How To Get Playful Soft Mermaid Waves

Iman, Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears, and lots of long-locked beauties are letting their hair down in a cascading new way.

It's called , 'Mermaid Waves', and as you can see by the photos, everything is soft, loose and playful.

This is a hair trend that's been hot for the past spring and summer, and the style is gaining even more momentum for Fall 2011.

To get the look, you need below-the-shoulder hair or some extensions, and the longer, the better, for this hair trend.

1. Take a wide-barreled curling iron, and instead of clamping down on the hair, simply wrap thick strands around and around the iron. This will creat the soft, cascading mermaid waves. Brush out gently with a natural bristle brush.

2. Or do it heat-free. Fishtail braid your hair overnight, and wake up to a mass of playful, mermaid waves. Learn here on YouTube by Hayley 7363

Good luck! And let the waves roll.

Celebrities Sporting Classic Riding Boots for Fall 2011

You can't go wrong with a Fall classic, like the riding boot. And this is another stylish look for autumn and winter. Lots of celebrities are already putting their riding boots on.

Check out Taylor Swift in hers, and Zoe Saldana sporting some Yves St. Laurent boots.

Our favorite pair at the moment----the Marlena leather riding boot by Coach ($398, at Coach.com). These are gorgeous in caramel. Yummy!

If you're looking for some height, forget the riding boot. The heels are quite flat or low. Nothing stiletto about these. But riding boots are comfortable, rugged, and yes, elegant-looking. And the simple, long line of the riding boot makes your legs appear longer. Just tuck a pair of skinny jeans into these boots, and you will look taller and leaner.

Maybe you don't have $400 to shell out for a super pair of riding boots. But don't despair, we have a website that offers lots of options, so that everyone can find some beautiful, budget-worthy riding boots. Take a look at Endless.com.

We found a pair, the Heath Riding Boot by Annie Shoes ($84.95). Very nice riding boots in synthetic leather with strap and ring buckle details at the ankle and calf on a 1.5 inch heel. The Heath boot also comes in 6 shades. We show it here in black.

The riding boot is classic fall footwear that never goes out of style. Now, if we only had a horse.

Want A Hair Dryer That Lasts? Try This One...

Let's be honest.....We go through at least one hair dryer a year. And we are not alone.

How is that possible?

We have a lot of hair that's below the shoulders, and it takes us about 20 minutes to blow it dry. And because we have a lot of shapeless, fine strand volume, we add substantial hair styling product to give it better definition and staying power.

And yeah, we blast the dickens out of the hair dryer.

Usually we purchase a cheap, no-name blower, because we know it will break within the year. And at the moment, our inexpensive hair dryer for the last 5 mos. is getting ready to bust apart. It sounds a bit slower, as if the gear is going.

This time around, we want to go for the quality, and hope our styling investment won't do us wrong. We need a blow dryer that can REALLY stand the heat. Maybe, we've found a very good one.

We did a little research and stumbled upon this brand---Elchim. Some hair pros give this powerful hair gadget high marks. So, let's look further.

The Elchim 2001 Professional Hair Dryer (Elchim Classic), regularly $100, at a low price on Amazon for $70.70.

And here are the Elchim 2001's special features:
7 switch combination's for a variety of speed and temperature settings
1800 watts of power
Light weight
Air flow of 40 liters per second
Concentrator nozzle
Removable lint filter
Safety plug
Backed by Elchim's 60 years of experience of building hair dryers
Made in Italy
1 year limited warranty

Plus, this little hair styling cutie cuts your drying time in half and boasts about having a quiet blowing level.

Sounds like the Elchim 2011 blows away the competition>.

Do you own an Elchim?

Catwalk By Tigi Helps Create Big Hair Trend For Fall 2011

Ladies, when it comes to hair for Fall 2011, 'Go BIG or go home!'

Seriously, it's all about the volume, and making the most of what you've got, and of course, adding on some faux pieces if you need to.

We told you earlier this week about the HOT headband trend, and that of course, looks great with all that massive hair. But you can also take that big volume and wrap it into a sexy updo, a la 'Mad Men', like the model here at the Bottega Veneta runway show.

And you don't have to copy a runway look strand for strand. If it's TOO HUGE, then lower your bouffant and keep it a bit messy and un-done for reality here on the streets.

To get the big hair look, you need to create some major volume. This time, we are looking at Catwalk by Tigi hair products. We like their attitude, because the products are ,"inspired by fashion/designed by hairdressers," as the Tigi company likes to say.

