This spring, make sure your hair is on-trend with some of the most stylish and easy-to-wear hairstyles for 2012. As winter fades, the spring will usher in a return to lady-like perfection with sleek ponytails, elegant updos and soft waves. Another big trend for spring are interesting hair accessories like feathers, metallic cording and natural stones. These fun and exciting accessories pair nicely with messy buns, intricate braids and complicated twists, which will also be a staple this spring.

Ponytails
One of the most elegant hairstyle trends for Spring 2012 are sleek ponytails. At the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this fall, designers from New York to Milan showcased models wearing a variety of sleek and straight ponytails. One of the most popular looks on the runways were low ponytails that were secured toward the nape of the neck. Another popular variation of this hairstyle trend was the three-part ponytail, which features a series of ponytails that are connected down the middle of the head similar to a French braid. If straight and sleek is not your style, you may want to consider a voluminous ponytail of curls or waves.

Elegant Updos
Dress up your ponytail with a sophisticated bun or updo. This romantic hairstyle trend can be achieved a number of different ways. Try looping your hair into a messy bun or opt for a more structured chignon or French roll design. Either way, your tresses will be on-trend. Add emphasis with a series of herringbone braids or loose twists. Give your simple ponytail a little extra oomph with statement accessories and embellishments. Secure your ponytail with interesting hair ties such as a leather band or flat barrette. Or, make your upswept style stand out with pearl-tipped hairpins or soft feathers.

Loose Waves and Voluminous Hair
Loose textured tresses are a classic look that never seems to go out of style. The spring breeze will help to showcase loose curls and full body waves, which will also be a popular trend as the weather warms. To achieve this carefree look, before you go to bed, simply part your hair into two sections and braid each section into loose braids. When you wake up, release the braids to reveal flowing, wavy hair. In addition to loose waves, another big hair trend for spring are voluminous, bouncy blowouts reminiscent of the 1960s and 70s.

Wet Hair
In direct opposition to the full hair trend, the wet and wild look will also return with a vengeance. While this look may not be suitable for the office, it’s the perfect look for the woman who is constantly on the go. To create the look, use a combination of mousse and high-gloss finishes. The look can also be achieved with glossing creams or serums.

What has science done for the beauty industry lately, you ask?

Well, for one, scientists in Australia have recently discovered a “curly hair gene,” AKA the trichohyalin gene. This gene, discovered by scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), is the one responsible for creating straight or curly locks.

Based on research done in Europe by Professor Nick Martin and Dr. Sarah Medland of the QIMR, 45 percent of Europeans have straight hair, 40 percent have wavy hair and only 15 percent have curly hair. As a curly-haired guy, himself, Professor Martin wondered what genetic variations were responsible for hair texture.

To learn more about these genetic processes, the team analyzed data collected from a 30-year study of 5,000 twins in Australia. When the twins’ genome maps were compared, twins exhibited the same types of variations in the trichohyalin gene depending on if they shared either curly hair or straight hair.

What else has Professor Martin concluded? Because the trichohyalin gene creates an amino acid change, which in turn influences the hair’s texture, it may be possible to develop treatments to make hair straighter or curlier as an alternative to heated hair straighteners or chemical hair treatments like perms. Maybe someday soon, we’ll all be popping pills instead of ironing out those curls every day or heading to the salon for a perm. (Of course, you could always embrace your natural curl instead!)

Science. What will they think of next?

This hilarious beauty school commercial is part of a series called “I Love Local Commercials”. The series is being created by Rhett&Link (Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal), a North Carolina-based comedy duo and life-long best friends.

To be part of the series, local businesses are nominated or nominate themselves for a free commercial. All costs are provided for by Rhett&Link’s sponsor, Microbelt. So, yes, this is a real school and a semi-real commercial.

According to Rhett&Link’s behind the scenes video, the duo visited Salt Lake City Community College’s campus but weren’t feeling inspired to create the commercial until they spotted the Barbering and Cosmetology school sign advertising $2 men’s haircuts. Upon investigation, they “quickly became entranced by the strange collection of fake heads and the students meticulously styling them.” And a commercial was born!

Enjoy!

When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to figuring out the complex answer to his daughter’s simple, but profound question.

In the documentary film, Good Hair, Rock takes us on a fascinating journey through the international business trade of hair weaves, the science behind relaxers and the surprising question of how much black women spend on their hair.

During a press junket for a film festival in Salt Lake City, Rock discussed with Salon Magazine journalist Andrew O’Hehir how the initial idea for the film expanded the further he investigated.

“It kind of blew my mind, the idea that in an African-American household you got this Porsche that nobody can see, these working-class and middle-class black women spending thousands of dollars… buying a Porsche that nobody sees.” He adds, “There is a whole economic realm to this that I didn’t know about at all.”

One unexpected turn in the economic story comes when Rock learns that much of the hair used for creating extensions for black women comes from India. Human hair is India’s single largest export. He also sees how the culture has adapted to make harvesting the hair easy and profitable for the industry. Many Hindu temples conduct “hair sacrifices” during religious ceremonies that allow members of the temple a few moments of cultural distinction (and no money) in exchange for hair that can later be worth thousands of dollars. This “sacrificed” hair is processed and sold to hair dealers around the world who, in turn, sell it to local dealers who, in turn, sell it to salons and hair vendors at a huge profit.

