If you’ve ever stared at Margot Robbie’s perfectly undone tousled waves, or Zendaya’s ever-changing ‘dos that all look totally epic and thought, ‘How the hell is their hair so much better than mine?’, then you’ve come to the right place. We popped on our investigative beauty hats and went straight to the source — aka the woman behind Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Selena Gomez’s seriously good barnets — A-list hairstylist Lona Vigi, to discover the secrets to having a red carpet-worthy hair day. From hidden hair extensions to one minute blowdries, these are the celeb hair hacks they don’t want you to know about…
1. Almost every celeb is hiding secret hair extensions
In updos…
‘One of the ‘sneakiest’ ways to use hair extensions so that it doesn’t look like you’re wearing them (which is fully the goal, most of the time, right?) is sneaking them into up-dos, ponytails, buns, and braids in order to achieve more volume or dimension. Olivia Wilde’s braid at the Oscars is a great example.
‘With up-do’s you don’t need to use a full set of extensions, it’s just a matter of pieces in all the right places.’
To hide a grown out fringe…
‘You can even use extensions strategically when you’re trying to hide a grown out fringe. It takes all of 5 minutes or less, and voila — you’d never know!’
As a ‘hair’ accessory…
‘Using extensions as an “accessory” like a braided headband or a wrap ponytail can be a super fun and easy idea, just as long as it matches your hair colour!’
2. Forget the fancy tools
‘An incredible hairspray, a little bit of wax and a lot of well placed bobby pins will take you all the way from red carpet to cocktails. Those are the 3 essentials.
‘I usually send my clients out with a small travel-sized hairspray and some bobby-pins. The real key is in the maintenance.’
3. Not all celeb hairstyles take hours to achieve
The 1 minute blowdry…
‘I’m going to use Nicole Kidman as an example because I did her hair in an impossibly small amount of time. That was a marriage of a 1 minute blowout for added volume and sleekness using T3’s Featherweight Compact hairdryer (that little baby works wonders!) and a quick hot roller situation for the face framing pieces of hair and at the crown.
‘When you’re cranking out red carpet-worthy hair with no time, your tools are key. For Nicole’s look it was all about T3’s Volumising Hot Rollers set with hairspray and a few added hair extensions to add dimension and bring a highlight effect around her face.
‘Then add more hairspray!’
4. Loads of A-listers are working dirty hair on the red carpet
It’s all about the wet look…
‘I feel like Kim Kardashian West is the one who really started making wet look hair a style to copy.
‘Dirty, unwashed hair is actually the perfect base for doing the wet look. Also, ironically using less water in conjunction with your hair products works much better. For me the key products are a whole lot of wax and gel used together.
‘Divide your hair into three horizontal sections, working the product from roots to end. You’ll want to use enough wax to completely drench your hair, then start scrunching strands lightly to create waves. Lightly spray hair with water in between and then work a solid amount of gel into hair to lock curls in place. Use your hands, not a comb — you don’t want comb marks that make your hair look stripy!’
5. A sleek blowdry makes short hair look just as epic
‘ I feel like you can’t go wrong with a sleek bob like Sarah Paulson’s. So classic, so chic and totally timeless. This look is 100% only achieved with the right tools.
‘Start with a killer blowout. Prep the hair with a shine serum first and then blow dry the hair with the nozzle attachment facing down for a super sleek finish. Keep the hair as flat to the head as possible for maximum sleekness.
‘Once all of your sections are dry, go in piece by piece and start hair straightening. Use a heat protecting spray (I love Oribe Soft Lacquer Heat Styling Spray) and a spritz of Elnett to set.’
6. Mousse, mousse and more mousse
‘Mousse is one of the tricks I use to add volume and support to any style. Blow-dry the hair once from damp with mousse and then re-wet the hair, add more mousse, and blow-dry again. It’s a great way to give long lasting, exaggerated style.’
From: ELLE UK
