Rihanna's Hairstylist Spills Hair Secrets - StyleList

Rihanna rocks a loose waves bob hairstyle in red, of course! Photo: Jordan Strauss/WireImageWhen you're a fashion chameleon like Rihanna, you keep your closet close -- and your hairstylist even closer.We caught up with the architect of RiRi's ever-changing hair looks over breakfast at Norma's in New York, where Ursula Stephen was catching a well-deserved breather after prepping her star client for a movie shoot, the Grammys and a music video for new single "S&M.""Rihanna had all kinds of crazy ideas for that video, and I went all out, buying like six different wigs, coloring them, cutting them. Music videos are usually my least favorite to do because there is so much pressure and such a rush, and then they wear the look for like two minutes. But this was a creative challenge for me, so I loved it," Stephen told StyleList.In fact, wigs are often behind the drastic and dramatic looks we see from Rihanna, according to Stephen. Not only do wigs style better with rollers and hot irons, but stylists like Stephen use wigs to preserve the health of their celeb clients' hair, which would otherwise suffer irreparable damage.Gwen Stefani's longtime stylist, Danilo, recently told us backstage at New York Fashion Week that he also uses hair pieces to spare Stefani's platinum-blond locks from the wrath of heat styling."I call it bouffantry. Instead of burning a crimp into your hair or teasing it past breaking point, just buy a piece of hair and style that instead," Danilo told us before the L.A.M.B. Fall 2011 fashion show.Rihanna's wild curly mane. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagicStephen says that Rihanna so loved one lioness-like mane of outrageously frizzy curls, that she insisted on taking it with her on vacation directly after the shoot."I was like, 'Bring me that wig and let me cut it down for you to wear out.' But bulk hair she wouldn't let me touch it! She loves making a statement with her hair," laughed Stephen.The 32-year-old Brooklyn native says she shops both high- and low-end beauty-supply stores for Rihanna's hairpieces.Trips range from high-end places like L.A.'s The Hair Shop, where wigs can cost anywhere from $600 to upward of $2,000, all the way down to her favorite haunts on Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn, which Stephen has frequented since her cosmetology school days.At those beauty-supply shops, a wig that costs $20 to $70 has an equal chance of making it into a music video or onto a red carpet as the $1,000 versions."It's not about the cost, or even if it's synthetic or real hair. It's about the style you want first. You have to have your vision, then you go and find the piece. The only thing I'd say is a better choice is to go with synthetic hair if you want a real curly style. It holds much better," said Stephen.From the latest "matador red" look to bowl cuts and rambunctious curls, Rihanna's hair often garners more criticism than praise in the press. Yet Stephen explained that hair often has to work just as hard as the talent."People say to me, 'Why did you make her hair so big? Why is it so crazy out there?' But you have to understand: She's a performer. She can't just walk around with some little hair bulk ponytail. She has to perform. She has to have an image. The hair even helps her get into the character of whatever she's doing," said Stephen.No matter what the style, color or look Rihanna is strutting on the red carpet, Stephen said the finishing touch is always an all-over shine spray right before Rihanna steps out to take her spin.Lately, she has been using Motions Hold & Shine Styling Spray, a new product that combines humidity-resistant hold with a light glasslike misting. Retailing for $3.99 to $4.99, the large can is available at drugstores nationwide."The Motions line is targeted to ethnic hair, but I use the spray on all hair types to get lots of shine," revealed Stephen.As for where she gets inspiration for the often envelope-pushing visions she creates for Rihanna, Stephen says most ideas come straight from the fashion runways of the world, in addition to style-savvy hotspots the two travel to often, like Japan.Rihanna returned to brown for her role in the upcoming sci-fi thriller, "Battleship." Photo: Bauer-Griffin"It's always about collaboration with a team -- the makeup artist, the stylist -- and what Rihanna is feelin' that day. What's chinese remi her mood? What image does she want? When I see a celeb have an 'off' night on the red carpet, I assume it's a breakdown of the team somewhere, that they aren't working together," says Stephen.Up next for Rihanna is a supporting role in "Battleship," a science fiction thriller that has the star dressed down in camouflage, a short brown cut and sporting a cap for most of the movie."The director, Peter Berg, took the cap off for a scene, but put it back on because he said she looked too pretty without it. I gotta tell you the truth: As a hairstylist, I was snoozing for much of the filming," said Stephen.We're going to suggest Stephen set her alarm clock, because it's just a matter of time before RiRi is ready for her next reinvention.To see Rihanna's hair evolution over the past year, check out our gallery.

