Hair advice is something that we ladies can never get tired of searching for and reading about!  Getting advice from a celeb stylist who makes sure their clients’ hair looks starworthy is like hitting a gold mine!  Well your girl is feeling really golden because I was able to personally talk with celebrity hair stylist Tippi Shorter!  Her hair creations has graced the covers and editorial pages of In Style and Vanity Fair.  She has also personally styled the likes of Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, and Beyonce.  We got to talk about all things hair and just couldn’t wait to share our convo with you!

What has she learned being a hairstylist to the stars? 

Be prepared for anything!  She has to keep a kit that is just full of everything hair related, telling me that “you can never be too prepared.”  Case in point? 

“I recall working with Alicia Keys for Regis and Kelly I think.  We would normally have like two hours to prep.  She probably came in fifteen minutes before we went live.  I just had to think quick and give her a really great hair style in fifteen minutes.”

Her take on Hair Accessories:

 “I’m really big on accessories, “ she said and working with all types of women with different types of hair, those accessories have become something she learned to use with her clients.  These hair playthings include great headbands, faux bangs and clip on ponytails.  Her favorite type of accessories to work with?  Extensions, because “you can create anything.”

Favorite Celeb Hairstyle she has created.

Remember when Alicia Keys graced the red carpet this year at the American Music Awards?  She was wearing Tippi’s braided Mohawk which she created by started the French braid from the back of Alicia’s head to the front.

Celeb she would love to style

Tippi would love to style Diana Ross’s hair.  She told me she “would smooth it all down and give her something super sleek and beautiful.” ( I would love to see that!)

Hair products and Beauty tools:

Tippi’s must have beauty products include: a really good conditioner, hair serum, and hair pomade.  Her favorite beauty tools are a blow dryer and flat iron.  She suggests getting a flat iron that is about an inch wide because it allows you to straighten as well as curl your hair with it.

Hair breakage:

Tippi explained to me that the common problem of hair breakage can be caused by so many different things.  Some of these things include: poor styling, heating tools, chemicals, too much brushing, and poor nutrition (like not drinking enough water or taking in enough Vitamin E).  So how can you determine what’s causing your hair breakage?  She suggested you first find out how much your hair is breaking and then figure out what have you been doing to your hair lately.  A great piece of advice Tippi gave me on this was “Keep hair as moisturized and pliable as possible because when the hair gets dry and stiff it tends to break…a great conditioning treatment and mask is essential.”

Getting and keeping healthy hair

The three main things Tippi advised that you can do to keep your hair healthy is to get regular trims, find the right hair products that work for your hair type, and make sure what you do to your hair at home doesn’t cause your hair any undue stress.

New Hair Trends:

She has been getting a lot of requests from her clients for hair bobs “with a variation of length from like the nape of the neck down to maybe an inch past the shoulders.”  Ready to go full out with this trend?  Tippi suggests getting with your stylist and agree on a length that you are both comfortable with.  Your face shape, hair texture, and hair type play a big role in how your bob is cut and styled, so this isn’t something you want to DIY!  If you’re not ready to part with the length of your hair, Tippi gave a great tip on creating a faux bob, similar to the one our first lady, Michelle Obama wore.  You would start by putting your hair back into a ponytail, tucking it under, and securing it with bobby pins!

New Role as Global Stylist Advisor at Avon

She has joined the team over at Avon to help them in forecasting hairstyles and showing their customers how to easily get these styles at home.  She also talks about ways to use hair products and most recently helped with their Spring Trend report.

I had a wonderful time speaking with Ms. Shorter and give her a big Thank You for sharing this great info with me!

Photos courtesy of: Avon, beautyblitz.com, honeybrownsuger.com