By Paul Meekin.

Despite the fact that, as I write, it's pouring with rain again, our brief spell of summer weather this month did prompt a wave of women asking about summer hair trends in the salon

From plaits to crops and dry shampoo, I've got some great hints and tips to see you through the summer months, whether you're spending it in Belfast or the Bahamas.

First up though, we've had an exciting few weeks here at Partners - from a celeb snipper's visit to some futuristic basins - plus we've got a great offer for Sugahfix readers, so read on.

We've been inundated with new clients wanting to experience our new Nuopia hair-washing reclining pods - that's right, reclining pods!

We're the first salon in the whole of Ireland to have these state-of-the-art chairs, which offer chill-out colour changing lights, an in-built iPod and a massage function.

We let Sugahfix gal Andrea McVeigh try one out and, to be honest, we had a hard job getting her out of it again - I think I heard the words "I want to marry it" escaping from her mouth!

In the chairs, you can literally lie back and relax, switch on the massage function, listen to some great music and be blissed-out by the changing light hues while we shampoo and condition your hair with TIGI products.

We want Sugahfix readers to try them too, so we've got a great offer just for you.

SUGAHFIX READER OFFER

Just for you we've come up with a pamper package, which features a free head massage, a deep reconditioning treatment and the pod's full colour therapy and massage functions.

his would usually cost £15, but to you it's free with any other service in the salon.

  So if you only book in for a blow dry, you get the full VIP works thrown in for free - all you have to do is quote "Sugahfix" when you make the appointment.

Tel: 028 90 455444 to book.

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 What else is new with us?

Well, celebrity stylist Andrew Collinge - who was in town for the Irish leg of the TIGI Art Meets Business tour - popped into the salon.

He was here to congratulate us on our forthcoming launch of the TIGI (International) Academy in the salon, which will train the next generation of superstar hairdressers in Ireland.

Andrew - who is one of the nicest men in hairdressing, is in the British Hairdressing Awards Hall of Fame and has twice been voted British Hairdresser of the Year - said he was thrilled by Partners.

There are only a handful of TIGI academies in the world, so it's a great honour, for us as well as for Belfast - it means we can join the likes of London and New York when it comes to nurturing the finest creative talent in the world of hairdressing.

Andrew came back again recently to take a course on TIGI cutting and colouring in Partners for trainee stylists - he's becoming quite at home here at Partners and we love welcoming him to our wee corner of Belfast.

I've also been asked to join the TIGI team at London Fashion Week in September - so expect lots of insider gossip and backstage chat from me then.

BUT BACK to summer hair care - and there's so much going on it's hard to know where to start.

Last month I talked about colour, and that's a trend that continues to explode in popularity.

We love actress Jaime Winstone (pictured left) and her fun approach to image-changing, but one of her most recent looks had us really swooning in the salon. She has gone multi-coloured, with strands of pink, purple and blue, set off with a blunt-cut fringe. Go girl! It's a great look for summer festivals and I bet Glastonbury will be a sea of colour this month.

When it comes to festival-going, all-night parties or camping holidays, make sure you have a dry shampoo with you.  We recommend TIGI Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo - so you can refresh your style without having to wash it.

TIGI also offer a Rockaholic Dirty Punk Festival Pack with a Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo and Punk Out Molding Gunk, which you can use wet or dry.

Jaime's new look also taps into another new trends - DIY hair. Except it's not actually DIY, it just looks like it is. This is a messy, punkish, carefree look, as popularised by Pixie

Geldof too. But it's actually carefully achieved in a salon.

The fun part is that it doesn't have to be permanent either - most of those crazy colours will wash out easily, although your hair will need to be fairly blonde or bleached to start with, so that the colour will hold. And if you decide you need the colour taken out quickly for a job interview or important event, we can do a bleach rinse to remove it.

Another summer fail-safe is the hair plaint or French braid, especially when plaited to one side of the head. Again, it's a great way to disguise hair that needs washed if you just don't have the time or means to shampoo it.

In fact, plaits work better when the hair is a bit greasy or dirty, as the plait will fall out of the hair is too shiny and smooth - call into the salon and we'll give you a plaiting masterclass.

And of course, the crop is the ultimate summer hair style - you don't even need to blow dry it, just add in some texturising product, mess it up a bit and you're good to go.

Check out Tigi Love, Peace and The Planet Eco Freako Texturiser, which has no parabens or artificial colours yet delivers fantastic flexible hold.

Paul Meekin Partners Hair + Beauty

118-122 Castlereagh Street

Belfast

BT5 4NL

Tel: 028 90 455444