month, so by the end of six months, you'll have three extra inches of hair. "The shorter the hair, the shorter the time [that it looks good]," says Reyman.

A bad cut (one that is blunt and heavy) will grow out quickly. A good haircut with staying power will look great styled a hundred different ways (bonus: you'll never get bored with it). A longer haircut without any razoring is the ideal cut if you're trying to avoid the salon, says Reyman. However, a general rule when considering cuts is, if it looks good straight, it looks good every other way.

Reyman says any haircut (even a bad one) will last for at least four weeks. But to keep your hair fresh and looking beautiful six months after a haircut, you should take a few precautionary measures. First, ditch daily shampooing, says Fowler. "If you do like to wash your hair often, alternate between shampooing one day and just rinsing the next." Look for a sulfate-free shampoo, like Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo, to avoid stripping your hair of necessary oils.

Secondly, Fowler recommends protecting your strands the way you would your skin -- with SPF. Try incorporating these hair products designed to block UV rays to keep it from turning into straw.

"If your hair starts feeling dry, especially if your hair is colored, you'll want to start using a deep [moisturizing] conditioner, or a protein-based conditioner," Fowler says.

Next, quit the hot tools and start air-drying your hair as often as possible. Soon you're going to have to step up your styling game to hide the damage, so you want to do as little to your hair as possible now. (Plus, you're hair is likely in the phase where it doesn't need heat to look great, anyway.) Afraid to let go of the hair-dryer? The secret to great hair without heat tools is using the right products: Stick to light-hold hairsprays and mousses and lightweight oils to nourish your hair. For inspiration, check out our 4 prettiest ways to style wet hair.

As your hair grows, it's going to start to feel heavier and look more fried.

To camouflage dry, brittle tresses, wear your hair curled or wavy. "The straighter the hair, the more difficult it is to hide the damage," says Reyman.

So how do you balance great-looking hair with healthy hair? Use good tools. "If you have really bad tools, you have to work extra-hard," Reyman says, which means subjecting your hair to extra heat abuse. "If you want professional results, use professional products." That doesn't mean you need to drop $300 on a curling iron, however. Look for one that has either tourmaline or ceramic coating; Reyman equates it to cooking in a Teflon-coated pan versus cooking in one without. Another must-have feature: adjustable heat settings. Browse our top-rated heating tools here.

Fowler recommends using a leave-in conditioner to keep your hair healthy. Also add in a serious heat-protection spray, like Sexy Hair Style Sexy Hair 450 Degree Protect Heat Defense Hot Tool Spray.

In addition to using quality tools, you also need to know how to use them. Most of the damage Reyman sees in clients' hair is from hair tool abuse -- of which you know you're guilty. "Part of what maintains the wellness of your hair is knowing how to use your tools," Reyman says. For example, "Don't use a flat iron or curling iron to fix a bad blow-dry." Meaning: don't straighten the heck out of your hair to flatten out frizziness, otherwise you'll end up with fried hair well before the six-month mark. (While you're in your stylist's chair, ask for a lesson in blowing out your hair -- or just follow our blowout tutorial.)

"As you're reaching four months since your last haircut, you'll notice that the top layer is starting to get flat," Fowler says. Volumizing products will help keep your hair from looking sad and droopy.

You're still going to have to rely on styling to keep your hair looking great. Hair masks can help hydrate your dry ends, says Reyman. He also advises turning up the heat on your styling tools. Counterintuitive as it may seem, it's better to style a section of hair once on a higher heat setting than many times on a lower setting.