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Okay ladies-put down your flat irons, and pick up your Aqua Net and rat tail combs, because big hair is back! (I've heard that it never went out in Texas.) While some are sporting the Amy Winehouse Beehive look (which is more like a wasp's nest, if you ask me) or Jane Fonda's Barbarella bouffant, you don't have to go to that extreme to keep up with the new big hair craze. It's the 80s look, but softer. Volume is the key word for the big hair trend, with lots of bouncy, flowing curls, achieved with a big barrel curling iron, large hot rollers, round brushes, blow dryers, and a little more hairspray than we've seen in awhile, according to the Boston Globe's Kate M. Jackson. (Look out ozone layer.)

Along with the curls, there will also be a return of the perm, or a more gentle body wave. Perms are a necessity for some, in order for the curls to last, (unless you have naturally curly hair.) But the big hair curls will be loose, full, and natural looking. Unfortunately, this will not be the year for low-maintenance hairstyles, as big hair involves a lot of work! (Some styles on the fashion runways resemble sculpted art-not a brush-and-go kind of look. Picture a Marge Simpson or Peggy Bundy hairdo. )

So whether your hair is short, medium, or long-plump it up, and give it a little height and fullness. But go for body throughout the style, for the latest big hair look, and not just in the crown (like we did in the 60s.) Today's hair products will allow your hair to be soft and touchable, not like the steel helmet look of past decades. And don't forget to turn your head upside down while blow drying, to create greater fullness for that big hair fluffiness. Adding a little color can also make hair appear thicker. A great cut with slight layers can be beneficial to the big hair look as well.

Many women are using root lift spray, or a volumizing mousse before blow drying or curling, and then gently back-combing their tresses. (Yes, this is also known as teasing, which is necessary to create the popular big hair style. Wow, I never thought I'd see that back in vogue!) But all the fashion show catwalks are featuring the new/old big hair look. It's turning up in music videos and films, and many celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Jessica Simpson, and Heidi Klum are sporting fuller hair with lots of bounce. In New York, there are actually blow-dry bars springing up, to help achieve the sensual, voluminous big hair.

For the "volume-impaired", try curl enhancers, root lifters, large barrel curling irons, hot rollers, lots of hairspray, large Velcro rollers, mousse, and a good blow-dryer, to create the big hair look that's all the rage. You can also use a man's styling comb, because it is more flexible for teasing. Remember, as long as there's lots of pouf, you can't go wrong. You want big hair, and lots of it! (Think Sophia Loren or Brigitte Bardot.) Teenagers will have to look them up on the Web.

Just have fun, but don't put your hair straighteners and flat irons too far back in the closet. You know how quickly fashion changes. (As for me-once was enough!)

Sources: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories /2004/03/29/earlyshow/living/b eauty/main609144.shtml
http://w ww.despardes.com/Fashion/news/ jan05/briefly-0110.html
http:// blogs.chron.com/kristin2go/200 8/02/big_hair_the_sequel.html
h ttp://www.girlznight.co.uk/mag azine/big-hair-is-back-with-a- bounce.html
http://louislicari. ivillage.com/beauty/archives/2 007/10/big-hair-is-in.html
http ://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fa shion/articles/2008/05/01/curl _power/

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