TRESSES this season continue to be unpredictable! While fashion pundits are having a field day without being laid any limits on the length of the hair, this spring/summer is all about creating a look to suit thy personality. From the classic bob to a shaggy cut to slick straight trims to Goldilocks to mermaid curls, you have a number of options to appeal to a wide palette. While curls will not be tight, romancing these softies will be the hair colour red, opines hair expert Coleen Khan. The hair repair products' industry gets a fresh impetus this season with stylists reaching over the counter for products to smoothen the mane.

For those of you pining for a visit to the hair dresser to shorten the length for summer, there is good news. Rapunzel rules the roost! It’s time to flaunt the fact that long hair need not add to the heat. Mercifully, plaited hair is back in style! What's new is Negro braiding, wherein the hair is braided into tiny plaits that are held together in a neat ponytail. The end of the pony is either tied using a grip or let loose, lending a feathered look. For a more conservative look, curl only the ends to create a tumble while leaving the length of the hair straight.

The classic bob is reinventing itself in cuts that either give volume to fashion bangs around the face or have jagged ends that will provide ample parting opportunities. Rather than the conforming straight t-cut across the ends, the bob is now bent at the end with a cut that is curved over the fingers. Flick ’em, turn ’em, heat ’em, or even shake ’em, the idea is to don a style that is easier to style and maintain. For the bohemian in you, tumble over a few strands right over your your forehead. The shoulder-length bob is also the new force directing baby boomers who spent their youth in long hair.

What better short cut to summer than clipping hair close! While, internationally, short hair is now celebrated as a new form of feminism, Indians too are taking the cue. Cut into a face framing curve over a long nape, it is either layered or highlighted to add depth. The ends, once again, need not be blunt. Get them razored into irregular lengths and concentrate on texture to hide the thin ends.

Jennifer Lopez converted her flat head into a big mass as was witnessed in this year’s Academy Awards! Bring out those rollers and add volume to your hair while giving a free reign to the curling rods. Perming the hair ends is hot this season, but the perms should be soft and full. The hair at the top of the head can be left straight or can be back combed and set up into a high puff.

For the nocturnal at summer parties, it’s time to throw caution to the winds. Toss that head around in rich strips of red, purple, blue and even green. Streaking, which revolutionised the Indian fashion scene a couple of years ago, is back with aplomb. And brevity is certainly not the language of colour this season. Bold streaks that frame the face or streaks all over, are in. Streaks are also used to create texture and volume as is done by Innoxa, a reputed salon in Sector 8, Chandigarh.

The Indian fashion season cannot escape getting influenced by Bollywood trends! Ultra short hair — which Aamir Khan sports in Dil Chahta Hai — is the rage this season. With a little hair gel run through the scalp, the style is essentially meant for leaner faces as it accentuates the features. While guys swear this new style is cool enough to beat the heat, girls are following the pert Preity Zinta and her blunt cut.