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Ever wonder how stars go from dark hair to blond hair almost instantly? Allure spoke to the experts and got the scoop.

Whenever I talk to colorists about dyeing my naturally dark hair light blond, they act like I just decided to get a tattoo on my face. And both times I've tried it, the colorist has taken me on a six-month, multiple-salon-trip odyssey, by the end of which I didn't even want to be blond anymore. Maybe this is just how things are, but if that's true, then how is it that celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway, and Jennifer Lawrence are able to bypass the weird, partially highlighted phase and go from dark to light without destroying their hair? Get the answers from stylist Tracey Cunningham when you keep reading.

Find out if your powder foundation really has enough sunscreen to protect you and more with Allure's tips for staying sun-safe this season.

It takes just five sunburns over the course of a lifetime to double your risk of melanoma. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, throwing such a serious stat at you, but May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and — before you close this browser window to go grab a coffee — I know what you're thinking: by now, everyone knows that skin cancer isn't a joke, right? I mean, even the friend who had an unlimited monthly pass to the tanning salon in high school switched to spray tans! As much as we know about skin cancer, though, only about 20 percent of us wear sunscreen daily. (Which is crazy, considering in a poll we did on Allure's Facebook page, 68 percent of our fans said they either have had skin cancer or know someone who has.) But here's the thing: it's never too late to start taking care of your skin. Here, a few sun-protection tricks to keep in mind as the temperatures start to rise:

• If you're the outdoorsy type, you may want to take a Summer vacation from retinols: they thin the top layer of skin and can make you vulnerable to redness and brown spots, says dermatologist Fredric Brandt.
• One bottle of sunscreen is not going to last. "One ounce is the right goal for each application, as well as for each reapplication, so a 12-ounce bottle is 12 servings — and that's not a lot," says Patricia Wexler, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Set an alarm on your phone to ring every two hours to remind you to reapply.
• If you're outside for 30 minutes or more, wear a chemical sunscreen (like one with Mexoryl SX or Parsol) topped by a physical one (with Z-Cote or titanium dioxide). "Neither type is 100 percent perfect, and whatever rays get through the first layer are caught by the second one," says Miami dermatologist Leslie Baumann.
• Think twice before you use sunscreen wipes: The FDA is reviewing their effectiveness, along with powders and shampoos containing SPF. (No decisions have been made yet.)

More From Allure:

• Is There a Cure For Gray Hair?
• How Stretching Can Help Your Posture
• Punk Hairstyles From the Past
• Give Yourself a Watercolor Manicure

If you've ever applied too much hair oil, then take comfort in knowing you're not the only one. Allure reveals its top tips to fixing the oil slick.

It all started innocently enough. Last Friday, I decided to try a new product in my hair. I put a drop (OK, maybe more than a drop) of the oil in my hand and distributed it throughout my just-washed strands, excited at the prospect of the soft, shiny, and frizz-free hair that would soon be mine. It wasn't until halfway through my blow-dry that I realized just how much oil I had used. I desperately tried to towel it out, then sprayed on two different dry shampoos and brushed and brushed until I came to terms with the fact that I'd need to get back in the shower. But is there a better way? I asked hairstylist Nathaniel Hawkins to give me a quick lesson in hair oils — and how to deal with this kind of mistake, should I make it again. Here's what I learned.

Split ends: You can't grow long hair with them, but it's nearly impossible to prevent them. Allure discovers the top three reasons why your ends are breaking.

Even an Allure beauty editor with gorgeous, glossy, healthy-looking hair — and a bathroom full of damage-repair masks and heat-protecting serums has split ends. The lesson? Split ends happen to everyone. I asked hairstylist Ruben Colon of Sally Hershberger Salon how we can best minimize the damage. "Split ends happen primarily for three reasons," he says. Find out why, when you keep reading.

Having great skin is a 24-7 job, but Allure has four superfoods that will remedy your complexion from the inside out.

