How the Hell Does Kate Middleton's Hair Always Look So Good?
Here’s one of life’s unresolved mysteries: How the hell does Kate Middleton’s hair always look so damn good?
Currently, as I write this at my desk, the Internet says there is a 70 percent humidity rate in London, and I have a feeling that if Kate Middleton stepped out in another Seraphine maternity dress and coordinating peacoat, her blowout would be as bouncy, shiny, and voluminous as ever—like a freaking Garnier commercial.
Below, you’ll find a snap of Middleton from Wednesday, March 7th, when the humidity reached a high of 87 percent in London. Listen, I live in New York City, when it feels like the equivalent of a gym sauna (but smellier) all summer long thanks to constant humidity. Any blowout I’ve received lasts a maximum of two hours before it falls flat, and I look like a wet dog.
What are her secrets, though? Her blowouts defy weather. Until we wait for the official Royal hairstylist to step forward and get grilled with burning beauty questions from the world wide web, we can only do our own research on what’s already been revealed and what we assume is the case.
The man behind her wedding day hairstyle, Richard Ward, of the Richard Ward Salon in Chelsea, has helped the cause. The salon's "Chelsea Blow Dry," which will cost you a massive ￡325 when scheduled with Ward himself, is nearly identical to the look that has become Middleton's signature style. In an exclusive video with People, he broke down the entire process, which includes using a special brush he developed himself called the Tangle Angel while the hair is wet. After spraying in some root-boosting products, hair is blow-dried when it is 75 percent wet until it's dry with a shine-enhancing round brush. Then, the hair is placed tightly into hot rollers. After it sets, the rollers are released and the stylist works his hands through the voluminous mane.
So maybe Middleton is just getting a blowout before every event, which honestly isn't that unrealistic. Celebrities have glam squads—it's that simple. In fact, one of her hairstylist's revealed on Instagram (and then promptly deleted the post) everything she packs for the royal tour, which included Elnett's Supreme Hold Hairspray and Charles Worthington's Volume and Bounce range. Maybe her secret is a $12 can of hairspray? It's possible.
But that shine? One hairstylist we reached out to said he believes it's actually the result of using very little product. Are you shocked? I was shocked.
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"Her hair is always shiny, so I'm pretty sure she goes very, very, very light on the amount of product that she uses," says hairstylist Mincho Pacheco. He thinks she probably uses a light spritz of an anti-humidity or shine spray before, and that's it. "When you use a lot of product, your hair can become greasy and heavy, and her hair is always bouncy," he says.
He also assumes it's very well moisturized, and that's what stops humidity from transforming the look. Perhaps, the hair near the nape of her neck underneath is curled to add more body. And if you follow any celebrity that drastically changes their length from week to week, her constant volume could very well be thanks to a well-made set of clip-in extensions.
VIDEO: Master Kate Middleton's Signature Half-Up 'Do
Then, there's her actual cut. She's played with length in the past, and her current lob-length hairstyle is the shortest we've seen it (in her adult life), but one aspect of the look always stays the same: the subtle, almost undetectable layers. Hairstylist Rossano Ferretti has worked with Middleton in the past and utilizes a technique called "invisible cutting," which could be the answer.
"It came from my dissatisfaction with what I was seeing—I was never happy with the results of seeing the scissor in the haircut, and even in the street, you'd see the layers and be able to tell where the scissor hit the hair," he once told InStyle.
It consists of following the motions of the hair using body, and then cutting based on the direction of your hair. That's what makes the layers appear so invisible and natural, and it also allows you to change your length from long to super short easily without lines of demarcation. "The way of cutting hair is changed to a free-flowing concept while paying respect to its natural nuances," he told InStyle.
But maybe the answer is more of the magical genre and she just has an anti-humidity force field surrounding her. Never say never.