Your afternoon conference call ran late, and now you've got 10 minutes to transform your lacklustre workday locks into bombshell cocktail-party tresses.

That's when we turn to AG’s new dry shampoo fastFWD. Shake the bottle and spray through your hair to vanquish oil and restore volume when you don’t have time to lather, rinse and repeat.

Tip: use it with easy-peasy velcro rollers for extra va-va-voom.

$22 at Pompadours, 2081 West Fourth Ave., Vancouver, 604-732-8017. www.aghaircosmetics.com

Sade’s sexy voice is what we really want, but we’ll settle for her super smooth hairdo.

Helping us emulate her frizz-free style circa 1984 is Calm Down grooming butter by Vancouver’s Eli Manuel. Rub the smallest amount of the lightweight cream—which happens to smell like scrumptious vanilla—into your palm, and then run your hands over your hair, finishing with a pat down of those flyaways closest to your part.

A license to love (your locks), insurance to hold (those hairs in place).

$26 at Tao Salon, 1523 W. Eigth Ave., Vancouver, 604-732-7889, www.taosalon.com

Colouring outside the lines isn’t just for kiddies. If you’re between a colouring and the greys have reared their roots, there’s a magic marker for you too.

While we don’t confess our hair is prematurely losing its pigment to anyone but our hair dresser, we don’t always make it to the salon in time, which is why we’re loving the TouchBack marker.

In eight natural shades, the pocket-sized marker contains real temporary colour that bonds to the hair shaft until it’s shampooed out. If you fear goopy gels and messy powders, this is your foolproof cover-up. We tried the medium brown on our locks and it did the trick, even staying put while we styled and sprayed.

Now even our hair dresser will think we turned back time.

US$29.95 at www.touchbackgray.com

We may not have the long luscious locks of our childhood, but we still suffer from those tear inducing tangles that plagued us in our playground days.

On the hunt for a grown-up solution we found a local product that makes running a comb through our hair a expletive-free affair. Infused with natural extracts like lemongrass and sage, Statik Salon’s sweet smelling Silk Spray detangles and conditions with just a couple spritzes.

The best part? The spray comes in both an 8 oz bottle ($19) that will keep those headstrong knots in line for months and a travel-ready 2 oz bottle ($6) for cross-continental entanglements.

So whether that mutinous mane is courtesy of a brisk walk around the Sea Wall or a week on the beach in Playa del Carmen [link: http://www.hotelbasico.com/index2.html], there’ll be no more tress-induced tears.

Available at Statik Salon, 2331 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-681-1444, www.statiksalon.com