Do you remember “The Rachel”?
The honey-brown-to-blonde layered lob of the ‘90s grew from a sitcom character’s look to one of the most iconic styles of pop-culture history. Whether you were obsessed with Friends or not (but, really, who didn’t watch Friends?), there’s no denying the popularity of the look.
“With Jennifer Aniston’s color, you were always sucked into it,” said Michael Canalé, the star’s longtime hairstylist and the colorist responsible for the signature look.
For years, Canalé has nursed Aniston’s hair, taking it from blonde to brunette to blonde again. Her transitions from one hair hue to another are graceful and gradual. Yet, despite its chameleon-like nature, the actress’ hair has been the subject of headlines for over a decade. Of course, this kind of longevity leads any of the beauty-obsessed to ask: “What’s the secret?”
Just ahead of the launch of his namesake hair-care line, the celeb colorist, whose clientele also includes Shakira and Heidi Klum, shared his tips for reaching iconic hair.
#1: KEEP IT NATURAL
“We’re not really changing the natural color,” her longtime colorist Michael Canalé told E! News. “We’re making a color that’s suitable to go along with that color.”
Jennifer Aniston’s color is a result of the Color Correcting Technique, which the beauty pro launched in 2000. The process includes highlighting and blending the hair in multiple phases in the same sitting. “We actually highlighted it, then we went back and blended the highlights into her hair. We dried it, then went back [to highlight] it again. So, we went from a medium brown to a light golden brown, then into a sun-kissed dark blonde,” he explained.
#2: FIGURE OUT WHAT SUITS YOU
Although many people would like to emulate Jennifer’s look, Canalé warns that you have to figure out what looks best on you. Skin tone, eye color and even your level of vivaciousness come into play. “[Hair color] is basically the biggest accessory you wear,” he shared with us. His goal is to complement their features, so each look is going to be inherently unique.
#3: FIND GOOD LIGHTING
Normally, “finding good light” refers to taking selfies, but the colorist has a different perspective. When clients come in the Malibu-based Canalé salon, he asks them a range of questions to achieve the best look for them. This includes their goals and place of work. “You have to find the right color for them, even if they’re working in fluorescent light 90 percent of the day,” he said. Why does the lighting of the office matter? “Their hair can look green while they’re at work.”
#4: TRY A GLOSS
As we transition from summer into fall, changing your hair color may be on the horizons. Canalé recommends a gloss: “Say we want pull the hair back a couple of shades, we’d use a gloss to do it,” he told us. “[Glosses] actually act as a sun protectant because they deflect the sun.” If you got too much sun during summer ’17, the pro suggests a golden gloss to freshen your color and add some light to dull tresses
#5: YOUR HAIR NEEDS VITAMINS
Canalé spent years looking for a hair vitamin line. The pro stated that “nourishing the follicle and feeding the root of the hair” are necessary for healthy locks. So he partnered with Dr. David Silver, president and COO of Targeted Medical Pharma, to create products fortified by topical hair vitamins, so your hair can be healthy, whether it’s color-treated or not.
#6: YOUR HAIR NEEDS ANTIOXIDANTS
There are two reasons Canalé add antioxidants to his products: They fight off the environmental strain of sun and air and amp up hair color. With antioxidants, the stylist promised that your hair will stop oxidation (read: chemical changes to the hair while you’re simply out-and-about). This is especially important if your hair has been exposed to chemicals (i.e. hair color). Plus, “it actually has a brightening effect to the hair.” It’s a win-win.
