Want a new look? How about a new color? Red highlights? Purple?

Maybe turquoise is more your thing.You don't have to be Pink, Katy Perry or Nicole Richie to rock a hot new color.While celebrities and socialites are usually on the forefront for trendsetting, just about anyone can put a little extra zing in their appearance these days."I did it last year, around this time," says Angie Bailor of Jim Thorpe, "and I loved it."She loved it so much, she just did it again. Even though Bailor's dark brown hair now features a blend of purple and magenta highlights, the look is understated and elegant."I just wanted something a little different," says Bailor, who is a teacher in the Pocono Mountain School District. "I love the flair. I just like it. I think it's neat and it's youthful."Bailor's noticed more and more people in the area, including some of her students, choosing hair color from a rainbow of options."It's definitely becoming more popular."Stylist Roni Gilbert, co-owner of Cuts to Dye For in Penn Forest Township, embraces the style. Gilbert has her own unique look. Her naturally dark, almost black, hair, is shaved super-short on the right side. About a third of her hair on the left is bright turquoise.It's a look that works for Gilbert, and one her client, Linda Carlson of Penn Forest Township, decided she wanted as well. That was about a year ago. Now Carlson has her own signature look.Carlson works in a display and packaging facility and isn't allowed to wear any type of accessory, other than her hard hat and Day-Glo yellow vest.She wanted something that would stand out."I liked (Gilbert's), but blue wouldn't be my color," says Carlson.Instead, she chose a dynamic ruby red. Her layered cut features deep red highlights on top. Underneath is solid red. It's pretty stunning and gives her the wow factor she was looking for."I was tired of everything being blah."Long, luxurious locks in a snapIf a bright, bold color isn't for you or maybe it is but you want more you may want to consider extensions.Gilbert and Lisa Szerlip, one of the salon's stylists, both upped their wow factor.Szerlip, whose hair naturally falls to the middle of her back, is now sporting waist-length blond hair that is impossible to distinguish from her own."Hair extensions are wonderful for people who want to add length or fullness, highlights or lowlights," says Szerlip. "Or if they want to add more wave to their hair or curl."Extensions, which are made from human hair, are available straight, wavy or curly. They come in different lengths, from 8 inches to 24 inches. Both Szerlip and Gilbert used 22-inch lengths.They also come in different colors, or in platinum, so they can be custom-dyed to any color.Some of the more notable colors Szerlip has applied to clients include black with sapphire blue at the ends; lavender, which is very popular right now, as well as other pastels, such as baby blue, light turquoise and mint. Wearers can also have their extensions colored in patterns, such as stripes, polka dots, or other designs. Szerlip once did a flame pattern on a client, whose hair went from blonde to orange, red and yellow, tinged with black.Women (and men) interested in extensions will need a consultation with a stylist, who will determine if extensions are possible, as well as how many are needed. Two bundles were used on Szerlip, while six were needed just to do half of Gilbert's head, since her hair is so thick.Szerlip says that after the extensions are applied, the client will notice that it feels heavier for the first couple days, because there's more hair. It might also be slightly uncomfortable the first night. The hair will also feel thicker at the base, where the bonds are connected to the existing hair."After three or four days, though," says Szerlip, "you'll forget they're in."It took about four hours to do Gilbert's hair."It feels different," says Gilbert "I can't really feel the bonds. You'd think you would, but I can't. It just feels really different having long hair."Hair extensions aren't cheap, averaging between $300 and $500, but once they're in, half bonds will last two to three months. Full bonds will last between five and six months.When you're ready to remove them, the stylist applies a special bond remover, then uses a tool that cracks open the "shell," revealing the natural end of the client's hair. Szerlip, who has been doing extensions for 12 years, says there shouldn't be any damage to the existing hair when the extension is removed.To learn more about trendy new colors or hair extensions, call Cuts to Dye For at 570-732-4411.