There are a couple of notable things about Anja Rubik’s hair that makes it some of the best in the business. It’s fine but not thin, plus years of blond-ing has imbued it with plenty of texture to work with. And speaking of blond, Lena Ott at Suite Caroline is in charge of Anja’s shade, often doing it in stages to keep that texture just the way it is. Couple all that with the skills of a supermodel, and you’ve got someone who knows how to work a hairdo.
But perhaps the most important takeaway is this: She tries to wash her hair as infrequently as possible. “It changes because of work, but I like to go a week in between washes,” she said. “If I’m on vacation, even longer.” Now, to each their own in terms of washing schedule (you can be a fresh-hair-every-day kind of person and still qualify as “cool,” trust), but an infrequent shampoo cadence can make it difficult to style your hair multiple ways, multiple days, without starting over every time. That's where the art of dry-styling comes in. Perfect for the washing-lazy, hot tool-adventurous, and anyone else with some hairspray and nothing else better to do, Anja instructs:
First of all, you have to use product sparingly. Secondly, you have to use the right product that lets you style to your heart's content without starting from scratch every time. Anja is the campaign girl for Kérastase’s brand-spankin’ new L’Incroyable Blow Dry—a reshapable heat lotion that lets your restyle without getting sticky like a gel—so that part isn’t really a problem.
“I use it right after I get out of the shower at night on wet hair,” Anja says. “It helps thicken the hair—then I wake up with something to work with.” That's step 1. The rest of her week looks something like this...
Days 1-3: Messy Texture
With a slept-on base of L’Incroyable, you’ve already got some shape with very little effort. “If some of the bends are going the wrong way, I’ll help them out a little bit with water and my fingers or a curling iron. But I know my hair is going to fall through the day,” Anja adds. So spray some dry shampoo at the roots (Powder Bluff is good for oil reduction, without the grit of some sprays), and your choice of light hold hairspray if you think you need it.
Pro-tip: So maybe you’re not born with already close-to-perfect texture. Matt Fugate, Kerastase's consulting hairstylist on hand for the shoot, suggests loosely coiling sections of the hair around a heated barrel (his is Hot Tools) and then pinning in place with metal clips. Let cool all the way to set, then release!
Days 2-5: The Updo
“This is what I do when I’m going out to dinner or to an event—it feels like my hair, but a little more polished. And it’s good to do this when my hair has a little more product in it because it stays up better. It takes literally 30 seconds, too.” Brush up to the crown of the head (or higher) and secure with a Blax Clear Snag-Free Hair Elastic that’s truly invisible. Pull out the baby hairs with your fingers or a brush and spray with hairspray at your leisure.
Days 6-7: The Blowout
End with the polished blowout. Surprised? Don’t be. At this point, if you’re still going on no washes, you’ll be working with your natural oils for something shiny and smooth. Anja dampens hair with Spray à Porter and begin to blow-dry. “I flip my head over and brush with the Mason Pearson Paddle. I can’t use round brushes…I get too tangled.” To finish, she spritzes the same brush with a spray oil like Elixir Ultime Volume Beautifying Oil Mist and runs over the hairline and the ends, coaxing them into a more controlled bend. Work it for however long you can stand it then wash it out and start all over again.
Anja Rubik photographed by Tom Newton. Hair by Matt Fugate. Makeup by Georgi Sandev (Streeters).
Hair for days. Discover even more looks to try courtesy of Rubi Jones and James Pecis. And for more Anja, read her After Dark here.
