HEY LADIES THE HOLIDAYS ARE JUST AROUND THE CORNER AND THIS MAY COME IN HANDY JUST ANY DAY!!

Curls







Kicky, Feminine Curls

Curly hair, while coveted by many, can be high-maintenance: dryness is often an issue, as are frizz and flyaways. Also, from day to day, curly hair can have a mind of its own. But instead of straightening your curls into submission, or living with Shirley Temple-like banana curls, why not adopt the new dash-of-disheveled curly look? Since you already have curls to start with, you're ahead of the game.

Luckily, the curly-haired population has been inundated recently with products geared to their specific curl type, from loose to tight. The goal is clear: Nourish your curls (which can be drier than other hair types) and provide reviving help when necessary. Trust us, it's never been easier to love what your straight-haired friends wish they were born with!

Start with either freshly washed hair, or better yet, mist your dry hair with water and a curl enhancing lotion until it's damp. Next, spritz your damp hair with a styling product specifically for curly hair (check the label), spraying evenly over your whole head. Comb through with a fine-tooth comb for even distribution. Next, divide your wet hair into sections, twist each section into flat coils and secure with small hair pins. (Twist many sections if you want a curlier look, fewer if you want to soften your already bodacious curls.) If you have time, let the pin curls dry naturally or help the process along with a diffuser. (Remember those? They're still useful, as they provide a softer air flow that won't disturb your handiwork.)

As you unroll each section of hair, don't be alarmed by your tightly wound ringlets -- you can easily adjust the curl by finger-combing certain sections. Turn your head upside down and with your diffuser rough it up a bit to give it a modern volume. Finish with a generous spritz of shine enhancing spray, which contains silicone for a weightless sheen. The benefit of a spray formula versus a liquid is -- you got it -- minimal touching, maximum style.

When the hair is wet, coat it with a curl-enhancing styler such as KMS Curl Up Curling Balm, $13.95, Matrix Biolage Curl-Defining Creme, $12.95, or John Frieda Sheer Blonde Curvaceous Blonde Curl-Defining Styler, $6.50. Secure your twists with pins that are wide enough to accommodate thicker chunks of hair, such as Vidal Sassoon Curl Definition pins, $1.59. A diffuser is the best tool for curly hair and can be bought separately and attached to most blow-dryers. Try Conair Pro Styler Professional Finger Diffuser, $9.99. Dab a few areas, such as any pesky flyaways around your hairline, with a shine-enhancing spray, such as Philip B. Shin Shine, $25.50. Keep a curl-enhancing lotion handy, such as Umberto Giannini Curl & Twist Spritz, $5.99, or Alterna Curls Shape Activator, $20, to bring curls back to life.

Texture

Want to control your curls, put some sass in your straight locks, or add texture to your tendrils? The secret is knowing how to use the best of today's styling products and tools. Here, with the help of hairstylist-to-the-stars Sally Hershberger, we show you how to make the most of what you've got.

Take a good look at the dozens of new hairstyling products that have flooded the market lately and you'll notice that most of them are designed to give your hair a bit of oomph. The technical term is "texture," which means hair that looks piece-y and windblown, with a matte finish, especially at the ends.

This look works with pretty much every hair length and thickness, but a layered, shoulder-length cut is the perfect playground for texturizing products. While all of these products are designed to give your hair hold, there are differences among them. Pomades are thick and make hair of any length shiny. Just a dab, added to the ends, adds definition. Wax is thicker still, leaves hair slightly stiffer, and is perfect for short cuts. Paste has a consistency that's appropriate for using all over your hair, but gels should be used only on wet hair. Finally, mousse, still beloved by many, delivers soft hold.

This abundance of styling products might make your head spin, but that's where the fun lies: experiment with a few, even mix them together, and your hair will appear thicker, your cut will stay fresh-looking longer, and your style will hold all day.

After shampooing, coat your hair with the styling product of your choice. Next, blow-dry your hair until it's smooth from the roots to the ends. If your hair is curly or wavy, run a flat iron over random sections to finish straightening it. Finally, dab a bit of texturizing product on your hands, rub them together, and work the product into the ends of hair. (Don't place a glob of product directly on top of your head -- that will simply flatten it and make it look greasy.)

Work a bit of a styling cream, such as Bain de Terre Whip Into Shape, $11, or Aveda Control Granules, $29, into your hair before drying. Use no more than a squirt of product, or you might end up limp and greasy! After your hair is dry, touch up the ends with a flat iron, such as Rusk Engineering 1" Professional Iron, $157.99, which now has ceramic plates for even smoother, snag-free straightening -- just be careful not to let the iron sit on the hair for too long or you risk burning it. Follow that by placing a dab of a texturizing paste, such as Redken Rough Paste 12, $14.95, or Artec for L'Oreal Professionnel Texture Paste, $13.50, in your palms, rubbing them together to warm up the product a bit, and pressing the product onto the ends of your hair. A product with a softer consistency, such as John Frieda Sheer Blonde Spun Gold Shaping & Highlighting Balm, $5.50, which Hershberger created for blonde hair, adds soft hold to all shades and is easy to control. Finish with a light coating of hairspray, such as Bed Head Hard Head Hairspray, $11.95.

