Herbal Essences None Of Your Frizzness And An Epic Updo Courtesy Of Charles Baker Strahan

This morning, my poor sense of direction and I headed for TriBeCa to Ruth Roche’s Rare Salon, where I managed to get lost on the way, despite the embarrassing fact that I work a mere hop and a skip away at 2 World Financial two days a week. I had an appointment with one of my fave stylists, Charles Baker Strahan, who tends to the strands of such fabulous ladies as Leighton Meester, Rumer Willis, Whitney Port and Amy Poehler, to name a few.

Charles washed and conditioned my hair with Herbal Essences’ None of Your Frizzness Anti Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner and stressed the importance of using the right products in-shower to achieve a fabulous hairstyle. Naturally, I had the select musical stylings of Salt ‘n Pepa in my head throughout the process.

Where was I? Right, the divine-smelling product combo’s formulated with a fusion of mandarin cream and pearl to repel humidity and, well, take care of frizzness (everyday). Charles demonstrated just how sleek the product makes hair by blowing it dry with only his fingers and zero styling product. Dolls, my strands were GLEAMING. He then stressed the importance of applying styling aids like Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Touseling Spray Gel being applied to wet hair and also the distance from which you spray them. You should always make sure you hold your arm all the way out before spritzing, then comb through for even distribution.

The updo from the back!

During the appointment, Charles and I discussed all manner of things from bangs to Core Fusion at Exhale Spa, with which I’m obsessed (stay tuned for an in-depth post about it!). He actually even recharged my growing-out sweeping bangs by cutting an underlayer of shorter bangs to support the sweeping overlay and guide them into going in the right direction. “It works by using similar rules as architecture,” Charles explained. To style them, he recommended blow-drying them in the opposite direction and using a round brush to blow dry both over and under the bangs for a polished effect.

Check out the mini-braids!

Knowing I don’t need any more reasons to keep me from working out (and I was precariously close to skipping my 6:40pm Core Fusion class I’d previously signed up for, as my hair was looking too fly to sweat all over), Charles even did me a solid. The man took my glossy waves he’d created with a curling iron and in a FLASH created this adorable braided updo adorned with mini braids on the sides using some hair pins. “Updos should always be done quickly, so they look a bit haphazard and lived-in,” he remarked. So true. I love that it’s a GORGE way to keep my hair out of my face while I’m squatting and using the many Core Fusion instruments of torture like the ballet bar and the obi strap.

Charles does the finishing touches

I think it also really brings out my Jason Backe-executed color concept of Autumnal Princess Highlights meets Super Fucking Blonde Hair, n’est-ce pas?

Herbal Essences products are sold at drugstores and grocery stores nationwide. Herbal Essences None of Your Frizzness Shampoo and Conditioner retail for $4 each.

Disclosure: Blow-out courtesy of Herbal Essences for editorial consideration

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