What has science done for the beauty industry lately, you ask?

Well, for one, scientists in Australia have recently discovered a “curly hair gene,” AKA the trichohyalin gene. This gene, discovered by scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), is the one responsible for creating straight or curly locks.

Based on research done in Europe by Professor Nick Martin and Dr. Sarah Medland of the QIMR, 45 percent of Europeans have straight hair, 40 percent have wavy hair and only 15 percent have curly hair. As a curly-haired guy, himself, Professor Martin wondered what genetic variations were responsible for hair texture.

To learn more about these genetic processes, the team analyzed data collected from a 30-year study of 5,000 twins in Australia. When the twins’ genome maps were compared, twins exhibited the same types of variations in the trichohyalin gene depending on if they shared either curly hair or straight hair.

What else has Professor Martin concluded? Because the trichohyalin gene creates an amino acid change, which in turn influences the hair’s texture, it may be possible to develop treatments to make hair straighter or curlier as an alternative to heated hair straighteners or chemical hair treatments like perms. Maybe someday soon, we’ll all be popping pills instead of ironing out those curls every day or heading to the salon for a perm. (Of course, you could always embrace your natural curl instead!)

Science. What will they think of next?

When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to figuring out the complex answer to his daughter’s simple, but profound question.

In the documentary film, Good Hair, Rock takes us on a fascinating journey through the international business trade of hair weaves, the science behind relaxers and the surprising question of how much black women spend on their hair.

During a press junket for a film festival in Salt Lake City, Rock discussed with Salon Magazine journalist Andrew O’Hehir how the initial idea for the film expanded the further he investigated.

“It kind of blew my mind, the idea that in an African-American household you got this Porsche that nobody can see, these working-class and middle-class black women spending thousands of dollars… buying a Porsche that nobody sees.” He adds, “There is a whole economic realm to this that I didn’t know about at all.”

One unexpected turn in the economic story comes when Rock learns that much of the hair used for creating extensions for black women comes from India. Human hair is India’s single largest export. He also sees how the culture has adapted to make harvesting the hair easy and profitable for the industry. Many Hindu temples conduct “hair sacrifices” during religious ceremonies that allow members of the temple a few moments of cultural distinction (and no money) in exchange for hair that can later be worth thousands of dollars. This “sacrificed” hair is processed and sold to hair dealers around the world who, in turn, sell it to local dealers who, in turn, sell it to salons and hair vendors at a huge profit.

How does Rock view this suspicious economic angle? He tells O’Hehir a different cut of the movie exists where Rock treats the hair trade as a problem for black females. He later calls on women to reject this international cartel of exploitation. But, he says, in the end that version simply wasn’t as fun to watch. He said he would rather inform and entertain rather than divide and mobilize.

On that tip, Rock succeeds. The movie is a serious, yet non-confrontational look at how cultural norms can make us do and believe some crazy things. It’s entertaining, but not angry. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations that add much more entertainment to what could have become a sobering, but impersonal look into the culture of beauty in the world.

For anyone involved in cosmetology, hairstyling or ethnic beauty marketing, this film is a must. Good Hair is playing in select cities right now. It opens nationally on October 23.

There are countless reasons cosmetology professionals attend beauty school to learn their trade – cutting, coloring and styling hair isn’t something that everyone can do. Well, at least … isn’t something that everyone should do. So here are five more great reasons to see a professional.

My own experience with self-styling started early. When I was little, my mom used to trim my bangs, and got the blunt, straight-across look by pulling a piece of Scotch tape across my fringe and then cutting under that. Seemed easy enough. Until I tried it myself, and ended up with at least an inch difference in length from the left to right side of my forehead. I remember my mom hiding a laugh behind her hand when I begged her not to tell Dad, and she replied, “Oh honey, I don’t think we’re going to have to!”

I also used to cut my own hair in college, when I was broke. I tried to fool myself into thinking it looked halfway decent, but I’m pretty sure that was the reason why every day of the week was a bad hair day and I wore ponytails for four years straight.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one. Some other misguided wannabe amateur hairstylists have provided their own hair horror stories here:

“Oh my, I am the hair disaster queen! I let my dad cut my hair in the 8th grade. He cut it way too short and uneven. I cried. The very next day was our holiday play and there was not enough time to go somewhere to get it fixed so I looked like an idiot! I also tried to touch up my roots once with a drugstore hair color kit and they turned bright orange. I called around and found a salon that could fix it the next afternoon, but I had to come to work in the morning with orange hair. I wore a hat. I had only worked here for a few months at the time and even with the hat I was super embarrassed. It has been a long road, but I have finally learned to leave my hair in the hands of professionals!” -Angie

“Sometimes, when I am between haircuts, I’ll do a little styling to delay paying the 15 bucks on a haircut for another week or so. Using what scissors happen to be in the kitchen junk drawer, I stand on my tippy-toes – like it helps – in the bathroom mirror and cut around my ears, thin out my sideburns, trim the bangs, and try my best to angle the blades to fade my hair on the sides. This means I do nothing to the back, which results in a strange effect in which I look relatively well-groomed straight on … for a few seconds. But if you spend any time looking at me, you can see the back come hulking around. I would compare this look to a batting helmet I wore in little league – minimalistic in front with excessive padding in the back.” -Kevin

“When I was probably 13 or 14 I used that Sun-In stuff when I was at the lake. I didn’t think it was doing anything, so I kept spraying on more and more. I had used the whole bottle before I realized that my hair wasn’t turning platinum – it was turning orange.” -Lacey

“I tried to color my hair once with one of those box dyes. I went ahead and got the premium kind that included do-your-own highlights. Yeah, that was a bad idea. I freaked out halfway through letting the highlights sit and washed it all out. So first off, the color turned out dark red instead of light brown and I had these blonde patches were the color took. I looked like a sunburned leopard… or something like that. Red hair plus blonde spots equals not good.” -Chris

So what about you? Have you ever tried to color or cut your hair and ended up horrified by the results? Share your stories below – we’ll commiserate. And next time? Make sure to go to a licensed hairstylist who has legit training from a cosmetology school, eh?

Since New York Fashion Week came to an end Thursday, September 17, I thought we would share a few runway hairstyles we love. Whether you are an aspiring hairstylist or a long time professional hair designer, we think these Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week styles should provide some fashionable inspiration. Let us know what you think!

Andy and Debb. Dramatic up-do.

BCBG MaxAzria. Soft and pretty.

Charlotte Ronson. Buns and headbands!

Derek Lam. Glam hair and makeup.

Donna Karan New York. Sleek and simple.

Now that has fall has officially begun, it’s time to turn our eyes to this season’s trends.

The September issue of Glamour highlights hot nail colors this season.  It’s no surprise that rich plums and burgundies are in, but some interesting colors made the list.  Blues and blacks, but these colors are glossier, making them more chic than Goth.  For those not wanting their fingernails to make such a bold statement, you’ll be happy to know you can still be trendy with shades of pink and nude.

Rich colors are not only popping up on nails, but hair too.  According to a beauty tips website, rich browns are hot for fall.  Even blondes will want to add some subtle low lights to add some richness to their color.  As for length, anything goes.  Long or short, as long you make sure the hair has volume. This can be achieved by razoring the ends and adding chunky layers, which looks just as great on long hair as it does on short tresses.

As we say goodbye to the hot days, we welcome in the fall with its warm colors and wait to see what will be hot in fashion too.