IMAGES: The latest, hottest hair trends!

Here's a glimpse of the latest hairstyle trends showcased by the Schwarzkopf Essential Looks event held May 10 in Mumbai.

In my village the barber charges Rs 10 for a shave, Rs 20 for a haircut and Rs 25 for both. I am sure my fellow villagers would have a conniption if they were to be seated like me at the five-star Hotel Renaissance in Powai, Mumbai, watching models parade a number of hairstyles classified under four distinct 'looks'.

Haircare giant Schwarzkopf Professional launched their international hair trends -- the Essential Looks Flux Collection 2012 -- on May 10, 2012.

The event, which was to start at 6 pm, kicked off at 7:40 pm, 100 minutes late. The four different looks were titled 'Cool Hunters', 'Sports Junkies', 'Dark Angels' and 'Hip Opulants'; while I agree that the models did look like angels and the hotel was heaven, they did delay the goodies forever!

The hall was packed with the Schwarzkopf-endorsing hair fraternity, all come to learn about the new styles that they will pass on to their chic clients who can afford hairstyles launched in Paris, London, Milan and Berlin.

When it finally started, everyone was requested to first observe a minute of silence for Vidal Sassoon, the father of modern hairstyling, who passed away the day before, at 84. Then our MC for the evening, actress Shubhi Mehta came on, looking gorgeous in a dark, flowing gown -- a dusky beauty with a husky voice.

Mehta was followed by Jeremy Hunter, President, Henkel Adhesive Technologies Pvt Ltd. Before moving onto the hair angle, he did mention that as an Englishman he had arrived on time at 6 pm, but that in India time doesn't seem to matter.

Star hairdresser Najeeb Ur Rehman, National Technical Head for Schwarzkopf Professional India took to the stage next. He talked about style, he talked about gloss, he talked about volume, he talked about colour. One could not believe he was only talking about hair. There was so much more to it, I wish I had brought my village barber with me.

Ur Rehman was then joined by international stylist and director-owner of Marco Polo Hair Ltd UK, Karen Olliver. He praised her, she praised him. After the formality of mutual admiration was complete, chairs were carried onto the stage, followed by a model with pink hair. Ur Rehman and Olliver proceeded to give her a haircut and demonstrated all four looks they have conceptualised for 2012, which they will soon be teaching in over 300 salons in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.

And here all I've ever heard of before is the bob cut, the Dev Anand cut, the Rajinikanth dishevelled look, the Rajesh Khanna look and the Sadhana cut for girls. I learned so much this day -- I was truly thankful.

And after the how-to session, it was finally time for the fashion show. The models came on, strutting about in trendy hairdos. Take a look.

First up we see catwalker Deepti Gujral, sporting a 'Cool Hunter' style -- aimed at '21st century entrepreneurs' who prefer diverse cultural looks to conventional ones. Sleek precision bobs, feather cuts with attitude and bold statement colours characterised this collection.

Next we see another fashionista flavour in the same vein, but straight and sleek strands made way for brown curls.

This style was aimed at "hedonistic pleasure seekers who want to see and be seen at the coolest bars and hippest hangouts".

The bright colours were teamed with sharp, clean, cuts so that bold blonde and decadent golden-red looked glamorous and versatile, not cheap or tacky.

The Dark Angels appeal is for feminine, subtly sexy women who love luxe, perfectly glossy hair. It consisted of mainly peek-a-boo fringes and rich, ultra-natural colour.

The final look, Sports Junkie, was aimed at the college crowd -- "clean, powerful and minimalist looks that simmered with vitality. Clever styles with ability to shape shift were key, as was a deceptively simple polish."

Here are two more statement Sports Junkie hairstyles for youngsters who like to stand out in a crowd.

Don't miss all the action from the Schwarzkopf Essential Looks event on video.

Video: Afsar Dayatar