Check out Tigi's Catwalk hairstyling line in the purple bottles. We are suggesting Tigi Catwalk Thickening Gel, 7.27 oz. This stuff delivers big hair, thanks to a super blend of Jasmin, Violet and UV filters that help protect hair while making it feel thicker and healthier.

We found a special price on a 6-bottle case of Catwalk Thickening Gel Creme at Amazon.com. This should last you through the cold season of the Big Hair Trend for Fall/Winter.

Rachel Zoe's QVC Faux Fur Vests Are 'Bananas!'

As celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe likes to say, "This is bananas!"
And these days, everything seems to be coming up bananas for the fashion forward stylist with her Rachel Zoe clothing lines and her successful Bravo reality TV show.

Today, we're looking at fab faux fur vests. In particular, we adore the Luxe Rachel Zoe for QVC 'Faux Shearling Vest with Nailhead Detail' ($134.50, at QVC)

Rachel Zoe has several great faux fur vests available at QVC.com. We like this one because it has a cool belt with it and looks rich.

We also think that actress Garcelle Beauvais can really rock this Zoe vest. See how sexy Garcelle looks wearing the Zoe/QVC vest! And if you don't think that wealthy celebs wear items from an inexpensive QVC line, well, think again.

The Luxe Rachel Zoe for QVC faux fur vest comes in black and caramel. We are eyeing the caramel at the moment. And the vest comes in sizes XS through 3x.

Stylist/designer Rachel Zoe has her finger on the fashion pulse, and if she is putting her name on an article of clothing, you can be sure it's HOT at the moment, well-styled and well-crafted.

We give this Luxe Rachel Zoe faux fur vest two thumbs up!

Black Headband: Simple Chic Hot Hair Accessory For Fall 2011

Headbands are HOT at the moment, especially black headbands. And no, you don't have to be a 12-year-old to rock one. And you don't have to have super long, straight hair to slip one on.

Headbands look chic and polished on any hair color, texture, length and style.

Plus, a headband won't break your wallet, and can also disguise a bad hair day.

We've seen a number of famous heads rockin' the black headband, including---Paris Hilton, Lily Collins, Hilary Duff, Sandra Bullock, Kourtney Kardashian, Emma Watson, and Heidi Klum with a cool double-band style like this one:

Double Black Snakeskin Headband-$11.99.

Look around for the perfect black headband in leather, satin, velvet, stretch cotton, lace, metal, feathers, and more.

Traction Alopecia: Even Hair Extension Celebs Get Bald Spots

Hair extensions.

Most of your favorite celebrities have them. But did you know that some of these beautiful Hollywood heads are also suffering from traction alopecia?!

Traction alopecia is hair loss caused by pulling on the hair, and can occur when someone wears fake hair or hair extensions. The weight of these added hair strands are much too heavy for the follicle, and it in turn, dies, or stops growing normal hairs. Even wearing simple clip-on extensions for several hours a day, can rip out one's natural hair.

And that's when a hair extension wearer will freak out. Hair breakage can occur, and one is left with severely damaged, thin locks, and at worst, bald spots, which sometimes remain permanent. And that is a frightening experience we would never wish on any woman.

Take a look at the photo snapped about a year ago. That's supermodel Naomi Campbell at a NYC fashion shoot. You can clearly see the bald spot she has developed for wearing straight hair extensions for a number of years now.

And we aren't trying to make Naomi Campbell the poster girl for traction alopecia. We are merely emphasizing a point here---that getting instant, long, full hair can come with its consequences.

We happen to think that Naomi has a stunningly beautiful face, and she is gorgeous, even with a hair weakness.

Celebrities like Entertainment Tonight's Nancy O'Dell, Paris Hilton, the Kardashian sisters, and many others, are slaves to their Rapunzel-like extensions. They cannot seem to let them go. You might remember when Kim K had her hair 'cut' a few months ago. Then about a week or two later, had the extensions put back in. We're really not sure how long her real hair is. We thought her shorter hair looked healthy and prettier on her petite frame.

Sure, celebrities go to the best hair professionals around, and probably shell out $5,000 or more for some instant,long, shiny tresses. But bald spots can happen, even to beautiful, wealthy women, as the photo of Naomi Campbell clearly reveals.

Hair extension experts advise extension wearers to head to the salon every 6-12 weeks for maintenance. And some stylists believe in the power of coconut oil to condition the hair shaft and make it stronger. The oil is rich in fatty acids and very nourishing, and the hair shaft is able to absorb all its goodness.

How to Condition Hair with Coconut Oil.