There's no holding back a hot headband

Drew Barrymore, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Duff and Julia Roberts wear them. You might already wear them, too. But even if you don't yet, you still can make a fashion statement by wearing a headband, one of the hottest hair trends around.

Get those pencils out of your buns and those rubber bands off your ponytails. If you don't want to offend Stacy and Clinton of "What Not to Wear," you need to look sharp from head to toe.

Even high-quality headbands don't cost as much as other fashion trends, so you can own several. Local retailers charge from $12 to $80 depending on the style and the finish. With so many to choose from, there's sure to be one for every occasion.

Bands range in thickness from very thin to as wide as four inches. Styles include a plain tortoise band; a black silk turban with a decorative knot in the center; wide patent finishes in blue, green, black and red; and most everything in between. Following this trend is easy because headbands work for any hair style or length.

Sheri Wallace, manager of Jan's Beauty Supply in West Seattle, says some of her customers maintain an entire wardrobe of headbands that they hang on a rack in their vanities, much like a man displays his ties.

Wallace says her hottest seller is the double-split band, with the two-inch wide style running a close second.

"Headbands can turn a bad hair day into a good hair day," says Wallace.

Because they come in almost any solid color, including black, tortoise, ginger, turquoise, bright pinks, yellows and reds, they are easy to match to an outfit. Add a print fabric or a dressier finish like silk, satin, faux patent, linen or Italian cotton, and the headband gives you and your outfit a more sophisticated look.

These hair accessories have come a long way since the '60s, when they were molded out of hard plastic and had sharp teeth that dug into your skull.

"They are different than when we were growing up," says Judith Cartier Oliver, owner of looneymaiden.com, a company that makes specialty headbands and wedding jewelry. "I see more and more brides opting for headbands, especially for those brides who want a simple, more classic look."

Modern brides wear Oliver's crystal headbands instead of tiaras and still add a touch of sparkle to their hair. Even when the bride takes off her veil, the headband remains in place.

Brides often give their bridesmaids a smaller or simpler version of what they are wearing and ask them to don them for the wedding ceremony.

Headbands can be paired with any kind of attire, whether it's formal wear, business suits or jeans.

Melissa Holtzclaw, national accounts manager for The Finest Accessories, a hair-accessory manufacturer in North Bend, recommends a simple silk headband in a solid color as an attractive addition to a dress or a business suit.

"The volume of headbands we make has definitely increased this year. The most popular styles now are the thin ones and the split headbands. Solid tortoise is the color to have with silk, and patent also is doing well," Holtzclaw says.

Why have these hair accessories reappeared and caught on? "You can instantly add an accessory to an outfit without really trying," says Allyson Velasquez, assistant manager at Marco Two Union Square, a Seattle salon.

Plus, headbands keep your hair in place so you no longer have to use a barrette, make your hair easier to style, look good with long and short hair, expose more of your features and keep hair off your face.

"My hair is very curly, so I try to wash it as little as possible," says Velasquez. "Headbands help keep that second-day hair in place."

Heather Larson is a freelance writer living in Tacoma: writemix@harbornet.com