If you're happy with your hair -- whether straight or curly -- but want to try a trendy look, then waves are just the ticket. Not only is wavy hair amazingly sexy and carefree, but it combines the volume of curly hair with the smoothness and sleekness of straight hair, making it relatively simple for any hair type to get.

Ready to score a mane of waves? The trick is to use styling products that both smooth the hair (no frizzies, please!) and add volume. The right styling tools, such as rollers and curling irons, are important too.

Begin with freshly shampooed hair, or, if you're looking to quickly transform your hair without hitting the shower, simply spritz with a water bottle. Next, massage a golf-ball sized dollop of mousse directly into your hair, concentrating it on the roots, but making sure your whole head is covered. If your hair is fairly straight, you can flip your head over and dry it with a blow-dryer and your fingers. If your hair's a bit curlier, then use a round brush to smooth out any kinks. (It might sound strange to straighten your hair before waving it, but curly hair needs to lie flat before waves can be added back in.) Next, set your hair with hot rollers, which help to add shine, concentrating the larger rollers in the center of your head and the smaller ones around your hairline for more defined tendrils. After your hair dries, gently remove the rollers and let your hair fall naturally into a "s" shape. Finally, twirl a few sections of hair around the barrel of a curling iron -- instead of inside the iron, which will give you a curly rather than a wavy, look -- midway through the length of your hair to its ends. Afterwards, spray with one of the new hairsprays that don't harden but leave a flexible hold. Voila!

Since shine is the hallmark of wavy hair, make sure to condition after shampooing -- try Pantene Lightweight Conditioning Foam, $3.99. Next, use a styling product, such as mousse, that gives your hair hold, such as Rene Furterer Volumizing Mousse, $18. You can also use a gel, such as ISO Multiplicity Tousle Cream 'n Gel, $16, which merges the holding power of a gel with the smoothing effect of a cream in one bottle. Another option is Kusco-Murphy Setting Lotion, $18. Next, dry the hair almost completely -- but don't worry about getting it perfectly straight -- since setting in heated rollers, such as Revlon Natural Set hot rollers, $49.95, will smooth it out. Get rid of any fuzzies by running a drop of an anti-frizz serum, such as John Frieda Frizz Ease Hair Serum, $9.99, or Fudge Head Polish, $14.95, over the surface of the hair.

You know you want it, but more than likely you just don't know how to get it. We're talking about volume, of course, and lots of it! While a 1960s-inspired mane is what usually comes to mind when discussing voluminous hair, the modern-day solution is utterly touchable and vibrant. Better yet, you can easily get this look without the aggressive (and damaging!) teasing that made this 'do such a hit way back when. If your hair is naturally straight, then adding some height to your roots is all that you need to give you a whole new look. Or if your hair is either curly or wavy and you prefer to wear it straight, adding a bit of body will breathe new life into your 'do.

Whether your hair is stick-straight or wavy, the rule regarding voluminous hair remains the same: it all starts at the roots. Start by washing and conditioning your hair with the new volumizing products that are formulated to thicken fine hair. The latest technology is conditioner in a mousse formula, which delivers the moisture that thin hair still needs, without making it heavy and limp the way a cream conditioner can. Next, douse your hair with a volumizing lotion or mousse, focusing on your roots and going right down to the ends. Once strands are coated in product, set it in Velcro rollers. You can either let it air dry (which might take up to an hour, depending on how thick your hair is) or speed up the process with a blow-dryer. When your hair feels dry to the touch, carefully remove the rollers and try not to touch your hair too much -- you don't want to deflate your hair's height.

Big, sexy hair that's soft to the touch starts in the shower, with shampoos and conditioners formulated to get you on the road to a sexy pouf. Try Graham Webb Thick Infusion Shampoo, $10.95, which gives the appearance of denser hair. Follow up shampooing with a hardworking conditioner, such as Dove Foam Conditioner, $3.69, which is light enough to give your hair lift while still delivering crucial moisture. Next, prepare your "set" by massaging in a mousse all over your hair, such as Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam, $7.50, and rolling a few sections with Velcro rollers, such as Velcro Classic Stylers, $3.49. Finish with a dab of a soft cream for shine, such as Mario Russo Miracle Styling Creme, $24.50. Finally, run a natural-bristled brush, such as Mason Pearson Detangling Hair Brush, $60, to rid yourself of any strays.