secrets from cristophe

When it comes to hair, women are a little bit crazy. Most of us want what we can't have: ringlets if we have straight hair, thick hair if we have fine, long if we have short, and for me--straight hair because mine is wavy. Sigh. I long ago accepted the fact that Cher-hair, that stick straight long Donatella/Gwyneth hair is not to be...until I met Cristophe.


Fall hair is graphic and off the face at Alessandro Dell'Acqua

One of the things I most love about my work is getting to meet top stylists. Of course, getting a fabulous hair cut and blow out is always a big perk, but ultimately what stays with me is what I learn from them. A couple of days ago I was assigned to cover the legendary Cristophe, who performs his haircutting wizardry on A-list clients including Bill Clinton, Nicole Kidman, Cameron Diaz and Goldie Hawn. He's the stylist who weaned Hillary Clinton from her headbands to a more chic style. Now that I've met him in person, I can see how he could persuade anyone to do almost anything with their hair--the guy is charming.


Can you make your hair do this?

After a very precise cut that lets me part my hair anywhere I want, Cristophe began to blow my hair straighter than I'd ever imagined it could be. How do you do that and still have body? Ah, there are secrets and I am going to share them with you. According to Cristophe, using a straightening gel before you start to dry your hair will make the process much quicker and easier. The other key is to take your hair in sections with a large round brush and blow it the opposite way it grows. If you want a bit of a flip at the end, keep the last bit of hair wrapped around the brush while you dry it. If you want stick-straight hair, blow the hair all the way to the ends while holding it taut on the brush.

The other trick Cristophe taught me was how to part my hair. If you part your hair on the side with a straight line, then one side tends to be flat, the other too poofy. The answer is to curve the part from the beginning of the part into the center of the head. That gives you a nice lift at the crown of your head and also gives the hair a little lift all over your head. Hard to envision, but it works!


Another polished look from the Fall 07 runway

We also talked about what's happening with hair for Fall 07. As some of you may know, things are moving toward a more sophisticated look. There's no more "in-between" hair as Cristophe calls it. Hair that's not really styled, that casual, tousled shag look is over. Formal cuts are back, hair is more polished. Look out for lots of dark browns, burnished reds, and deep colors.

Cristophe told me that he spends the majority of his time at his Beverly Hills salon at 348 N Beverly Dr in Beverly Hills; Phone: (310) 274-0851. He also sees clients at his Newport Beach salon in Fashion Island at least a few times a month. When he's not flying to Vegas to see clients at the Cristophe salon at the MGM Grand, Cristophe also spends part of the month seeing clients on the east coast (he has salons in Washing D.C. and St. Barth's). If this isn't enough Cristophe is also involved with his hair product line (available exclusively at CVS stores nationwide) and opening more salons on the east coast and in Europe. If you ever have a chance to book an appointment, I highly recommend it!