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Hollywood Hairdressers, Get Creative for Oscar Night

Earlier in the week, I watched ‘The Critics Choice Awards’ and last night, the Golden Globes, and was appalled by the hair standards of the female stars. It was as if the hairdressers had gone on strike and the stars had to do their own hair, all but a select few.

by Harold Leighton
January 14, 2013
2 min to read

Earlier in the week, I watched ‘The Critics Choice Awards’ and last night, the Golden Globes, and was appalled by the hair standards of the female stars. It was as if the hairdressers had gone on strike and the stars had to do their own hair, all but a select few: 

Hair by Harold Leighton. Here is Jodi Foster's bob.

--Anne Hathaway with her gamine haircut

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Hair is dried under the hood dryer then blow dryed to achieve softness. Trying to do waves with the hot irons you can never match-up wave next to wave as you take wrong sections of hair


--Jodi Foster with her classic Sassoon bob, looking fresh and not a hair out of place
--Taylor Swift, Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain all looked really beautiful and modern.

I was working with Dynel, a fibre for hair extra lengths. Difficult to work with--it knotted, had static--tough shoot. I then developed a way to set this fibre with a setting lotion called (wait for it) Pantene. It dried like glue...but this is for another story for another time.

 I am sure there will be many haircuts being booked in the following days with salons being busy doing what they do best--good quality hair, copying what the public see and want from watching TV.

Hair by Harold Leighton

In my day, whenever there was a film premier or the Oscar night was on, the good-looking hair caught on so quick that salons were bursting at the door! If it was a soft curl look that needed a perm, great color or a great looking highlight, the salons were busy.


Remember The Shag, The Farah, The Poodle, The Sassoon Bob?


Hair by Harold Leighton

Hair by Harold Leighton

Hair by Harold Leighton using Paul MItchell Products


 In my opinion, as each year goes by the hair gets worse. Only the men’s hair improves and their suits become smarter.

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The women’s designer gowns get copied and are in the stores within days while the hair continues to hang. Color is the only product that multiplies in salons from top to toe and that’s at least a good sign. The Hollywood hairdressers should work on putting glamour back with false hair pieces,  side combs, slides instead of a Kirby grip with pretty hair bits and bobs that salons can sell to their clients.

I sincerely hope that by the time we get to The Oscars night in March, we will witness some beautiful looking hair that is not hanging down with tons of hair product, fewer pony tails and a little creative skill. Also, that we see some more individual looking haircuts the likes of Anne Hathaway, Jodie Foster, or Helen Mirren. With such super star names,  great looking young girls, great figures, wearing beautiful gowns with great makeup, what more can these  session hairdressers want?

Anne Hathaway, one of the ones that 'got it right'

Topics:In The KnowIndustry News

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