CHAPTER 10: THE HAIR

The quest for perfect hair. I know it well. Growing up, we thought perfect hair meant long, stick-straight locks, parted down the middle. We used to iron our hair. We literally draped our hair over an ironing board, covered only by a towel, and took a hot clothing iron to it. Scary. Then there were the orange-juice cans that I used as rollers before I went to sleep. Not exactly comfortable, but all those sleepless nights seemed totally worth it to me at the time.

I know hair really defines you. When I’ve just had my hair blown out at the salon and it’s totally shiny, that’s the best. But I don’t feel like I have to achieve that glossy perfection—the kind you see in magazines and on the red carpet—in my normal, everyday life. The secret to great-looking hair is embracing what you have naturally, keeping it super-healthy, and getting a great cut.

Accept and make the most of the hair you have. I couldn’t be happier than when I’m able to help a girl, with amazing curly hair by wrestling the flat iron away and showing her the beauty of a tousled, sexy style. Going with your natural hair texture, and not against it, is how you get truly fabulous results.

INTERVIEW: ERIC DOMINGUEZ
SECRETS FROM THE SALON

Eric Dominguez, who styled the hair on every page of this book (including my own), knows hair. We both believe that healthy, shiny hair is what is most beautiful. But what I love most about Eric is that he listens to what people want. So I always listen to his advice on hair, and so should you.

When it comes to hair, why does it seem like no one is happy with what they have on their head?

Hair is easy to blame. Hair is right there, looking terrible, when we wake up in the morning. It’s an easy scapegoat. It’s easy to feel bad about your hair when you look at magazines and celebrities, who have hairdressers at their disposal. Most people don’t have the tools to get that kind of look. Even hairdressers ask one another to do their hair. It’s just easier to have someone else do your hair.

What’s a good way to be happy with the hair you have?

First, be honest about what you have. There is nothing wrong with wanting to change your hair. But look at the color, texture, and amount of hair you have, and try to find some attribute about it that you like. When people look at their faces to do their makeup, they try to highlight their best feature. Do the same when it comes to your hair, whether you have thick hair or an interesting color. Find one of those things and focus on that.

What do you think makes hair beautiful?

Healthy hair is always beautiful. It reflects the light beautifully. Anything that is good for skin is good for hair—a good diet, a lot of water, exercise. Also minimal abuse is important. That means limiting sun exposure, friction from brushing, flat irons, or hair dryers. When it comes to those last two tools, ask your hairdresser about what temperature settings to use. If you have fine hair, you can’t crank the heat up.

How does hair complement style? What does it show about a person?

It is an instant way of expressing ourselves. When a girl has a passion about waking up in the morning and using her hair as a tool for expression, like an artist, then I say go for it. I think girls with pink or green hair are gorgeous because they become a living coloring book. But I also think it’s beautiful to see a young jock—who grows her hair long and her hair is healthy because she is healthy—wearing her hair in a ponytail like a lovely piece of fabric flowing down her back. Get to know what style you want and don’t let anyone alter that.

What’s the best way to find your own hairstyle?

The secret is knowing what you are willing to put into your hair. There are women who can color their own hair or work an iron like nobody’s business. If you are not that proficient, or not interested in spending a half an hour every morning doing your hair, get a simple haircut that fits your style.

How can girls find a good hairstylist?

Here’s one of my favorite ways to find a hairdresser that I tell all my clients moving to a new city where I don’t know any salons. Go to the nicest department store you can find and head to the makeup department. Look for one of the girls behind the counter whose hair is in great shape and who has a great cut. Then ask who cuts her hair. These women are in the public eye all day long, and they’re discerning. In most cases, they are also pretty demanding. You will find a hairdresser who can listen and communicate. And that’s what you want—a hairdresser who can bring out what you want when you wake up and look in the mirror.

Any tips on how to get the haircut you want once you walk into the salon?

There’s nothing wrong with bringing pictures from magazines. But you want to find someone whose hair is the same texture and density as yours. If you have thick hair and you walk in with a picture of fine, windblown hair, that’s never going to happen.

