By Caitlin Collins

Messy waves, braids, chignons, oversized barrettes, and sleek hairstyles each made several appearances on Spring 2011′s runways. The hairdos were as loose and fun as the clothing–find your favorite Spring hair trend and discover how to style it yourself.

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Messy Waves

Voluminous, messy waves were all over the runway for Spring 2011. Nothing conveys summer more than carefree beachy waves. Choose between relaxed tresses and super-amped frizz for this short, medium or long hair friendly style.

Top left: Thakoon via Getty Images, Top right: Ports 1961 via Dan & Corina Lecca, Bottom left: Marc by Marc Jacobs via Dan & Corina Lecca, Bottom right: Badgley Mischka via Dan & Corina Lecca.

Get the Look:

Start with a severe side part and curl hair with a large barrel curling iron. Pin curls into place and spray with Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream, letting them set for a few minutes. Once you are ready to go out, unpin the curls and run a brush through hair, finishing off with hairspray.

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Braids

Braids are incredibly versatile in that they can be worn casually or elegantly. Spring’s braids were often loose and soft, making for a low-maintenance, bad-hair-day-proof hairstyle.

Top left: Erdem via style.com, Top right: Lacoste via style.com, Bottom left: Nicholas K via Getty Images, Bottom right: Valentino via style.com.

Get the Look:

For a low side braid, spray hair with Wella Ocean Spritz for some dry texture. Allow hair on top to be slightly loose and tousled. Part on the side, and gather hair at nape of neck on the opposite side of the part. For example, if you part your hair on the left, gather your hair at the nape of your neck on the right side. Braid as desired, and finish with a rubber band.

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Smooth & Sleek

This hairstyle is refined, chic, and oh-so-easy to achieve. Pair with a masculine or powerful outfit and hit the town looking tough and chic. This wet-head look isn’t shower lazy, it’s carefully executed and smooth.

Top left: Narciso Rodriguez via Dan & Corina Lecca, Top right: Michael Angel via Getty Images, Bottom left: DKNY via Karl Prouse/Catwalking, Bottom right: Dries Van Noten via style.com.

Get the Look:

Work Bed Head TIGI After Party Smoothing Creme into damp hair and blow dry smooth. Brush with a fine brush and gather into chignon or ponytail, or simply style hair behind ears and then smoothly down your back. Finish off with a high gloss styling serum and some extreme hold hairspray so that your smooth style remains intact.

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Oversized Accessories

Designers experimented with large barrettes, scarves, and flowers in runway hair this Spring. Pair an oversized accessory with another hairstyle trend–messy waves, sleek and smooth, or a chignon–for a chunky yet smart addition to your look.

Top left: Cynthia Rowley via theantihairslave.blogspot.com, Top right: Badgley Mischka via Dan & Corina Lecca, Bottom left: Rodarte via Dan & Corina Lecca, Bottom right: Marc Jacobs via Dan & Corina Lecca.

Get the Look:

Part hair on one side, and sweep hair across the forehead to fasten with an oversized accessory.

1. Netted Rosette Headband, Forever 21, $4.80; 2. Tasha Vintage Flower Barrette, Nordstrom, $38; 3. France Luxe Rectangle Barrette, Nordstrom, $16; 4. Rosette Hair Clips, Forever 21, $1.50; 5. Silk Headwrap, Forever 21, $3.80.

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Chignon

This season reinvented fashion’s most classic hairstyle and turned the chignon into something more whimsical and relaxed. Twisted, floating updos that gathered at the nape of the neck topped off elegant dresses and quiet color palettes, signaling the formal potential for the chignon.

Top left: Dolce & Gabbana via style.com, Top right: Donna Karan via Dan & Corina Lecca, Bottom left: Chloe via style.com, Bottom right: Nicole Miller via Dan & Corina Lecca.

Get the Look:

For a loose, twisted chignon, part hair. Pull into ponytail, but fasten at the very bottom of the ponytail rather than at the scalp. Pull the tail straight up, twist as desired, and secure with pins. Finish with Aveda Control Force Hairspray to ensure the loose hairstyle doesn’t topple down.