Have you ever had such a great hair day that you want to do everything possible to try and make that hair last just one more day??? Yeah, I know you have, we all have! I experience those kinda days every time Jessica Later touches my hair. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jessica for over two years now, sometimes multiple times a week. She is currently the lead hair and make up artist for the Nordstrom photo studio here in LA. But before LA she’s had previous experience in a salon, freelanced in NYC, and eventually managed other hair and makeup artists at a studio in SOHO. Jessica has also worked on countless editorials as well as web and catalog work for Anthropology, Nordstrom rack and HauteLook. What I loved about her right off the bat, aside from her killer dance moves on set, was that she wasn’t your typical brand snob like so many in the industry. I mean, if the product works great, then she’s all about it but performance is far more important to her then a bougie name and price tag.
We are lucky enough that Jessica recently agreed to do a hair tutorial with me so I can share it with all of you. If you’ve seen my hair styled on the Instagram, it’s very likely she did it (I try to take my pictures after she’s done my hair and or make up… it’s too good not to Gram!!) and with so many questions about how I achieve the look, I figured I’d let the pro tell you how it’s done. You want hair like mine below??? You can find a link to the video here.
In the meantime here are a couple of questions I asked Jessica just for you guys.
Q: Do you preferred to style dirty or clean hair?
A: Clean Or second day hair. I’m all about less is more. If your hair is a few days dirty, the build up can make it harder to style and doesn’t always smell the freshest, regardless of dry shampoo.
Q: Favorite salt spray?
A: Catwalk texturizing sea salt spray. I LOVE this stuff and have turned many a hairdresser onto it. It’s lightweight, non sticky and smells amazing. It can also be used to add texture when hair is dry or even as a root lift when hair is wet.
Q: Favorite hairspray?
A: I love Kenra Volumizing spray or Tresemme Tres Two for a stronger hold. Both of which smell great! Or I love a classic L’Oréal Elbert or Sebastian Shaper for a lighter brushable hold. Both of which smell… not so great haha.
Q: Favorite texturizing spray?
A: I often use salt spray and dry shampoo for texturizing but I also love Dallas by R&Co. It’s categorized as a thickening spray and usually is dried into wet hair, however, you can also use it when hair is dry.
Q: Favorite dry shampoo?
A: I love AG for colored dry shampoo, for those with darker hair or red hair. For Blondes I love Batiste. It is the best because I feel like it absorbs the oil without drying the hair and it makes your hair feel light and clean. Some dry shampoos leave a residue or build up making your hair feel dirtier.
Q: Favorite hot tools brand?
A: Bayliss titanium or Hot Tools marcel irons are my favorite. Affordable, long-lasting and they work amazing.
Q: Use a heat protector or are they overrated?
A: I mean… If your hair is real fragile and broken I would recommend using a heat protectant spray. Mostly you should be aware of how often you heat style to begin with. Sebastian and S factor both make one that adds a little bit of shine. I would actually recommend a spray over putting an oil to protect your hair. Some oils will actually heat up more under the hot tools causing more damage. Make sure you get tools that are ceramic (to seal down your cuticle) and have a heat dial, so you can customize the heat used on your hair.
Q: If you were going to recommend one product or item to splurge on or spend a little extra money on what would it be and why?
A: I’m a firm believer in foundations so I also recommend getting a higher quality shampoo and conditioner to take care of your hair. Especially if you are color treating it. If you aren’t starting out with the right foundation, everything else won’t matter. Look for sulfate-free formulas, try to stay away from drugstore brands that typically have abnormally high PH levels. Your hair ages just like your skin, so make sure you are giving it the extra treatments it needs like a hair mask once a month.
Q: Who is your dream hair client?
A: I’m pretty easy. As long as they well taken care of hair and are fun to talk to it is a dream for me. If I had to choose an actual person. I think Julia Roberts has an amazing mane. I would love to get my hands on it haha.
Q: Dream Hair job?
A: That’s hard to say, I feel like any job where I’m in atmosphere of creative freedom and I get to work with fun energetic people sounds like the dream to me. I love shooting studio work, but some of my best days have also been chatting and working with clients in the salon all day. So I guess creative freedom+good people= perfect job.
Q: Lastly if you could use only one product for the rest of your life what would it be?
A: That’s a terrible question to ask anyone in the beauty industry. We all have too much and we love to try new things! I’m just going to assume shampoo and conditioner are a given and included. I would have to go with a light buildable hairspray like Elnett or Shaper. You can create almost any hairstyle with it. It’s a must have!
OK OK enough about how amazing Jessica is and back to me already!!! 😉
Personally I don’t do much to my hair. I recently started using verb shampoo and conditioner in the volumizing line. I don’t even condition every time because I am naturally a bit on the oily side. After a wash, I wrap my hair in a towel for a few minutes. Once I take it out of the towel, I flip my head a few times and then shake my head side to side and let it air dry. I don’t blow dry it or brush it if I don’t have to. I love the look this gives me, it adds a lot of texture and a little dimension. I like to think it looks a little like cute bed head hair. If I need a little more texture I will add a little bit of salt spray and scrunch it up. I’m always trying new brands but I am currently using Ouai Wave Spray. I use to spend hours doing my hair every day, but in more recent years I’ve been able to find so much beauty in the way I naturally look, both with hair and makeup. I still have fun with hair and makeup for work, castings, and on occasion just for the heck of it, but I find comfort in just being me in my raw self.