Hunger Games Hair: $30K Worth of Wigs

LionsgateExecuting a Hollywood hair moment isn’t easy, but hairstylist Linda Flowers has mastered the art both on and off-camera several times over. Flowers, who is the lead hairstylist for The Hunger Games, has been in charge of the perfectly coiffed styles in some of Hollywood’s biggest films, including The Social Network and Iron Man 2. With 34 years in the hair industry under her belt, the LA-based stylist has also launched her brainchild, the TopStyler, and will soon add a version for professionals this summer.Here, she shares her experience working on the set of The Hunger Games, some tricks of the trade, and what’s next for her.ELLE: How did you get your start styling hair for films?LF: I’m one of the really lucky people! I knew someone who was working in television and I went to visit him on set, for a TV movie 17 years ago, and it was a Western in the middle of nowhere. I was there for two weeks on vacation and they asked for helped. That’s how I got my start. ELLE: As the lead hairstylist for The Hunger Games you oversaw everything from the design and styling of wigs, to true hair transformations (Jennifer Lawrence going from blonde to brunette). What was the biggest challenge on set?LF: To get that hair color I rented about $30,000 worth of hair for half a day—it actually came out to about $1,000 to rent it. We bought all these different colored wigs to see how dark we wanted to go for Jennifer. The biggest challenge on set was the humidity and the long hours we were working. The long hours feather extension take a toll on everybody, but I’d say the biggest obstacle was the humidity.ELLE: Any tips for fighting that humidity in real life?LF: It’s just something you have to constantly keep up with. I mostly use Joico products and I used the Topstyler a lot to give Jennifer’s hair texture. It was very natural; I made it look like she had naturally wavy hair, and it was more structured looking.ELLE: The Hunger Games is set in the future, did that affect your styling?LF: I had to come up with a design that was going to be appropriate, without a [reference] to look to. If you do a 1930′s style, you know what it looks like. When you’re doing bright colors for hair it can look kind of Mardi Gras-ish. This was a very sophisticated group of people [in the Capitol setting] so it had to be classic. Doing something that was couture and high-fashion was a challenge, because we didn’t want it looking like a Halloween party. With Feather hair Effie I did a beautiful finger wave bob, and of course her wigs were different colors. I mixed classic styles with contemporary colors and textures, and it was really quite beautiful.ELLE: What character allowed the hair team to push the envelope the most?LF: Definitely Effie and everyone in the Capitol.ELLE: Did you feel pressure being tasked to bring the ‘Katniss Everdeen braid’ to life?LF: No, not really. The first thing I did to Jennifer they loved, the first thing I did to Effie they loved. I got really lucky. We couldn’t have any hair at Jennifer’s nape that would catch on her [costume], so it was really functional to her character. I started braiding on the left and went over the nape, with the pony coming down over the right shoulder. When she would reach for her bow, there was no hair to get caught on it. It was really functional.ELLE: What day-to-day braided style is your favorite, for those looking to experiment with the look off-camera?LF: I put braids in a lot of the scenes that Jennifer did. [When she was on the chariot and in the red dress scene]. I would say, don’t be limited to just putting braids down the side of your head. You can braid with extensions, and use it as a headband or to put your hair up. There’s Hair extensions just so much you can do with it. Also, think about where you normally start a braid, and maybe think about starting it someplace else.ELLE: What’s a must-have product or technique for ponytails, when taming flyaways?LF: I’m a fan of hair spray. Sometimes I put a little hair spray on my brush to tame my flyways. A lot of people think stiff when they think of hairspray, but I usually don’t finish with hairspray. I style with it and brush to get lots of body and control flyaways.ELLE: What’s next for you?LF: We are coming out with a TopStyler Pro in the middle of this year, for hairdressers. You can do texture services. I’m definitely doing [the second] Hunger Games installment in August, when we start filming. Right now, I’m taking some time off to promote my product.ELLE: How did you get the idea to create the TopStyler?LF: I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I had this shell that went right over my finger sets,’ and that’s how that thought process happened. I kept trying to develop the idea over the years. Finally I took the plunge and hired an engineer to do the prototype for me. Working on film, it raises the bar quite a bit. When you work those long hours you need the hair to hold. Sometimes curling irons don’t hold without burning the hair; sets tend to last longer on those 14 hour sets.