Julia Roberts’ Hairstylist On How To Get The Hair You Really Want

“Throughout my career, I have never been led by trends,” says Serge Normant, a highly sought-after celebrity hairstylist. “I always look at people’s personality first and foremost, since whatever hairstyle suits you as an individual is the most timeless. I also don’t abide by any rules of sticking to certain styles when you’re a certain age. I look at hair as an accessory that needs to make you feel good on a daily basis.

“If you don’t know what suits you, find a few pictures of hairstyles that speak to you and bring them to your stylist. Hair that looks healthy, has the right color for your skin tone, has a different parting – all these little things should be tailored to you and can make a big difference to how you feel about your hair.”

Once you find your most flattering style, Normant stresses that it’s the tiny tweaks that will keep it looking fresh over time. “With Julia [Roberts], we wanted to tweak her style, but we didn’t want to change the length and we wanted to keep some fullness, so we decided to add in a full bang that she could push to the side.

“We often think that bangs aren’t versatile but, depending on the length, they become versatile. This tweak changed the structure of her hair a little bit because the bangs frame the face in a different way, but they didn’t really change Julia’s look because it’s such a small difference; it’s an evolution of her hairstyle that suits her and still shows off the beautiful quality of her hair.”

Whatever length or condition your hair is in, you can drastically upgrade the look and feel of it with a few simple maintenance tactics. “When a client arrives in my chair and tells me they’ve been using hair treatments and oils and masks, the difference in how luxe their hair looks is visible – whether their hair is freshly washed or not,” says Normant.

“What’s more, a tiny little trim, which I call a dusting, where you really don’t change the length of the hair, makes a huge difference to the feel and look of your hair. If you avoid getting trims because you don’t like your hair to look like it’s freshly cut, opt for little and often instead.”

“Many people use too much product in their hair,” says Normant. “There are so many options out there, it’s difficult to know how to use it all properly. If you were to create a dark, smoky eye, you’d start with a small amount of black eyeshadow and then slowly add more to build color. Your approach to styling your hair should be the same.

“Whatever type of styling product you use, make sure it’s spread evenly over your hands so that you use the same amount all over your hair. Then, add a little more only where you need it – at the roots for volume, or from the mid-shaft down to define waves, for example. What’s more, a lot of people say conditioner weighs their hair down, so use it only where you feel it’s needed – most often on the mid-section to the ends. Then brush it through your hair and rinse it out straight away so it doesn’t add any heaviness.”

Having the items to style your hair on a regular basis is key: “Do you have the right tools? The right products? If you don’t do your hair every day, think about how you sleep on it at night. Often, a bun on top of your head helps to keep the style in place. It’s really just about having tools and rituals in place so it becomes easy to style your hair in the way you like it, on a daily basis.”

But don’t get too restrictive. “You won’t have the same volume one day as you do the next, but there’s something cool and natural about that. If your hair is flatter one day, do a middle part to emphasize it, for instance; or take the part to the side if that’s more flattering for you – it’s all about working with your hair so it feels easy and natural.”

Whether natural or crafted, curls are one of the most asked-for hairstyles. Normant’s rule? The less contrived they are, the more natural they’ll feel and look. “For example, I don’t like to see the ridges from a curling iron used on hair.

“Sometimes, people are afraid to brush their curls out too much, as well. But if you brush hair out, the wave pattern will be more visible and you’ll get more natural volume and movement. And, if you have any pieces that need to be worked on more, you can always top up the curl on those pieces with an iron and brush it out again.”

If you like the big-hair look that’s fresh right now, it’s easy to create – whatever your hair style, texture or length. “You can either opt for volume at the sides (a soft wave that’s brushed out will give you this effect while still feeling natural), or, if you want your volume focused on the top of your hair, simply tease a section of hair underneath the top layer to give you that structured fullness without it looking teased.”

Normant swears by a Mason Pearson brush for this technique. “This ensures the sections are random and bigger for a more natural feel. My top tip is to spray your brush with hairspray before teasing the hair, because it gives more texture and hold. After teasing, lay the top section of hair back down and gently brush it out for a more polished, glossy finish. It doesn’t matter that the underneath is rough and slightly textured, as you won’t see it.

“If you have very straight hair, you won’t get as much volume as other hair types – and it likely won’t last as long. But whatever version of volume you can achieve, make it your own.”

According to Normant, hair that looks too ‘done’ doesn’t feel timeless. “In fact, imperfection can add to personality,” he says. “Whether that’s going for structured volume at the top of your head, and leaving your lengths in loose waves, or a tight, slicked-back ponytail with big, puffy ends, there’s something very fresh about having a dual-textured style.

“Also, what I love about hair right now is that people are more daring. If you look at this year’s red-carpet season, people were going for it, whether we thought it was too much or not. It’s great to see this confidence, with women wearing the hair they love – and that’s always flattering.”

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