Hair takes center stage

For red carpet appearances, celebrity hair styles usually play a secondary role; it's the gowns that get all the attention. But sometimes a coiffeur has enough oomph to command headlines. At the Golden Globes award show, a number of stars posed for the cameras with memorable looks that ranged from "Great Gatsby" to '60s-inspired Bond girl. And it's a safe bet the trend in high-impact hair will continue at the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards, Grammy Awards and Academy Awards shows.

Here is a breakdown of some of the Golden Globes red carpet's best hairstyles and tips from the artists who created and executed them:

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron upheld her reputation for being one of Hollywood's most striking red carpet stars. Her blush-colored Dior couture gown had a floaty quality with some added sex appeal seen in the slit that exposed her legs.

Enzo Angileri styled her hair with soft, side-swept waves, pulled into an easy chignon.

"I wanted her hair to have a casual feeling, almost as if she had pulled it together herself," Angileri says. He describes the style as modern, asymmetrical and just a little messy -- something he devised to offset the dramatic diamond Cartier headband Theron wore in her hair.

The hairstylist started with dry hair, curling small sections with a 2-inch barrel curling iron to enhance natural volume and texture. He then sprayed a light mist of Moroccanoil Glimmer Shine Spray and brushed through the curls with a Moroccanoil Ionic Ceramic paddle brush to create texture and eliminate any trace of separation between curls.

Angileri swept the actress' hair to the left and made three sections, pulling and rolling two of them into a loose bun and pinning them with bobby pins. The third section of hair was ! wrapped around the bun. Finally, Angileri adjusted and freed strands so the result looked unstructured and wispy. To control fly-away hair he spritzed with Moroccanoil Frizz Control.

Zooey Deschanel

The "New Girl" star played up her retro style, opting for hair and makeup that had a distinct '60s feel. Hairstylist Aaron Light was inspired by Marianne Faithfull, giving Deschanel heavy, eye-grazing bangs and straightening her usually wavy tresses. He gave her hair the appearance of being shoulder length by tucking it into a custom-made hairpiece.

Light sprayed Oribe blow-drying serum on the hair to give it shine, volume and bounce, then blew out the hair using a round brush. He set Deschanel's hair in 2-inch plastic rollers, spritzed on Oribe Superfine hair spray and let that sit for 30 minutes.

After the rollers were out, Light gave the base of her hair a light tease for added volume. Her signature bangs, which Light says he cut to be more "Mod-style," were treated with Oribe dry shampoo so they had texture without heaviness or greasiness.

Madonna

A number of celebrities sported loose and wavy hair, most notably Madonna, whose 'do softened the overall effect of her gunmetal-coloured dress and bulging biceps.

"She wanted easy, natural texture," says her longtime hairdresser Andy Lecompte. He started by rough-drying the hair, manipulating and emphasizing the natural texture. He then applied a mist of Wella The! rmal Hea t Protection spray.

For the loose waves, Lecompte used his Phi 1-inch flat iron to make soft, "S" formations throughout the hair.

Finally, he used a mist of Wella's Ocean Spritz to break up the waves and give the hair a overall tousled, relaxed look.

Nicole Richie

Ponytails were a big hair trend on the red carpet, and Nicole Richie had the most memorable one of the evening -- a teased and slightly tousled ponytail reminiscent of a '60s-style Bond girl.

Hairstylist Jenny Cho went for a modernized, sleek ponytail to complement Richie's slinky, silver Julien Macdonald gown.

Cho used the Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion System to give Richie a frizz-free, shiny ponytail. (Richie wasn't shy about giving Suave a shout-out on the red carpet, and now it's clear why: The reality star will be working with and promoting the brand during her "Fashion Star" TV show that debuts in March.)

Cho started by spraying Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo directly at the root, crown and front of the hair and then used a blow dryer to work in excess powder.

The stylist sectioned off the hair around the crown of the head, teased it underneath for volume, then set it aside. Using a brush to smooth the hair on the sides and back, she pulled that hair into a ponytail, securing it with an elastic (to hide the elastic band, Cho wrapped a small section of hair around the ponytail and secured it with a bobby pin.)

She went back to the teased section of hair at the top of the head, brushed it lightly to eliminate any snarled-looking pieces and brushed it back over the ponytail.

To create the sleek and finished look, Cho rubbed a d! ime-size amount of Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Smooth & Shine Serum into the palms of her hands and delicately ran it through the ponytail strands.

Photographs by: Danny Moloshok/Reuters (Zooey Deschanel); Mike Segar/Reuters (Madonna); Getty Images (Nicole Richie)

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