I am so excited to announce to you the winners of the Rusk Anti-Curl Competition! Judged by Lee Rizzuto, Jr, VP of Rusk Professional Hair Care; Jim Roberts, Rusk Director of Shows and Education; and me, Alison Shipley, Editor of First Chair, the awards presentation will be at Premiere Orlando! The results of the hair taming system are fabulous-straightening, defrizzing, and beautifying hair from super curly to very frizzy. Check out the winners!

First Place: Alex Rivera
Homewood, Illinois
Prize: $5,000 cash
$500 in Rusk products
Airline ticket to attend Premiere Orlando for the awards presentation 

"When I got the phone call that I had won, I was driving in my car and almost had to pull over-I was so excited!" Rivera says. "This opportunity means the world to me. It has changed my career forever. My dreams for the future would be to produce editorial work for magazines-to have won a photo-based competition at such an early stage in my career is incredible."

  << BEFORE

  << AFTER

  << Winner: Alex Rivera

"My model's expectations were for a manageable loose wave to cut down her styling time, while avoiding harsh chemicals such as formaldehyde which is contained in other  treatments, so naturally Rusk Anti-Curl was a perfect fit. Her sister's destination wedding is quickly around the corner and since the location of the wedding is in the Dominican Republic she was looking for a service that would keep her hair frizz free in the humid conditions of the Caribbean. She was thrilled, she never thought her hair could hold such shine and be remarkably straight while cutting her styling time in half, and with such a simple application process, her busy schedule remained perfectly in order. She felt  the condition of her hair didn't suffer any damage but had actually improved to a softer, smoother, more beautiful condition. She brought to my attention that she would even be okay with inflicting some damage to her hair just as long as it made her hair more manageable, so she was pleased to feel her hair integrity's improvement. The end result surpassed my expectations."


Second Place: Allison Hunter
Glendale Heights, Illinois
Prize: $2,500 cash
$250 in Rusk products

<< AFTER

<< BEFORE

<< Second Place: Allison Hunter

"For a professional working in the emergency medical field, my model something manageable and still classically elegant. Marina has extremely thick, naturally curly hair, with an uneven curl pattern, strong at the crown and straighter towards the nape. She wanted to retain the versatility of being able to wear her hair both curly and straight, but with more control and greater ease of styling. This service consisted of Rusk AntiCurl#2 and a blowdry style. Marina was (and continues to be) extremely thrilled with the outcome of her AntiCurl service. Her hair still has the versatility to be styled both curly and straight, but with less work and almost no frizz!"

Third Place: Sarah Boulton
Raleigh, North Carolina
Prize: $1,000 cash
$100 in Rusk products

<< AFTER

<< BEFORE

<< Third Place: Sarah Boulton

"Jane is a high-schooler who enjoys her curly hair but wants to make it more manageable, less frizzy and easier for her to straighten for when she chooses to do so. Her hair is very thick, course and has a very strong curl pattern. I used AntiCurl number one because she has virgin hair, only some natural highlights from the sun. After following the AntiCurl directions, I was able to remove about 50% to 70% of Jane's curl. In the crown was her strongest curl pattern which I was able to reduce by about 50%. Around her hairline was the weakest curl which was reduced by about 70%. This was perfect for Jane because there were plenty of beautiful curls for her to wear naturally. The frizz in her hair was decreased dramatically, which will make it easier for her to straighten on her own."