Most people I know like wearing their hair down. You can get all sorts of haircuts. The most popular haircuts today have got to be just plain and long -- for both guys and girls. The girls I know usually get their hair layered or highlighted. A lot of guys are going for the shaggy look these days. There's also so many other styles: Ponytails, pigtails, braids, spikes, Mohawks, afros, buzz cuts, bald... I can't even list them all! But here are some tips for styling your hair in the most common ways I know about:

Perfect Ponytail: I don't know about you, but I like wearing my ponytails high. My friend has this awesome trick to making it actually work without having to brush it into your hands a million times. Just lay on your bed (facing the ceiling) and let your hair hang over the side of the bed. Then brush your hair and put in the elastic while your head is still hanging upside-down. It might also work hanging from a pole on the monkey bars at a playground, but on your bed is closer, and safer. ;) LOL.

Straight: Some people like straightening their hair if they have wavy or curly hair. But it normally doesn't work too well, unless you're already pro at it. Well, I have a bit of a wave in my hair and I straighten it with a flat iron, but it would usually go wavy again soon as I was finished. Some people think that only the top layer matters, because that's all you can see, but it's the bottom layer that's your problem. My friend was straightening my hair and she did the top layer and the bottom layer, and it all went perfectly straight! Also, do small strands at a time, not big chunks, or else not all of it will get heated properly. It might take a little longer, but it's worth it!

Curls: Some people have naturally straight hair and like curling it. If you want to curl all your hair, it's easiest to wrap the strand of hair (starting from the roots) around the inside part of the iron, then put the clasp thing down. When you just take a piece then twist the iron (starting from the tips), the heat doesn't get to the outer layer, and the top of your hair will be flatter than the bottom curls. Also, it's the same thing as when straightening your hair: Do all the layers, not just the top. The bottom layer does matter, even if you can't really see it, although it does look kind of cool when you just do the top layer and leave the rest pretty much straight, if you want something different.

Wavy: You can get wave irons, but they are a little too zig-zaggy for some people's style. What I like to do is put my hair in three French braids (one going down the middle of my head and 2 on the side) and then sleep on it so that when I take it out in the morning, it's wavy all over. When you just do the French braids, it only waves the sides and leaves the back part straighter than if you do it this way.

French Braids: It's basically just like doing a braid, only you start at the front of your head and work your way to the bottom at the back. But what's the trick to making it stick to your head rather than just hang down? Well, you know how to do a braid, right? Take three strands, and cross the side into the middle, then the other side into the middle, then the other side... on and on. But in French braids, when you cross the side strand into the middle, you add a little chunk of hair to the strand you just crossed over. If that's not clear, well, I don't know how else to explain it. If you do understand, then the real trick left is trying to get it tight enough. It makes it a lot easier when your hair is wet (not soaked, though). It's the same for cornrows, too, only with a really small row of hair to braid on. That takes talent.

Parts: Some people don't know what a part is, so for you people, a part is the line down the middle of your head where the hair splits and hangs down to either side. Some people have side parts, which is placed just a little off to the side from the middle. It looks really cute, too. Another type of part is to take something pointy, like the end of those combs that have the stick on the end, or even a pencil crayon could work (if you don't press too hard). Next, pretend like you're drawing a zig-zag line down the middle of your head. Then take the hair on one side of the comb or pencil or whatever you are using, and pull it down straight (basically, separate the two chunks of hair). There you have it, a cool little zig-zag part!

Pigtails: There are tons of different types of pigtails. High pigtails, low pigtails, low braids, high braids, French braids, half pigtails... and they're all really cute. But it takes a little practice to get the line straight down the back of your head. My favorite way to do pigtails is with a side part (slanting in to the middle at the back of my head so it goes straight down the back) and letting some bangs hang down off to the side. I love doing that with half pigtails too. That's were I got the idea for the Whyville hair I made, called Phabio.

Tossled: This effect can be done however you want because there is no specific way to do it. One person I saw who looked awesome did it this way: Leave the bottom layer of your hair straight, then with all the top layer, take different chunks and make some curly, some in ringlets, some wavy, some crimpy, and so on. But that's for long hair. It's easier to get the tossled look if you have short hair. Then you just get spray gel, spray it into your hair, then crunch your hair in your hands, maybe even separate the different strands, and just shake up your hair. I love this look, but not many people actually do it. So you might just be making a new fashion statement with this one. ;)

Other cool effects: When you put your hair up, it's sometimes good to leave a little hair in the front down if you don't have bangs, although there are some people who look good even with all their hair slicked back, just as long as it's not really, really tight. It also looks kind of cool when the bangs that you leave down go to one side. Another thing I love doing when the style looks too, well, boring, is to take some gel and spike the tips to separate the strands. Then I shake my hair around and make it look kind of messy. Hair accessories (ribbons, barrets, hats...) also have pretty cool effects.

Spikes: I love spikes on guys. It looks cool on girls, too, if you have short hair and leave some bangs down. But for guys, all you really need is a really good gel if you have longer hair than most people. If you usually do chunky spikes, try different size spikes, or spoosh out all your hair and make it look like you just stuck your fingers in a plug. Any way you do it, spikes look awesome.

Mohawk: This is an awesome style too. Even if you don't spike it, it looks good on some people if their hair isn't too long. I saw some people do a Mohawk with different numbers of spikes going down their head instead of just one big wall of hair. It looks really awesome if you dye the longer part down the middle a different color than the hair on the side. Most people do leave hair on the sides these days, although a lot of people used to think of Mohawks as a bald person except for one stripe of hair down the middle. That's not really what's 'in' at the moment, but it could be any day. You just never know with fashion, these days. ;)

These are just some of the most common hairstyles that I know of. One more thing to remember: Doing different versions of common hairstyles can be really fun, and if it looks good, you could be starting a new trend! So do your hair however you want. If you could care less about what your hair looks like or if you're already really good at doing hair, then I don't know why you read this article, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Thanks for reading... Later. ;)