We spoke to two beloved and well-renowned celebrity stylists, Jenny Cho and Marcus Francis, at yesterday’s “Evaus is Suave” event to help us rethink the way we do our hair on the daily. Read on as they deconstruct the perfect way to style your hair for everyday, and why the everyday gal should have a bottle of sea salt spray always on the ready:
Expert Hair Tips from Jenny Cho and Marcus Francis
All Things Hair: How can the everyday woman get the most out of Suave products?
Jenny Cho: I think the most important thing is knowing your hair type—that’s where you should start. Analyze your hair, or have your stylist analyze your hair—the quality of your hair, and what it needs—and then you can go to a drugstore and be like, okay, my hair needs moisture, and then you can get a shampoo and conditioner made for moisture. If your hair’s wavy, you might want to use a cream product, or just anything that gives your hair definition or a wave, like a surf spray that creates that texture. Knowing a little bit about your hair will help you understand how to style it everyday. Marcus Francis: I also think knowing what hair products don’t work for you is a big thing. Some people don’t respond to serums, some people don’t respond to mousses or hair sprays… I think [knowing what you need] helps eliminate the overwhelming feeling where you’re like, there are 50 things I can use on my hair! So maybe just isolate it down to three and then figure out, ‘ah, I don’t love hairspray,’ or ‘I don’t love mousse.’ It’s a good way to figure out what doesn’t work for you. Jenny Cho: Exactly. I also feel that you should also be savvy about the products you find at the drugstores, but then also invest in a really nice haircut by somebody, or investing in tools or a good blowdryer. Marcus Francis: [Having good] tools is a really big thing. If you kind of scrape on that… Jenny Cho: It’s a combination of all these things.
All Things Hair: Gotcha. So how much time should the everyday woman spend on her hair, max? Like on regular weekday mornings, for example?
Marcus Francis: I think 20 minutes. You can leave your hair [setting in] to make some coffee, and get back to it to fix some flyaways. Anything more than 20 minutes becomes, like, you’re going to a red carpet event. And it’s not [supposed to be] that serious. Simplify things for yourself so you’re not that intimidated by doing your own hair.
All Things Hair: What’s your favorite standout product from Suave?
Marcus Francis: It literally depends. I’m going to say the Suave Professionals Sea Mineral Infusion Texturizing Sea Salt Spray, because if someone’s hair is a bit too slippery, it gives it just a little of that grit and memory, so that the hairstyle’s gonna last all day. If someone has curly hair like myself, it brings out the natural texture in a beautiful way. Jenny Cho: And it doesn’t really feel hard. Marcus Francis: Yeah, it’s not like going to the beach, where your hair gets kind of crusty.
All Things Hair: How you use it to do that messy lob trend that’s really hot right now? Can we get some expert hair tips on that?
Marcus Francis: I put it on damp hair—it doesn’t have to be wet—and kinda work it in with your hands. I love a diffuser—I think more people should have it in their kits or in their bathroom.
All Things Hair: So you don’t have to have curly hair to use it?
Marcus Francis: No! The diffuser brings out all the natural texture that people don’t give themselves credit for having, or that they’re trying to achieve with a blowdryer and a brush. It’s too intimidating—there’s too many mechanical things that you’re doing yourself… It’s too much! With a diffuser, you just put it on [the end of your dryer], diffuse your hair, then you scrunch it and move it around. And once it’s dry you can take an iron and create manipulated bends here and there. Jenny Cho: And sometimes, when you find that it’s been overly curled, you just wanna go in there and shake her hair out! (laughs) Marcus Francis: It’s supposed to feel lived in, not fussed over. Jenny Cho: Less is more. And to add to that, in the summertime you can actually let your hair dry naturally.
All Things Hair: Oooh, that’s so risky!
Jenny Cho: Nature! It does bring out the best. And with the Suave Professionals Sea Mineral Infusion Texturizing Sea Salt Spray, you can really, really create that texture. Let it go! Let the air dry your hair. Does that scare you?
All Things Hair: Slightly! (laughs)
Marcus Francis: You know what’s really good? Cocktailing hair products—that’s a term that’s become more familiar with people’s dialogue in the beauty world. But if you’re nervous about using just one product and a diffuser and letting Mother Nature take its course, combine it with a little bit of leave-in conditioner, so it gives the ends some finish and some weight. Jenny Cho: And so you’re not completely granola! Want more expert hair tips? Check out our backstage exclusives with our fashion week experts.
