Dakota Johnson’s hair is full of secrets. How exactly is she achieving the rich chocolate tresses and effortless waves seen at the London premiere of her new film, , on 24 September? Her longtime hairstylist Mark Townsend agreed to break down how, exactly, he created Johnson’s breezy blowout for .
It all started with a conversation: “When Dakota showed me the gorgeous white Colleen Allen gown she chose for the night, we discussed how her hair should be styled and we decided on going with a beautiful bouncy blowout,” he says.
On the moodboard? None other than an early ’90s Christy Turlington, whose short and piecey fringe from that time chimes perfectly with Johnson’s current bangs era. To get the look on Johnson, the Ouai ambassador applied a nickel-sized amount of Ouai’s Anti-Frizz Creme from midlengths to ends, and the label’s thickening spray from roots to midlengths. (A concoction he describes as his “dream cocktail for the perfect bouncy blowout”.) Then, Townsend went to work with a medium round brush, working in small sections to get maximum lift at the roots while drying the hair.
“After I blow dry each section, I wrap the hair around two fingers to create a roll with lift at the roots and I secure it with a Day Rate Beauty Bobby pin. I set the entire head like this and let it cool for a few minutes to set that fullness in.” He takes down each section after it’s cooled, brushing it with a flat brush sprayed with Ouai’s Super Dry Shampoo. This, he stresses, is key: “This keeps the hair full throughout the night without getting sticky.” As for her killer fringe? “The secret to Dakota’s fringe is that she blowdries it herself!”
And for the final touches, Townsted mixes together Ouai’s Anti-Frizz Creme and Wave Spray in his hands, raking it through for maximum sheen and movement. If any flyaways pop up later in the night, he adds Ouai Hair Oil as needed.
