Out of the creative brain and nimble fingers of Sexy Hair Artistic Director Rafe Hardy and his right hand, Sexy Hair Artist and Educator Nadirah Volpe, a beautiful shoot emerged.  A crack team of artists, along with in-demand fashion and beauty photographer Robert Lynden, collaborated on a seamless story of tri-texture on long hair. The final results can be viewed in the January issue of MODERN SALON.

“On the Red Carpet right now, you’ll see those classic movie-star waves but then they’ll take a three strand braid and pull it across the front. They’re adding texture as a visual point of interest, “ says Hardy.  This blending of trends is what inspired him;  long-haired models emerged with intense texture offset by the counter-point of a crimp or a braided headband. Hardy and Volpe conceived these looks as a way for stylists to offer versatility to long-haired styles without cutting.

“Coming from an education background, I want to give something that the stylist can believe in and they feel like they can attempt and they don’t have to translate it,” said Hardy. “Once you get a good set in there and you have that good foundation, versatility becomes much easier. You can wear the hair so many different ways. You can do first day, then expand the texture on the second day and on the third day, pin it up.”

ADVICE TO SALON PROFESSIONALS: “You better practice your braiding skills.  Every stylist should know how to braid so they can easily show variations to their consumers.  At least be proficient in a Fishtail, three-strand, and French Braid.”—Rafe Hardy

“You want to use a minimal amount of product especially if you plan on doing more than one look.  You want to layer the product on there.  The Sexy Hair Soy Touchable gives you a hairspray hold without a hairspray feel.  You can break it up really nicely.”-- Rafe Hardy

ON THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER PRIOR TO A PHOTO SHOOT: “Practice, practice, practice.  Before you do a photo shoot you want to know the results you’re going to get with no surprises.  It’s more of preparing and collaborating with everyone.  You want to know not just about the hair but about the entire shoot.”—Rafe Hardy

HOW SHE COMES UP WITH PHOTO SHOOT CONCEPTS: “I go online and put together a collection of things that inspire me or little details that I like. Then I sit on it and let it marinate in my head until I’m ready to work on them, and I start working on a mannequin.”-Nadirah Volpe 

STYLING TIPS:"I’m trying to complement the hair and going the mores imple, elegant, red carpet route. Structured yet soft. The dressers are meant to follow the pattern of the hair and the textures. We’re not fighting them. We always understand that we’re here to make the hair look good."--Wardrobe Stylist Alejandro Penada

MAKEUP TIPS:“I created a warm, brown smokey eye with neutral shades. Black is so dramatic that you can’t always wear it all the time because it gives you such a strong look.  And then a coral lip because it works with almost every skin tone and complements a strong eye.”—Makeup Artist, Inessa Shak

 NAIL TIPS:"Adding just a bit of bling keeps a manicure ladylike but current looking.  We added rhinestone around the tip but it's also pretty to fill in the moon with some stones or do a subtle glitter fade. " --Manicurist Bobbe Naohara