How does Rock view this suspicious economic angle? He tells O’Hehir a different cut of the movie exists where Rock treats the hair trade as a problem for black females. He later calls on women to reject this international cartel of exploitation. But, he says, in the end that version simply wasn’t as fun to watch. He said he would rather inform and entertain rather than divide and mobilize.

On that tip, Rock succeeds. The movie is a serious, yet non-confrontational look at how cultural norms can make us do and believe some crazy things. It’s entertaining, but not angry. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations that add much more entertainment to what could have become a sobering, but impersonal look into the culture of beauty in the world.

For anyone involved in cosmetology, hairstyling or ethnic beauty marketing, this film is a must. Good Hair is playing in select cities right now. It opens nationally on October 23.

There are countless reasons cosmetology professionals attend beauty school to learn their trade – cutting, coloring and styling hair isn’t something that everyone can do. Well, at least … isn’t something that everyone should do. So here are five more great reasons to see a professional.

My own experience with self-styling started early. When I was little, my mom used to trim my bangs, and got the blunt, straight-across look by pulling a piece of Scotch tape across my fringe and then cutting under that. Seemed easy enough. Until I tried it myself, and ended up with at least an inch difference in length from the left to right side of my forehead. I remember my mom hiding a laugh behind her hand when I begged her not to tell Dad, and she replied, “Oh honey, I don’t think we’re going to have to!”

I also used to cut my own hair in college, when I was broke. I tried to fool myself into thinking it looked halfway decent, but I’m pretty sure that was the reason why every day of the week was a bad hair day and I wore ponytails for four years straight.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one. Some other misguided wannabe amateur hairstylists have provided their own hair horror stories here:

“Oh my, I am the hair disaster queen! I let my dad cut my hair in the 8th grade. He cut it way too short and uneven. I cried. The very next day was our holiday play and there was not enough time to go somewhere to get it fixed so I looked like an idiot! I also tried to touch up my roots once with a drugstore hair color kit and they turned bright orange. I called around and found a salon that could fix it the next afternoon, but I had to come to work in the morning with orange hair. I wore a hat. I had only worked here for a few months at the time and even with the hat I was super embarrassed. It has been a long road, but I have finally learned to leave my hair in the hands of professionals!” -Angie

“Sometimes, when I am between haircuts, I’ll do a little styling to delay paying the 15 bucks on a haircut for another week or so. Using what scissors happen to be in the kitchen junk drawer, I stand on my tippy-toes – like it helps – in the bathroom mirror and cut around my ears, thin out my sideburns, trim the bangs, and try my best to angle the blades to fade my hair on the sides. This means I do nothing to the back, which results in a strange effect in which I look relatively well-groomed straight on … for a few seconds. But if you spend any time looking at me, you can see the back come hulking around. I would compare this look to a batting helmet I wore in little league – minimalistic in front with excessive padding in the back.” -Kevin

“When I was probably 13 or 14 I used that Sun-In stuff when I was at the lake. I didn’t think it was doing anything, so I kept spraying on more and more. I had used the whole bottle before I realized that my hair wasn’t turning platinum – it was turning orange.” -Lacey

“I tried to color my hair once with one of those box dyes. I went ahead and got the premium kind that included do-your-own highlights. Yeah, that was a bad idea. I freaked out halfway through letting the highlights sit and washed it all out. So first off, the color turned out dark red instead of light brown and I had these blonde patches were the color took. I looked like a sunburned leopard… or something like that. Red hair plus blonde spots equals not good.” -Chris

So what about you? Have you ever tried to color or cut your hair and ended up horrified by the results? Share your stories below – we’ll commiserate. And next time? Make sure to go to a licensed hairstylist who has legit training from a cosmetology school, eh?

Since New York Fashion Week came to an end Thursday, September 17, I thought we would share a few runway hairstyles we love. Whether you are an aspiring hairstylist or a long time professional hair designer, we think these Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week styles should provide some fashionable inspiration. Let us know what you think!

Andy and Debb. Dramatic up-do.

BCBG MaxAzria. Soft and pretty.

Charlotte Ronson. Buns and headbands!

Derek Lam. Glam hair and makeup.

Donna Karan New York. Sleek and simple.

I always wondered why it seemed like celebrities have full tresses of hair cascading in voluminous waves – ALL THE TIME. Surely, these women are not super-human hair-growth machines that wake up in the morning looking like they just paid up $300 at a salon, right?

Right. When I realized that celebrities used hair extensions, everything seemed to fall into place. (And, I sort of hit myself on the top of the head for not realizing sooner.) Of course they can always have gorgeous hair when they’re simply clipping, weaving or braiding in someone else’s hair!

So, I was doing a bit of research on this beauty method, and I stumbled across this bit of news: you can buy Jessica Simpson’s hair! Well, not her actual hair. But, Simpson, along with hair guru Ken Paves, has designed a whole line of extension systems.

Check out the Hair U Wear! The tagline for her new line of hairdo’s “Change your hair as often as you change your mind,” is true-blue Jessica Simpson. And now, thanks to Paves and Simpson’s line of locks, you can sport a whole range of Jessica-inspired looks.

At first, I thought that it was kind of silly that they would make a line of extensions just for blonde’s, but then I saw that they come in a lot of different colors. You can get human hair or synthetic, too. So, all in all, it looks like a pretty good, fun product.