Chris Appleton is Hollywood's mane man. He's J.Lo's go-to hair stylist for all of her most important events – he created her inauguration look as well as her iconic Super Bowl blowdry, and this weekend, she entrusted her half-up, bouncy wedding hair look into his safe pair of hands.
But it's not just J.Lo who relies on Chris to keep her hair looking sleek. If you've ever watched Keeping Up With The Kardashians , you've probably caught a glimpse of the celebrity hair stylist and Global Creative Director at Color Wow working his magic on Kim's hair.
Not to mention, he's Dua Lipa's regular hair stylist (he created her ice blonde look for the Grammys this year), and has also worked with everyone from Ariana Grande to Katy Perry.
Luckily for us, Chris let us into his home for GLAMOUR's Beauty Spy to share all his hair stylist secrets, from his top product pick to the most amazing place he's travelled to with a client, as well as show us how to recreate this season's hottest style – an expensive-looking, 'bombshell' blow dry.
"My favourite look right now is the bombshell blowdry"
When it comes to Chris's go-to look, it's all about the 'bombshell' blowdry, which he also created for J.Lo's wedding hair look. "It's beautiful, glossy, silky hair in a few simple steps," he says.
According to Chris, the key way to achieve the bombshell look is with great prep. He called upon his favourite Color Wow Dream Coat to prep his model's hair. "You can really layer it up to make sure each strand of hair receives that transformative technology," he says.
Chris recommends combing the hair into a slightly off-centre parting to create the illusion of more volume, before rough-drying the product into the hair. "Drying the product into hair gives that really silky finish," he explains. Next, spray small sections of hair with hair spray before wrapping them around velvet rollers to create his signature look.
After 20 minutes, remove the rollers to reveal glamorous volume and shiny-looking hair. "Spray hairspray onto your bristle brush, and then spray a shine spray on top, rather than applying product directly to the hair" he recommends. "This gives a great combination of hold and control but also a great amount of shine when we brush out the curls."
Chris says to brush out the curls until you create a soft, smooth wave, then finish the look with some more shine spray for a real bombshell effect.
"I use 100 bottles of Color Wow Dream Coat every year"
When asked what his most-used hair product was, Chris didn't have to think about it. "It's Color Wow Dream Coat. I use it to prep any head of hair for any look because it gives me a transformation in the hair texture, which is unbeatable," he explained. "I probably go through 100 bottles a year."
“I'm known for a snatched pony”
Chris is also renowned for the popular 'glass hair' look and the 'snatched' pony. "Glass hair is all about glossy hair and the snatched ponytail is a high, red carpet-worthy ponytail," he says.
"Going to Tahiti for Kim's birthday was a real "pinch me" moment"
Chris explains that he's currently travelling most frequently with J.Lo and Kim Kardashian, accompanying them to photoshoots and events to create his world-renowned hair styles. But it's not all work.
"I went to Tahiti with Kim for her birthday," he recalls. "That was really magical, it was one of those one-off experiences that was a real 'pinch me' moment." For her 40th birthday, Kim flew out her nearest and dearest on a private jet to stay on an exclusive private island in Tahiti for a six-day celebration. "It was one to remember," Chris adds. But now the pro can add wedding guest on J.Lo's big day to his list.
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