Waking up to a bad head of hair can ruin anyone’s day. Too curly, too flat, too frizzy- there is no end to the tricks our hair can pull on us during a good night’s sleep. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Don’t let that mop rule your life- use a few tricks and tools to tame it.

The market is jam packed with all kinds of fancy hair care accessories, all claiming to bring your hair under control with great ease. However most new products or accessories are just gimmicks and can do you more harm than good. They also require that you have a certain amount of expertise that will enable you to use them to their full potential. As a rule of thumb stay away from accessories that have chemicals or use very high heat that can damage your hair. The best hair care accessories are the time tested simple ones.

When it comes to hair care, you can’t think too small. Everyone has a hair brush, but have you ever though about why you have the particular one you’re using? Do you have layers that are always poofing out and going crazy? You should probably be using a flat paddle-style brush, since it won’t add extra volume to your hair. Do you have the kind of hair that flips in one direction on one side, and the other direction on the other side? A round brush with a little product will help you keep your hair’s flip in line. But if a simple mechanical twist on your old styling habits doesn’t do the trick, it might be time to go high-tec. Round brushes, for instance, have a thermal equivalent that you can plug into the wall. The core of the brush heats up, so that you hair is curled into shape as you brush it, producing a smooth, loosely curved look. To go one step further, you can combine your round-brush action and your blow-drying into one simple task. Blow-drying round-brushes pump hot air through the core of the brush, producing the same effect as the thermal round-brush, but with a little extra body and without the extra step. And if your old paddle brush and a little product can’t calm your locks down, it might be time to look for a powered alternative.

Straightening irons, used on a moderate setting to protect your hair, can knock the rebellion right out of your do, producing a sleek, classy look that will hold all day- just as long as you don’t get it wet.

If you have the opposite problem- limp hair- and a styling brush can’t tease life into it, curlers and curling irons might be the hair care accessories for you. Curlers aren’t for grannies; they can produce knockout body and lush waves that look natural, just as a hair curler can give your hair body in all the right places. Used properly, these hair care accessories can help you kiss your last bad hair day goodbye. But, as with all heating hair accessories – be it blow-dryers, hair straighteners, or a curling iron- be moderate in your heat use. You don’t want to start with flat hair, and end up with a head of crispy frizz.

You don’t need a whole shop full of accessories to bring your hair under control. Just a few simple tools can help you take control, if you have a specific condition, you can opt to buy an optional tool that helps you with your condition. Once you know how to take care of your hair, you will almost never wake up to a head filled with fizzed hair.