Hair How-To: Four Star Stylists On How They Got Their Oscars Look

Four celebrity hair stylists explain how they got the look at the Oscars 2016…

Ahh the Oscars. Surely the world’s greatest example of a good hair day, right? And now, as this year’s ‘dos were bigger, better and more perfectly preened than ever, the four hair stylists behind Lady Gaga, Brie Larson, Kerry Washington and Rachel McAdams’ award-worthy hairstyles are telling us all how they got the look…

Lady Gaga ‘We wanted a timeless and elegant look for her first Oscars,’ celebrity hairstylist Frederic Aspiras tells us of the curls he whipped up for Ms Gaga. ‘I created perfectly structured, voluminous curls to frame her face.’

So how did he do it? ‘To start, I washed the hair and rinsed thoroughly. I then blow dried the hair using my ghd air hairdryer and a boar bristle round brush, making the hair voluminous and smooth. I then sprayed the hair with a heat protectant spray before we started styling.’

Next there were not one, but two curling tongs involved. ‘I used ghd curve classic curl tong at the front of the hairline and ghd curve soft curl tong from the crown down to the nape. After curling each piece, I held the curl in my hand and sprayed it with a curl hold spray, then pinned the curl in place. Once all of the hair was pin curled, she sat under a dryer hood for 15 minutes, then let the hair cool for another 5 minutes. Finally, we removed all pins and brushed out the hair with a Mason Pearson Brush. We then sculpted the hair with a wide tooth comb. Once the hair looked perfect, we finished with hairspray to hold the look in place.’

Brie Larson ‘Brie wore a gorgeous, royal blue, custom Gucci dress and I wanted her hair to have a celestial but fresh look to complement the dress,’ hairstylist Mara Roszak says of the mood. ‘We did a modern half-up, half-down style.’

So how did she do it? ‘Mara started by applying L’Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil Transforming Oil-in-Cream to Brie’s damp hair,’ her team mates explain. ‘She then parted the hair in the centre and then blow dried with a round brush. Once dry, she used a ghd platinum styler to touch up the hair and help with any frizz or flyaways while keeping it healthy and shiny, especially with the humid weather. She then sprayed L’Oreal Paris Elnett Hairspray all over the hair. Then, using a ghd curve Classic Curl Iron, she created soft, loose waves throughout. Once done waving, she brushed the hair out with a boar bristle brush and applied L’Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil Lustrous Oil Serum on the middle and ends of hair for extra shine. Next, she took the front pieces of hair by the hair line on both sides and twisted them, bringing them to the back of hair. She pinned in place and then put a piece of fabric that matched Brie’s belt on top of the pins, wrapping the extra hair that was hanging around the fabric. Lastly, she sprayed L’Oreal Paris Elnett Hairspray all over the hair for hold and L’Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Nutri-Gloss High Shine Glossing Mist for extra shine.’

Kerry Washington ‘I wanted to create a bold look that matched Kerry’s black and white leather dress,’ explains celebrity hair stylist Takisha Sturdivant-Drew. ‘We kept the hair edgy and youthful.’

So how did she do it? ‘I shampooed the hair with Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo to remove build up, then used Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask to keep the hair looking shiny and healthy. I blew out the hair with my ghd air hairdryer and a paddle brush, adding some volume at the roots. Once the hair was completely dry, I used the ghd platinum styler to make the hair look sleek and shiny. I really love this flat iron, because it heats to the optimal 365 degrees so I know I’m not damaging the hair. Healthy hair is so important to Kerry. To style, I used ghd curve Soft Curl Tong and curled some pieces counter clockwise and some clockwise so the hair didn’t all fall in one place. I clipped TSD Hair Extensions to the center of the head and with a fine tooth comb, teased the root just a bit to give some added drama. I finished by taking the hair and securing a ponytail in place with a leather Versace band.’

Rachel McAdams ‘When I saw the August Getty gown Rachel was going to wear to the Oscars, I immediately knew that her hair should be up,’ says Mark Townsend, stylist with ghd, North America. ‘We both agreed on a clean and sleek look to complement the gorgeous dress.’

So how did he do it? ‘I started by applying Dove Regenerative Nourishment Serum-in-Oil to her damp hair to nourish strands and seal the cuticle. I then blew her out straight with my Spornette mixed bristle round brush using my trusty ghd air hair dryer. Once the hair was fully dry, I went in with my ghd platinum styler and straightened her tresses section by section. Next, I sectioned her hair into a deep side part, and coated my hands with John Masters Organics Rosemary and Peppermint Detangler. I used the detangler to give her hair a shiny, almost wet look, and pulled it in the back to create a textured knot. Using French hair pins to secure the knot, I created a sleek yet imperfect shape. I finished the look by spraying Dove Style+Care Strength And Shine Extra Hold hairspray all over to set the look and keep any flyaways down. The end result is classic, modern, and above all, gorgeous.’

We’ll be trying this one on our next night out…

With thanks to ghd.