Damaged hair requires daily maintenance in order to nurse it back to health. Unfortunately, we don't always have the time our hair needs. There are ways to cheat your way to hair rescue. It's not recommended for regular upkeep, but these tactics will work in a pinch.

Leave it in. Comb a leave-in conditioner while hair is still damp. Then scrunch a palmful of Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam from root to tip. Because it contains conditioning agents, it will soften up even brittle hair due to coloring or chemical processing, like KIRSTEN DUNST's (shown).

Blow-dry carefully. Heat styling is a big reason why hair becomes damaged. It is possible to hide heat's effects, however. Stand up and look down at your feet. Part hair so that half falls over each shoulder. Blow-dry only the roots until they are dry and let the ends air dry.

Avoid frizz. If hair is curly, skip the blow-dry and comb a lightweight conditioner like Framesi BY Sparkling Mousse Light through damp hair. Then scrunch ends and let air dry.

Hide the ends. For severely damaged hair, spray the bottom half with Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Shine and Define Spray to protect it. Then wrap ends section-by-section around a large barrel curling iron. If hair still looks parched, rub a few drops of anti-frizz serum through ends. Pomade will also work here.

Put it up. You can easily hide damaged ends by putting your hair up. Pull hair into a pony tail and wrap it around itself. Once you've created a bun, push in long narrow bobby pins at various directions until it stays put. Let bangs and layers fall loose to create a sexy-messy look, such as SANDRA BULLOCK's (shown).