I didn’t catch the BET awards this week - but I did catch the red carpet looks. (Obviously, it’s sort of my JOB.)

Zuma Press

What I couldn’t get over was Lil Mama’s super hot side pony. Want to steal it? Celebrity hairdresser Marcia Hamilton created it - and here’s how you can copy it!

First, part a heavy fringe from eyebrow to eyebrow and then brush all remaining hair up and to the side, above the left eyebrow. Check out the height and volume that creates, all on its own!

Ala your high-school Saved by the Bell worship days, get a good hair band to hold hair and sweep into a side ponytail. Spray hair with a light hold hairspray to smooth down fly-aways.

You can also create even more volume by adding a weft of human hair around the pony tail before you secure.

Your pony tail is going to require smooth curls, not frizz - this can be created really well with H2pro’s HC34 3/4 Ceramic Curling Iron.

Proceed by taking 1 inch sections, mist with a thermal protection spray and wrap around a closed iron for perfectly polished curls.

Final step is your fringe! Use a mini flat iron from root to end and spray with David Babaii for WildAid Extra Hold Styling Spray.

The look is adventurous, for sure, but so is Lil Mama! What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Comment below!

It’s often advised that we should change up our look a bit following a breakup - it helps us to reinvent ourselves, and return part of our mojo before we re-enter the dating scene.

A lot of us girls choose to do this by altering our hair-style. Remember when Felicity cut her hair off? Or in Sex and the City where Carrie went brunette following breakup…and then blonde again when she was “herself” again?

A new look is a symbol of a new you, and reinvention opens the door to new possibilities–or, to take a more bleak look, the end of the old options.

Image: Newscom

No one is this more true for than our beloved Britney Spears. Her mood is always reflected in her hair. When she was young and apparently innocent/carefree, she had gorgeous long flowing blond hair.

Her life started to go bad, she shaved her head. (OK, I’ve never seriously considered going THAT far…)

She got a little bit of … help…and suddenly her hair was reborn (er…regrown)…with a little help from extensions.

Now she has a new man, and she’s gone brunette!

Britney has been seen around town in her new brunette ‘do - and I have to say, I really dig it! It seems to be natural and mature - in a way that we hope she has become, as well.

What do all of you think of Britney Spears’ new look?

Yesterday, I was invited to sit down with celeb hairstylist Richard Marin at De Berardinis Salon in New York City and learn about Remington’s new Wet 2 Straight ceramic straightener.

Image: Remington

This is a surprisingly powerful - but gentle! - ceramic straightener dries and straightens hair in one step!

I was a little afraid before trying it. I mean, all of us have gone through those stages where we’ve attempted to flat iron our bangs while still wet and heard that sizzle. Sizzling hair = bad!

But this turned out pretty fabulous.

I love it because it’s a super time-saver, you simply wash your hair, and you straighten in one easy step. There’s no need to blow dry– steam vents release moisture to dry while you straighten.

Check out at left, a picture of MY hair after using the straightener -now, as I’ve mentioned before, my hair is pretty temperamental. So, when the stylist was able to straighten it in 10 minute flat, I did not expect it to look not only straight, but sleek and like silk. But it did!

It looked just as good as when I go through the long ordeal of a blowout followed by flat ironing - and did not sizzle at all!

Of course, it is heat - and it’s still being used directly on your wet hair - so I would advise using a heat protectant as a precaution, always. But that’s true with ANY heat styling! Otherwise, enjoy: My plan is to make this my travel dryer. One less thing to carry! Another thing I appreciate: It runs you less than $40. Recession-friendly hair products are pretty essential these days, and one that does two jobs in one, even more appreciated.

This weekend, I stayed in a totally fancy hotel - but for some odd reason, their toiletries were less-than well stocked.

We had plenty of body cleansing type stuff, and shampoo, but no conditioner. This resulted in me having the choice of washing my hair unconditioned, or not washing it for 3 days - while in beach-and-heat conditions.

Sxc.hu

I chose to not wash…and by the end of the weekend, was not all that attractive. However, I would have been if I knew this was going to happen and came with all my blowout-stretching materials at-ready.

The truth is, hair is healthiest if you do not wash it daily - it helps to distribute natural oils and is better for the scalp. But when you are on vacay, you sort of always want to look your freshest, too!

Some tips for what you should do:

Dry Shampoo!

Heidi couldn’t live without it, and neither can I. Find the brand you love and take it with you - or go even more affordable, and just use baby powder - it works great, and buys you at least a day.

No ‘Poo

Many people swear by the no ‘poo method of hair washing,..this is basically creating a rinse out of diluted baking soda andapple cider vinegar, it will last longer than shampoo!

