2009 has been a notable year for so many reasons, but here at BV Hair Talk, we focus on the follicles. This year was a truly an epic one for black hair. So many stories got people talking, inspired articles and even led some of y'all to the salon with a picture in hand of the hot new style you wanted. But which was the biggest hair story of the year? Without any further ado, we present the candidates.

Michelle Obama becomes first lady. America goes wild. Any post written with the words "Michelle Obama" in it instantly garners attention. The media realized that this year and wrote the "Michelle Obama's Hair" stories into the ground. Is it all hers? Did she cut it, or is that just a new style? And, most importantly, what does it all mean? Nobody's hair got more attention that Mrs. O's. Unless you count...

Rihanna: Good Girl Gone Blonde. Rihanna's had quite a crazy, dramatic, in-the-spotlight year herself, one which I am sure she wishes went differently in many ways. The changes she's been through can be noted through her hair. She was already wearing it short and sassy in January, but over the last 12 months she's amped up the edgy factor with 'dos that were asymmetrical, half-shaven and increasingly blonde. We're not hating. She wears it all very, very well. Almost every style she's rocked set hair trends, just like ...

Amber Rose and her baldy. Kanye's woman, Amber Rose, is a striking beauty. She knows how to work a bald head like nobody's business. Not every woman can pull off the bald look, and she does it so well that she's fooled many women into thinking they can do it, too. Case in point: Danger from 'For the Love of Ray J.' Although bald ain't for everybody, it was fun to see so many women freely expressing their individuality by shaving it all off -- and all in spite of one documentary that made it seem like so many of us have these deep-seated hair issues. That's right, I'm talking about...

'Good Hair.' Even now, months after this film has come and gone from the theaters, I get asked the question. "Did you see Chris Rock's 'Good Hair'? "What did you think of it?" Well, we covered the' Good Hair' debate here at BV Hair Talk to exhaustion. Chris Rock even got mad at us for it. Then Tyra Banks got inspired to do her natural-hair episode. And now, in retrospect, we'd see the film again when it eventually airs on HBO. Chris got more controversy than he may have bargained for when he set out to explore the mysterious world of black women's hair and why we do the things we do to it. Despite all of the flaws of the film, he made a valid point about caring for our children's hair. Which leads us to...

Black celebrity kids and their hair. Zahara Jolie Pitt got chastised for wearing her natural hair in Newsweek of all places. Anything Sasha or Malia Obama did to their hair made headlines. Mel B (who may still be better known as Scary Spice) thrust her own daughter, Angel Iris, into the spotlight by giving the little girl a mohawk at an age when it's unlikely that she asked for it herself. Then Willow Smith emerged at the Nobel Peace Prize concert rocking quite the mature Rihanna-esque hairstyle. Our children take their inspiration from us, and the attention that these hairstyles got was quite telling. Here's hoping that in 2010 kids stop feeling the need to conform to the standards of beauty set by adults. We should allow them to be free, beautiful and innocent.

So there you have it. The five big stories in the year of hair. Which would you pick as the top story? What are your hopes for hair in 2010?