Ward Stegerhoek (best known as Ward) has been the artist behind the scenes for some of the most important looks since he took up his brush in his native Amsterdam years ago. He eventually arrived to NYC (via Paris) and has, over the years, created beautiful hair for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire and Allure; and for the runways of Jean Paul Gaultier, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino and Donna Karan. Not surprisingly, he is known as one of the top ten hairdressers, selected by editors around the world. He continues to design beautiful finishes while co-creating products for Living Proof (with the goal to help other hairdressers design beautiful finishes).

At the most recent ARTIST SESSION, Ward shared some of his most important “on set” tips and tricks for the 18 in attendance. Before even starting, Ward mentioned that he began his editorial path as a teenager and that persistence, especially in the beginning, is the best tip he could offer to anyone: “I kept knocking on the door until they were all sick of me and finally let me in.”

Here are Ward’s 6 unique tips and tricks that surprised us all:

1. BUBBLEWRAP: Use bubble wrap as base to keep shape in the hair or add volume and lift. This can be used instead of a "rat" or any other form. “It is a great base for fabric, especially. It is lightweight and easier for the model to support.”

2. SPEED: Work fast. “This is key. The rest of the team does not want to sit around waiting for the hairdresser to change up the style.”

3. WIGS: If you are working with wigs, make sure you store the wig on a small mannequin head to keep the shape. “If the mannequin head is too big it will stretch out the wig and it will never fit the model properly.”

4. TAPE: Use scotch tape to add pieces or fabric. (“But make sure to remove by running the tape down, not up. You don’t want to remove the ‘scales’ of the hair.”)

5. STYROFOAM: Styrofoam shapes or balls can be used quite effectively.

-Make sure to prepare by spraying the foam the color of the models hair.

-When using Styrofoam balls, cut a hole down the center of the ball and place on the top of the head or at the crown. Bring the hair up through the hole (like a ponytail) then take that hair and wrap around the ball.

6. FABRIC: For fashion shoots, grab some of the matching fabric and tie in the hair.

[[photogallery:25026]]