Easy Does It

Hair is a creature of habit. Start to slowly increase the time between washes - eventually your every other day hair will be able to last 3 days! Of course, this works in reverse too - I used to be able to last 5 days, now I am lucky if I get 3!

Hide It
If all else fails, create a chic braid or pony - This way, you look sporty and casual hot - but actually are just hiding your limp locks. But don’t try to wear it down after you’ve gone the pony route - styling and messing around with your hair redistributes the oils, and just makes it greasier than it was in the first place!

Very often, we go to the salon and have gorgeous results. Then we get home, and cannot even begin to to recreate the look.

There are five different sets that will be available starting today!

Versati Red Hot Straightening Set

MSRP: $192.93

SALE PRICE: $39.99

Sedu Pink Revolution Sleek and Straight Set

MSRP: $294.98

SALE PRICE: $99.99

CHI Beach Blue Straightening Set

MSRP: $248.95

SALE PRICE: $99.99

Sedu Summer Styling Set

MSRP: $312.98

SALE PRICE: $99.99

BaByliss Summer Vacation Styling Set

MSRP: $246.89

SALE PRICE: $99.99

Image: Folica.com

And even cooler than that, I’m going to be giving one of these awesome sets away!!!

Check out the Sedu Summer Styling Set. It includes

·Sedu Revolution Pro Tourmaline Ionic TGR 4000i Hair Dryer ($270.00 value) - I LOVE this hair dryer. It has a super compact size (makes it easier to travel with) and light weight design, but most importantly, it dries fast, and well, and keeps your hair shiny and smooth - what else could I ask for???

· Sedu Revolution Pro Ionic Finger Diffuser ($24.95 value)

· Sedu Beach Beauty Sea Salt Spray ($15.99 value)

· Folica Pop-Up Brush and Travel Bag ($9.99 value)

· FREE 2 year extended warranty ($14.95 value)

To have your chance to win, please tell me about the most fabulous hair day you ever had, and how much luck you had recreating it! Deadline to enter is July 1. Increase your chances to win by retweeting this contest on Twitter! (My user name is @alywalansky)

Good luck!!!

It has been a pretty sad day in the universe - two huge icons of pop culture died within a few hours of each other.

I grew up during the Michael Jackson era - his tunes were on the soundtrack of my Bar Mitzvah, and “Billy Jean” is currently on my iPod play list.

Image: Zuma Press

That said - I am pretty offended that - shocking as Michael’s death was - it pretty much threw Farrah off the news coverage.

At one point, Farrah Fawcett had the most famous hair in the world - so it seems fitting that I take my hair section as a place to give a few paragraphs of tribute to her.

I purposefully chose this picture at left - it’s how she is best known - and reflects her famous billowy locks. In fact, her hair was so famous that my mom chose a Farrah hair cut for her wedding day!

Something I read about Farrah today - when she was going through chemo, at first, they tried to preserve her famous hair. Then, eventually, she realized she was going to lose it - and took the proactive stance to shave her head. In doing so, she, and not the cancer, made the decision to say goodbye to that part of herself. It was a strong, defiant action - and one that I have huge respect for.

Farrah’s look was one that is timeless and classic - for the rest of time, women will enter their stylist’s chair and ask for the “Farrah” - a billowing look of feathery femininity. And while she may have gone on to another place - one where her suffering is finally over - her legacy, and her hair, will forever live on.

Imagine if all it took to avoid going gray was a good shampoo?

Sound like an impossible delusion? I may have agreed with you once upon a time, but science - and beauty researchers - apparently can make the impossible dream a reality.

Image: Sxc.hu

According to an article in the Times of India,

Dr. Bruno Bernard, head of the hair biology research team at L’Oreal Paris, points out that hair goes grey when the pigment-producing cells, known as melanocytes, die or no longer work properly. He, however, also highlights the fact that such cells often survive long after people go gray.

He and his colleagues have also found that the cells lack a certain enzyme, known as TRP-2, which is found in the skin and protects it from losing its pigment.

If researchers can learn to copy and recreate the enzyme’s action on hair follicles, re-awaken the cells, allow people to maintain their hair color for longer, or even reverse the process.

One can only imagine how much a shampoo that erases gray would cost…and the lines to get it once it was available!

We all know people who are in their later years, and swear they’ve never once dyed their hair. And then there are those people who start going gray in their late teens. At the very least, something like this could sort of even the playing field, and maybe even avoid playing with chemicals and hair dye quite as often!

But it is a little Brave New World-esque…and anti-nature, in a way. (Though I suppose hair dye is, as well.) I’m curious, if something like this existed, and was available at a palatable price point - would you try it?

I think I would! Then again, nature has so far saved me from my gray fate!

Now if only they can find an anti-cellulite soap. I am so there.

