Today British royalty Prince William and Katherine Middleton are officially wed. But you don't have to be royalty to look like a queen. Take Angela Bassett for instance, whose side swept hairstyle enhances her beauty and adds to her already quite regal presence. Try out these different updos to transform a simple hairstyle into a look that's fit for a queen.

In hot weather, all you really want to do is keep your hair off your neck. The best way to do that it is to put it up, of course, but you certainly don't have to wear a boring ponytail every time the weather heats up. From day to night, a high bun will give you a put together look in under five minutes.

Anyone who's experienced problems with breakage and damaged hair can get super excited to try the new Monoi hair products from Carol's Daughter. Made from Tahitian Monoi Oil - "Monoi" is the Tahitian word meaning scented - the line features a repairing shampoo, conditioner and hair mask specifically created to reduce breakage by 96 percent after just one use.

It's common to have a love-hate relationship with black hair because, although it's unique and can be styled a million and one ways, it's high maintenance. It needs great care when dry and it becomes especially fragile when it meets up with water. But don't let H2O ruin your beach vacation or Sunday afternoon swim class with your kids. Here are some tips.


Wear a Swim Cap

Yes, you probably wore one when you were about nine years old but, if "it ain't broke, don't fix it." Sometimes the simplest things are the best solutions. A fitted silicon cap will do the trick for keeping your hair relatively dry if you want to take a quick dip. If you're worried the cap will make you lose your sexy, see the next tip.


Wet Your Hair Before

It seems counterproductive, but if you wet your hair before going in chlorine water it will absorb less of the chemical. Chlorine can break down the bonds of natural and relaxed hair, which sounds just about as gnarly as it is, so if a swim cap isn't your fancy, wet your hair before you hit the pool and you're hair won't suffer as much damage.


Do Double Duty

If you're OK with wearing a swim cap, but are worried it's not going to thoroughly protect your hair, you can apply a thick conditioner in your hair before you put the cap on. Or, alternately, you can wear a head scarf or saran wrap under your swim cap. You're hair should look pretty much the same as it's prior state once you get out of the water.


Braid It Up

If you are a good braider, you can plait your hair before you step into the water and you're hair will at least remain neat. When rinse you hair, you'll have a nice braid out.

Sit Pretty

If you're not fond of messing up your hairstyle or taking the necessary precautions to protect it, you can always just enjoy the scenery. At the beach you can set up your spot with a towel, umbrella, crack a good book and your hair will almost certainly be protected. Watch the incoming tide, but otherwise, all good.

Having a white friend who has adopted a black child, and bearing witness to the process from the get go, feels alternately like receiving some sort of epically heartbreaking gift, and time-traveling on a really high-quality hallucinogen.

BALTIMORE - The smell of cocoa butter fills the air as bubbling oils are poured into white drums, whisked into a foaming mass and left to cool.

Another part of the factory -- which takes up room on three floors of a Baltimore storefront -- fills with fruity smells as owner Jamyla Bennu, 35, and husband Pierre, 37, test scented oils as their youngest son coos from a stroller parked protectively in an office.

Anyone who's gone through with the big chop - or any big hair change, for that matter - knows how traumatic it can be. No matter how confident you were in your decision, you lose your hair and start asking yourself:

OhmybabyjesuswhatdidIdo?

Does my head look big?

Do I look like a boy? I look like a boy, don't I?

Why?!?!?!?

The big chop takes some getting used to, especially if you're used to having a lot of hair. So when you feel like wearing a hat semi-permanently or just saying "the hell with it" and getting your hair relaxed, it helps to have something to motivate you. For us, we like having hairspiration. Looking at photos of women rocking their head of curls helps remind us that hair does grow back, no matter how slow the process feels. So check out our gallery of celebrities looking fly with their natural 'dos and remember: you won't always have a TWA (teeny-weeny afro).

Mo'Nique went from being the loudmouthed mother on the BET hit 'The Parkers' to an Oscar-winning actress, all while holding down a successful career as a stand-up comedienne. If that's not hard work, we don't know what is.

As her career path changed, so did her look. Let's take a gander at the many interesting hairstyles of this trailblazer.