We’re not in the habit of feeling sorry for supermodels. We reserve our sympathy for a less fortunate set, namely, everyone else on planet Earth. But when these three famous beauties began lamenting the condition of their aging hair, we felt their pain. Grays, brittleness, and a wiry texture (which show up in that order) zap color from skin—no matter how great you look otherwise. Now, some happy news: The right cut, color, and products can help counter the decline. And we’re not just saying that to be nice. We enlisted Garren of the Garren New York salon to rehab the hair of a few fashion icons, to stunning effect. Adopt these principles as your own so you, too, can return to your glory days.
[contentblock id=1 img=adsense.png]
Elaine Irwin, 44
THE PROBLEM
“I feel like my curls have a mind of their own. They’ve become frizzy and unruly.”
GARREN’S FIX
– Snap curls into shape. “Elaine is your all-American, long-haired blonde,” says Garren. “She’s always had great, healthy hair, and she has a lot of it.” Garren first revived the shape of Irwin’s curls, which have become limp over the years. He added buoyancy by concentrating layers on just the bottom two to three inches—anything higher would mushroom out.
– Color guard. “Because they’re parched, Elaine’s curls were more straight and fuzzy in the front, making them difficult to control.” In order to create a more uniform curl, Garren prescribed a color treatment, which sounds out of left field, but isn’t. “The toner in hair color actually fills up the tiny fissures in the cuticle, creating a smoother, shinier, less ruffled surface.” For an even glossier sheen, Garren recommends using a hydrating texturizing spray (such as Alterna Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist).
– Go for the gold. Garren deepened the model’s baby blonde color into a warmer, more golden hue. “The richer shade really made her skin glow and blue eyes pop.”
– Preserve your color longer. You should be able to go about four to six weeks between salon visits. If you find yourself needing more frequent upkeep, make some changes at home: Avoid styling products with alcohol—they strip away dye. Put a filter on your showerhead to prevent chlorine and minerals from fading color, and always use a shampoo and conditioner formulated for color-treated hair (Garren likes R+Co Gemstone Shampoo and Conditioner, out May 2014).
Paulina Porizkova, 48
THE PROBLEM
“I have so many grays to keep up with. And I want a cut that’s cool, but not girlie.”
GARREN’S FIX
– Take a risk. “Paulina is a rocker chick. She’s married to a musician. A safe style isn’t going to work for her,” says Garren. To give Porizkova’s hair some edge and sex appeal, Garren cropped six inches from the ends until they curved just above the model’s collarbone. Next, he added a handful of long layers around the front and back, creating a slightly roughed-up finish. “That piecey texture gives the style a cool, airy quality.”-
– Fringe is your friend. “I gave Paulina bangs because I knew they would bring out her amazing eyes,” says Garren. “Bangs make you look younger. They’re fresh and edgy but still appropriate.”
– Lighten up. “Grays have been an issue for Paulina,” says Garren, who instructed colorist Alexis Unno to lighten Porizkova’s deep chestnut hue to a cooler shade of brown. Blacking out grays makes them look a thousand times more obvious. Plus, nothing’s more aging than flat, inky color.
– Highlight, highlight, highlight. The trick to making grays less pronounced is to introduce more color variations. For Porizkova, Garren prescribed fine caramel highlights around her face and along her part—where grays crop up. But remember, conspicuous highlights are just as bad as conspicuous grays. That’s why Garren recommends painting highlights on the undersides of hair rather than directly on top. On Porizkova, the bright glints peek through without looking stripey or too carefully choreographed.
[contentblock id=2 img=adsense.png]
Tatjana Patitz, 44
THE PROBLEM
“My hair is so dry. I was always putting it up to keep it out of my face.”
GARREN’S FIX
– So long, long hair. “Tatjana’s hair is naturally very fine, and now it’s dry as well,” says Garren. Declining oil production makes hair susceptible to breakage and split ends. And the longer it is, the more damage it accumulates. To breathe new life into Patitz’s frayed strands, Garren lopped off an astounding ten inches, creating a long bob that hovered just above the model’s shoulders. Just don’t go too short. “A long bob has sensuality, while a chin-length cut could look like a soccer mom,” says Garren.
– Layers aren’t doing you any favors. Plenty of hairstylists try to create volume by adding lots of layers, but all those tapered pieces end up looking limp on fine or brittle hair. Instead, Garren recommends a more uniform style, with “blunt, square ends” to create the appearance of fullness. “Tatjana’s hair looked 40 percent thicker by the time she left,” says Garren.
– Less is more. Tatjana needed a low-maintenance cut, because heated styling tools exacerbate dryness,” says Garren, who spritzed the model’s roots with a thickening spray (like Big Sexy Hair Dense Thickening Spray) before parting it deeply on one side. After scrunching in a small mound of light-hold mousse (try Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Volume Foaming Air Mousse) and drying with a diffuser, Patitz was good to go. “This was all the styling required,” says Garren.
– Easy does it. “I wanted to keep Tatjana’s hair long enough to pull back and expose her beautiful face,” says Garren, who recommends wearing a low, loose bun. Tight ponytails and topknots compound breakage, especially around your temples, which can make you look like you have a receding hairline.