The Oscars—it’s the biggest night in Hollywood, and as such, it deserves some pretty big hair to match.
Tinsel Town’s elite were out in force last night and it wasn’t just their daring dress sense we were keeping an eye on. From sleek updos to wavy 1940s inspired curls, the female Oscar guests were rocking some stunning hairstyles.
Blondes, brunettes, redheads and afro curls shone on the red carpet last night—but these hairstyles aren’t just for awards ceremonies. Many of the looks we saw last night can easily be replicated with a little at-home hair colouring (and a lot of hairspray!)
We sat down with Clairol’s Colour Director, James Corbett, to talk us through some of his favourite looks from the evening and how to achieve them at home.
Nicole Kidman
Image via The Telegraph
The Australian actress, nominated for her role in Lion, was every inch the timeless red-carpet starlet last night. So how do we get the look?
“To achieve a truly pale neutral shade of blonde with natural to 50% of gray is difficult without added gold or warmth,” explains James. “The best way to counteract this is to remember one of my golden rules of hair colour: ash kills brass. Meaning, if you want little to no warmth/gold/brassy hues, you need to reach for a shade that says ash or cool in the description. But remember, the lighter you go from your natural, dark colour, the more warmth you will have as an outcome. This can sometimes look brassy even if you have a cool-toned desired outcome.”
Clairol Age Defy in 8 Medium Blonde is a similar product as to the one used for this glam moment.
STYLE: Nicole wore a chignon with a side part—the side is left out to make the style a bit softer. To try this look at home, James tells us to brush the hair back into a ponytail and start wrapping pieces around and pin them with hair pins. Don’t forget to use texturizing spray!
Halle Berry
Image via The Telegraph
The biggest surprise of the night (except the La La Land-Moonlight Best Picture fiasco) was perhaps Halle Berry’s natural afro. Gone was the trademark pixie cut she sported when she collected her Oscar for her role in Monster’s Ball, and in its place was a curly hairstyle.
James’ advice? “Set the hair with a medium-sized curling iron and have fun. Hairspray is your best friend to keep these curls curling! Keep in mind that hair pieces may be needed to create enough volume.”
Scarlett Johansson
Image via The Telegraph
The 32-year-old debuted an edgy, punky hairstyle at the Oscars and it’s safe to say, we’re a little bit obsessed.
“This faux hawk was a funky, fun, fresh look,” said James. “The cut is a fade, which is one of the hottest trends for men right now.”
ScarJo certainly manages to give this bold look a thoroughly feminine edge.
Emma Stone
Image via The Telegraph
The La La Land actress was heavily tipped to win the Oscar for Best Actress, so it was imperative that she brought her A-game to the red carpet last night. And boy, did she!
“Red hair can either be cool or warm, meaning more red-violet (cool) or red-orange (warm),” says James. “Orange can sound like a frightening word when it comes to hair colour, but what we are really talking about is copper. Emma stone is a true copper hue with no blue—meaning it’s a warm hue. Look for descriptive words like copper and avoid words with auburn if this is the tone you desire.”
Clairol has an entire Nice ‘N Easy collection called Born Red. Nice ‘N Easy 8R Natural Medium Reddish Blonde is a shade that will match most. It’s better to go lighter and add back in more vibrant red with Clairol Natural Instincts 7GR (Light Golden Red Golden Sienna), a demi-permanent hair colour. Reds have a tendency to fade faster than other colours, so keep some on hand so you’re red head, red carpet ready.
STYLE: To channel this old school Hollywood glamour, use a big barrel curling iron or hot steam rollers. Add a light hairspray or texture spray to keep in place. Then flip the head over and lightly brush out to create loose waves for days.
Michelle Williams
Image via The Telegraph
The Manchester By The Sea actresses’ platinum blonde pixie cut has been a hit this awards season, and last night’s pared down look was no different. Despite there being very little to play with, Michelle Williams’ razor-sharp cut was hella stylish and super flattering. Thinking of trying it out yourself?
Step 1: To achieve this look use Clairol Nice ‘N Easy Born Blonde. It’s a lightener designed to be used on the scalp. It’s easier to achieve if you are already starting from a light brown or lighter hair colour.
Step 2: Use Clairol’s Natural Instincts in Linen, semi-permanent hair colour, to tone and gloss hair to neutralize any brassiness. This requires patience and the lighter will most likely have to stay on for 45 minutes to one hour.
TIP: It’s best that you don’t have any previous colour in your hair. If you do, you should cut off the coloured lengths before dying the hair platinum for best results. Also, since this is a strong colouring process which can cause breakage, short hair is best for platinum blondes.
Check out James’ video on how to dye your hair platinum blonde.
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