I have to be honest, here: I do not watch Jon and Kate Plus 8. Apparently, though, the rest of the free world does; and their “shocking” announcement they were breaking up was ranked a higher trend topic on Twitter the other night than Iran. That’s serious business. (And kind of disturbing.)

Image: Bauer Griffin

That said, I do have a opinion: And it’s about Kate Gosselin’s hair.

I’ve noticed two distinct trends among readers, fans, and critics: Half of you want advice on how to copy her hair style…and the other half is full of opinions on how she would look better.

The same is true for the media.

Just yesterday, InStyle.com talked to several celebrity hairstylists to get their hair makeover suggestions for Kate (including looks from Elisha Cuthbert, Nicole Richie, Sienna Miller and others). You can check out their advice here.

But yet, for others, her hair is an object of covet! I for one see it as a weird mix of reverse mullet, soccer mom, and punk…an odd choice for a mom of 8 going through a divorce, but whatever.

Some thoughts from TMZ:

“We now have someone to blame for Kate Gosselin’s newly frosted, chunk-striped, bi-level, Flock of Seagulls-humped-a-porcupine, reverse mullet weave — Diane’s Hair Design in Pennsylvania. Kate’s infamous ‘do went in for a little touch up at DHD this week — either that, or she’s been getting the ‘do done at Ben’s Shoe Repair on accident.”

I think the issue is - and I am saying as a HAIR BLOGGER, remember - that this family has fallen apart on television. Their eight children, for the rest of their lives, will be able to pick up a DVD box set and pin point the exact moments where mommy and daddy started to hate each other. This is a travesty - and part of the reality television curse. (I’m talking to you, Nick and Jessica.)

But enough of my soap box - I don’t even watch the show! What do you all of you think?

If this is true, I will never whine again about a few gray hairs…

Today in the New Scientist there was an article I instantly got sort of engrossed in - it was an overview of a study being done on laboratory mice that sees a relationship between going gray and protection against cancer cells.

Image: Sxc.hu

Basically, cells called melanocytes produce the pigments that color hair and their numbers are supported by stem cells. Hair goes gray when the number of stem cells in hair follicles declines.

So, now the news is that Emi Nishimura of Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan have figured out why this decline happens.

Here’s an excerpt from the article, below - warning, it’s in total science-ease!

When the researchers exposed mice to radiation and chemicals that harm DNA, damaged stem cells transformed permanently into melanocytes. This ultimately led to fewer melanocytes, as it meant there were fewer stem cells capable of topping up the melanocyte pool.

It took me a bit to dissect, but I think I finally got it…and it’s pretty amazing.

Now, obviously it can’t help with all cancers, but stem cells and melanocytes color our hair, by turning off the division of those stem cells when they’re damaged and would pose a heightened risk of producing cancerous or pre-cancerous cells if allowed to continue dividing.

So what does that mean? It means we have something of a red flag at our disposal - in a sense. If we see a person with grey hair, that means that these stem cells are missing or reduced, which means they have a reduced chance of cancer coming out of these cells.

In short, there’s a silver lining to every silver hair!

(Can you sense me grasping to smell the roses???)

When I was a little girl, my mom would constantly straighten my hair for me.

It was a long, arduous process involving setting, blow-drying, and finally, flat ironing. Every now and then, I’d get a burn behind my ear or on my scalp. It was worth it, though…I hated my curls. Besides, the same thing very easily could happen at the salon! (And it did. Still does!)

Image: Sxc.hu

Sometimes, though, a little burn can be much, much, worse. I couldn’t help but think back to my childhood routine when I read an article in the London Times, that touched on the extreme danger of flat irons, and children going near them.

The number of children hospitalised for burns has risen by more than 50 per cent in the past decade, even though the total number of accidents involving the age group has decreased.

Straighteners can reach temperatures of up to 220C (428F) and remain hot for up to eight minutes after they have been switched off.

A child’s skin is much thinner than an adult’s so the burns can cause permanent scarring.

According to NHS statistics, 233 children under 5 needed hospital treatment for burns in 1997-98. That increased to 358 in 2006-07.

Reading all these facts from the article is scary, but it also arms us with the knowledge we can take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen to our own children.

Some tips I’ve learned over the years:

1 - Always hold the flat iron far enough away from the head that it’s not going to strike your scalp/ear/forehead if your hand slips a bit.

2 - Before use, check the cord for tears/breakages

3 - Be smart. Electricity and water do not mix - If you are doing your hair near a sink or bathtub, make sure you are not standing in a puddle of water!

4 - Flat irons can be super hot, and burn the very hair you are trying to style.  Always set the temperature to the lowest setting that will work on your hair - going any higher can cause damage, breakage, or burning.

5 - When you turn the iron off, it will still be hot for a few minutes. Handle it carefully!