We love summer activities: pool, beach, just laying like a sea lion in the sun. Such fun will, however, quickly dry out your hair. Chlorine may be protecting your body from nasty bacteria but it is wreaking havoc on your locks. While it would be nice to head to the salon for a deep condition and head massage, it’s just not in the budget. Lucky for us, regular salad ingredients like oil, vinegar, and avocado do great things for hair repair. So invite a friend over (so you still get that head rub) and raid your pantry for budget hair treatments.

Nope, it doesn't. There's no Frisbee ban. You've likely read the news report that LA passed a law slapping a $1,000 fine on playing Frisbee at the beach. Then other news outlets picked up on it, announcing throwing a Frisbee "will cost you a cool $1,000 thanks to a new ordinance passed by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday." The only thing is it isn't true. A little digging revealed that the fine has been greatly exaggerated, and that it's not a new ordinance at all!

William Shakespeare is very dead, though you wouldn't know it from all the performances of his plays happening around Los Angeles this summer. New York City has a huge Shakespeare in the Park show every year, but we're better than that here in Southern California. We have Shakespeare in lots of parks. And they're all FREE. So whether you don't have the money to see a play at Music Center, or just prefer the theatre to a free concert, show the Bard some love and go to a show. Wherefore art all these shows? Probably very close to you!

One of the best things about summer in Los Angeles is that all around the city, nearly every day of the week, someone is treating you to awesome live music in the great outdoors for FREE. From local indie bands to big acts, world music to jazz to Latin to country/Americana, there is definitely something you'll like at a price you can afford: FREE. Did we say FREE? Yeah, all these concerts are FREE. Check the BrokeLA.com calendar to see what's going on today. Now go listen!

It's 4th of July weekend 2011 and we can't wait for the fireworks! Yes, there are parades and pancake breakfasts to celebrate the red, white & blue this Independence Day, but who are we kidding? We are just waiting to see beautiful explosions light up the night. Grab a blanket and a friend, because we've got your rundown for fireworks across Los Angeles and SoCal at large. Most of these fireworks shows are free, and all the rest are really cheap at $5 and under, with that money generally going to charity. Happy Birthday, America!

It's hard to believe that it's almost mid-summer (4th of July is kind of the unofficial peak). So far, it's been relatively mild but last night we had to bust out the citronella candles. Yep, the less glamorous aspect of hot summer night: mosquitoes. If you're hiking in the jungle, bust out the DEET (we almost wrote DDT, oops). Otherwise, it's probably a good idea to keep your heavy chemical exposure to a minimum. Those annoying little bloodsuckers keep on coming, so we've got some tips for keeping them at bay more naturally.

Summer heat is finally sneaking in and, with it, the need for refreshment. The farmers' markets are bursting with fresh summer fruits and the big box grocery stores always have a supply of orchard yielding. You can pretty easily turn some of that sweetness into a delightfully refreshing beverage. We know this is not an original idea, it's just a do-it-at-home-and-save-a-lot-of-money pointer.