Isn’t a picture of a celebrity or fashion model an unrealistic example?

I always suggest that people cut the person’s face and body out of the picture and just have the hair. Or if you aren’t that crafty, stick a piece of paper over the face. You don’t want the hairdresser thinking you want to look like the model or actress. You want them to focus in on the hair. They will see the frame you are trying to create and not the latest celebrity. Just as you are focusing in on the hair, they will then focus in on the hair and remove any preconceived ideas.

What can a girl do if she gets a really, really bad haircut?

Use it as an opportunity to try something you might never do otherwise. If you always wear your hair long and get a crummy medium-length haircut, find a hairdresser through someone who always has a great haircut and say, “I am hating this so much; I can’t hate anything more.” Then go for it. Try a short cut or layers. Sometimes growing out a bad cut back to the way your hair was before is not the best thing to do. Follow that initial desire to change by changing again.

What’s your advice for girls with stick-straight hair?

I love really short, French-schoolboy haircuts that you see in fashion magazines. They are simple. You just remove hair being an issue. If someone wants to wear her hair longer, a beautiful crisp blunt haircut is always classic. It always looks clean and healthy. If your hair is also really thick, like Asian hair, find a hairstylist who is proficient with a straight razor. With a straight-razor cut, you get a lot of movement and softness. You wind up having very little maintenance. You wake up with style.

How about curly or wavy hair?

If you don’t want to get into a production every morning, always wear it curly. Don’t blow it out once a week. You will end up disturbing the curl. Only comb or brush your hair once a week in the shower. Use your fingers or a wide-tooth comb to get the snags out. Brushing stretches the curl, which makes it look frizzy. If you can go one or two days without shampooing it, just wet your hair. This will bring the natural oils down throughout the hair shaft, making it look shiny. The curls will also be more defined and less frizzy. You can use conditioner, which will remove the perspiration and dust from hair while still maintaining the curl.

What are some easy ways to change up anyone’s hair?

Ponytails are great. If you wear one high or low, it immediately changes what you see, even from the front. Hair accessories are another way to get creative. I had a girl who brought in an antique belt buckle to put into her hair for an event. Experiment by attaching objects found at flea markets to bobby pins and fabric-covered rubber bands. You won’t find the same stuff on other people’s heads.

Is it possible to get glam hair that’s not too fussy?

Divide and conquer. If you wanted to put your hair up, divide the hair from ear to ear. Take the front half and get it out of the way and ignore it. Take the hair behind the ears and put it a ponytail or pin it in a knot shape. Once that’s out of the way, take the front hair and gently pull sections back with combs or bobby pins. The bottom section is your foundation. And there are no rules for the front section, so have fun. Girls with curly hair have it the easiest. You can just start pinning it up. Get strong clips and let it be messy and tumbling down.

Why should girls love their own hair?

I’m Latin American, and there are all different types of hair in my family. I have a sister with the hair texture of an African American. Growing up, she would chemically straighten her hair and wasn’t allowed to go in the pool if we had something important to do the next day. That really limited her. It is important to embrace what you have. It doesn’t mean you can’t get your hair done differently. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if you can accept that “I’m still beautiful with what grows out of my head naturally,” you’ll gain a lot of freedom.

DON’T OVERTHINK OR OVERWORK YOUR HAIR.

Curly hair is beautiful when you embrace it and take good care of it. Never brush curly hair when it’s dry. Detangle curls when hair is wet and has conditioner in it. For amazing curls like these, wrap sections around your finger while the hair is still wet to define the curl. Then let it air-dry so you don’t disturb the natural curl.

Pigtails can be cool and modern. Keep the pigtails loose so there’s volume toward the face, and tie the fasteners at your shoulders. If you want to get advanced, wrap a section of hair around the rubber band to make it part of the accessory. Don’t sweat fly-aways. They add to the soft and casual look.

Hair accessories can be simple, elegant, and fun. Here two gold headbands are wrapped around and turned into a ponytail holder that adds drama. Be creative with your accessories. Try ties, brooches, belts, anything you like.