17 Products Celebrity Hair Stylists Can't Live Without
Two stylists. 17 must-have products.
Whether it's for the red carpet or on set, when it comes to creating gorgeous hair—from a bouncy blowout to a sleek pony or an undone knot—these are the pro-tested (and approved!) brushes, tools, accessories, and more that make it happen.
"Nothing creates soft, barely there, natural-looking movement in the hair like the T3 BodyWaver," says Lona Vigi, a Nexxus New York Salon Care celebrity stylist. "I never use the clamp and always leave the ends out."
T3 BodyWaver 1.75" Professional Curling Iron, $149, sephora.com
"The Harry Josh flat iron is ceramic titanium so it evenly distributes heat, which means I don't have to keep going over the same area of hair," says Vigi. "Plus, I can adjust the temperature settings to customize styling for each client's hair—lower for fine hair and higher for coarser textures. While the universal voltage means I can travel out of the country with it, too."
Harry Josh Ceramic Styling Iron 1.25", $175, dermstore.com
"I use these flat guitar-like clips for everything," says Vigi. "They can set a finger wave, help flatten flyways, and if a makeup artist has to do touchups, I can get hair out of the way without making a mark."
Lady Mate Super Single Curl Clip Pins, $30 (for 24), shearworld.com
"I have tried every hair oil but none come close to Nexxus Oil Infinite Nourishing Hair Oil," says Vigi, who suggests raking a tiny drop through the ends of dry strands. "It smooths and nourishes hair, and smells so delicious—I use it nonstop."
Nexxus Oil Infinite Nourishing Hair Oil, nexxus.com
"The T3 Whirl Styling Wand creates curls that are totally natural looking," says Vigi. "And it's also ceramic so it's less harsh on hair and heats up super fast which is so important when I have to get a client done fast."
T3 Whirl Trio Interchangeable Styling Wand, $230, sephora.com
"Every single one of my celebrity clients are obsessed with my Sheila Stott brushes—the metal bristles can help create any style I need and won't damage wet or dry hair when I comb through," notes Vigi. "And they are made so well that they last forever—I've had mine for years."
Sheila Stott Application Brush, $38, sheilastott.com
"These metal H&M clips are a bright gold and look really expensive but aren't," says Vigi. "If I'm doing a chignon, I'll criss cross them up the back; if I do a severe side part, I'll put two or three of these in a row to hold hair in place—I love, love, love."
H&M gold hair pins, $3 (for 30), hm.com
"The Harry Josh blowdryer is so light!" says Vigi. "And I love all the details—there's an easy-to-press cool button to lock in a style and I always use the ion button to tame flyaways."
Harry Josh Dryer Pro Dryer 2000, $250, dermstore.com
"I am obsessed with putting ribbon in hair," says Vigi. "Whenever I'm in Paris I always go to the flea market to search for unique ribbon and lace to keep in my kit. When I'm trying a pretty style on a client for the red carpet or a press junket, I always say Let's use the ribbon!"
With a mix of boar bristles and carbon fiber heat-resistant nylon, the large Ibiza round brush is always a pro staple for creating smooth hair with tons of movement and volume. "I've had all of my Ibiza brushes for so long that the handles are worn out—but they still work so good!"
Ibiza EX5 Extra Large round brush, $50, ibizahair.com
With ground tourmaline gems to speed up drying time yet keep moisture inside hair, the Ego professional flat iron is Nexxus creative director and celebrity stylist Kevin Mancuso's "favorite flat iron" for creating an ultra smooth style.
Ego Big Ego Flat Iron, $149, hairtoolsupply.com
From a perfectly smooth blow dry to sweeping hair into a stunning pony, the Mason Pearson Popular is just that—popular. And Mancuso swears by the blend of nylon and boar bristles for every type.
Mason Pearson Popular, $205, nordstrom.com
"The Nexxus Humectress Encapsulate Serum is a miracle product—you can use it on every texture of hair," says Mancuso. "I use one pump for fine hair and three to four on thick and coarse textures—and you can reapply it throughout the day and it won't ever weigh your hair down."
Nexxus Humectress Encapsulate Serum, nexxus.com
To create an ultra smooth and polished style, Mancuso looks to this ball-ended nylon bristle Denman paddle brush. They gently comb through wet or dry hair, while the cushioned and ventilated base boosts air flow for faster drying time.
Denman D83 Large Paddle Brush, $19, denmanbrush.com
Rotate the barrel of the De Fabulous Twister Curling Iron with a simple push of your fingers on the unique handle that controls its movement. "I love these curling irons: it's easy to create a wave, curl, or add tons of movement to the hair," says Mancuso.
DeFabulous Twister Curling Irons, amazon.com
"I always have a YS Park round brush on hand in my kit," says Mancuso, of the ultra lightweight handled stylers with natural boar bristles and air holes for increased circulation of hot air through hair.
YS Park Round Hair Brush, $158, ysparkusa.com
"My Kevin Mancuso Signature Dryer is my go-to for every single blowout I do at the Nexxus salon in Tribeca," says Mancuso.
Kevin Mancuso Signature Dryer TGR 4000, $200, kevinmancuso.com
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