"Superfoods": The term is everywhere now, but can downing them actually make you look better? In a word: yes. "Let's say you eat three meals a day. You have three chances to hydrate your skin, boost your circulation, and promote cell turnover," says Frank Lipman, a former chief medical resident at Lincoln Hospital and founder of Eleven-Eleven Wellness Center in New York City. "Or you can eat foods that actually promote aging in skin." Here are Lipman's top four nutritional powerhouses — and one food to avoid

Planning a vacation this Spring? Allure has tips that will ensure your skin stays pristine from wheels up to touch down.

I just got back from a 10-day romp through Vienna, Salzburg, and Paris, and, of course, I packed carry-on-friendly versions of my favorite makeup (Benefit They're Real Mascara Mini ($10), Almay Makeup Eraser Sticks ($6)). But more importantly, I didn't forget to prepare my skin, remembering that the Alps are a lot closer to the sun than my skin is used to. Ellen Marmur, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, told Allure that in the mountains, "The most important thing you can do is protect yourself while you're outside. The sun is intense at that altitude and causes hyperpigmentation in a short amount of time."

So I brought along plenty of hydrating facial moisturizer (my trusty Cetaphil ($11)), Josie Maran Argan Infinity Cream Oil ($28) to help soothe any chapped skin or nails, and even though I never normally wear foundation, I tried Clinique BB Cream With SPF 30 ($37) and antioxidants to protect myself from extra-close rays. By the time I was in Paris, my skin looked healthier than ever — so either schnitzel and strudel have an undiscovered dermatological benefit, or my technique worked.

Here are some more tips to consider for your next getaway:

Still stumped on your face-cleansing brush? Allure got down to the nitty gritty of these do-it-all skin care tools.

I know I'm a little late to the game, but I finally started using a facial cleansing brush a few weeks ago. I'd heard my co-workers and friends rave about them for years, about how glowy their skin looked and how smooth it felt, so I couldn't wait to use one. I thought my skin would look Jennifer Aniston flawless after using it once. What I got, though, was the total opposite: My face broke out — badly.

Aside from a few zits every now and then (which I could probably attribute to my slight affection for chocolate), I've luckily never had a serious acne problem. But after a few days of using the brush with my everyday cleanser (Philosophy Purity Face Wash), my face was spackled in pimples. I freaked out big time. According to dermatologist Jason Emer, this is totally normal. Get Emer's tips and tricks when you keep reading.

Get out of your hairstyling rut with Allure's expert ideas tailored to curly, coily, and kinky hair types.

After years of denial and multiple attempts with a flat iron — thankfully there was no Facebook to publicly immortalize my "awkward phase" — I finally came to grips with a fact: I have very curly hair. But now that I've embraced my ringlets, I've run into yet another dilemma, which is that wearing the same spirals every day can get boring. Since I don't want to just scald my hair straight, I asked celebrity hairstylist Diane Bailey, whose clients include Beyoncé and Lauryn Hill, for some tips on how to reinvent curly hair.

The trick to an ace blowout is the right blow-dryer, and Allure has expert tips on how to pick your perfect drying mate.

Plenty of people I know like nothing more than a good blowout, but to me there's a lot to dislike about the process: the loud, sustained noise; the occasional hair-caught-in-the-vent fiasco; the added static; and, of course, the ridiculously long time it always seems to take. But there are times when leaving my apartment with damp hair just isn't a viable option. (True story: I once went outside on a Winter day with wet hair and inadvertently re-created Cameron Diaz's infamous There's Something About Mary hairstyle when a breeze froze my bangs straight up in the air.)

So I figured I may as well learn how to blow-dry my hair correctly — and how to get it over with as quickly as possible. For help, I turned to hairstylists Kerrie Urban, an Allure product finder expert who has worked with Lady Gaga and Mariah Carey, and Hansen Liu, a stylist at Sally Hershberger Downtown.

Get Urban's expert tips when you keep reading.