Cristophe Beverly Hills

Whoa, who knew that this year's Best Shampoo of 2008 would only win by a hair? Oh dear. Seeing that Frédéric Fekkai was just four votes under, we'll give the brand an honorable mention. And as for the official winner? Let's give Pantene some kudos for delivering good-smelling, feel-nice products that don't break the bank.

What's my favorite? I'm with you on the drugstore shampoo. My pick is Cristophe Beverly Hills, a natural, fragrance-free line, available at CVS, that makes my hair — and the beau's — feel fantastic. Now that you know this year's top shampoos, check out the rest of our Best of 2008 polls and outcomes now.

If summer is leaving your hair frizzy, dry, or otherwise unpleasant, don't despair. Three simple tips, courtesy of star stylist Cristophe, can help your hair look its healthiest:

Protect. "The sun is probably the biggest enemy that we have during the summertime," Cristophe says. Just as UVA and UVB rays can damage our skin, they also harm our hair. Use a spray-on sunscreen for hair; Cristophe's Protect And Shine Spray is just $4.99, and it keeps your hair color from fading.

Condition. Using a deep conditioner once a week will help restore smoothness and moisture to dried-out hair. "The idea is obviously to be a little bit more in the conditioning and hydrating mode than you are during the rest of the year," he adds. I'll add that you don't need to spend a fortune to do this; just coat hair with conditioner and leave it on for about 10 minutes, and you'll get a similar effect.

Go natural. "Working with your natural texture is a good thing to do during the summer," Cristophe advises. "If you have really curly hair, you probably want to keep it more wavy — or at least leave in some of the movement instead of trying to get it stick-straight."

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The only thing I love more than a famous hairstylist is a famous hairstylist who makes his hair-care products affordable. Such is the case with Cristophe, who creates some of Hollywood's most famous hairstyles in his Beverly Hills salon. While a cut with him costs hundreds of dollars, his unscented, sulfate- and paraben-free hair-care collection (glowing review here) is well priced and available at CVS. I recently talked with him about his philosophy behind his line, so read on.

Why was it important to you to do a line that doesn’t have any dyes or sulfates or fragrances?
My goal was always to make products that are performance oriented. Obviously the primary objective is to have a product that is good for you; we have these reports now that say things like sulfates are maybe not good for you. So this is really an initial move to see how the consumer reacts to this, if they would rather switch to a more natural product or not.

To find out why the man who commands $500 for a haircut decided to make his products affordable, read more

For those of you who pooh-pooh drugstore shampoos, I've got a line that might change your mind. Cristophe Beverly Hills is a posh salon that draws the likes of Jessica Biel, Nicole Kidman, and Cameron Diaz. Now the rest of us can afford a piece of the action thanks to Cristophe Beverly Hills Purely Natural, which just launched at CVS.

There's more to this three-piece collection than a fancy salon affiliation, though. None of the products are tested on animals, and all are free of sulfates, parabens, dyes and fragrance. So not only do you get the pedigree without the price, you actually get products that are gentler to your hair and scalp. But how well do they work? To find out, read more