Give it to Us straight! For her first postbaby red carpet since welcoming her second child with Ryan Reynolds in September, Blake Lively modeled the silkiest sleek tresses at the L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Celebration on Wednesday, November 16, in NYC. And while the style may look simple enough (flatiron? check!), there is a secret to getting smooth but not stiff hair.
“If you’re going for more of a straighter look, it doesn’t necessarily have to be flat and flatironed completely straight. I like to have more body and movement,” Lively’s hairstylist Rod Ortega exclusively tells Stylish. His solution? Instead of using a round brush, he finger-dried Lively’s hair, holding onto its texture.
L’Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Boost It Blow Out HeatSpray, $5, lorealparisusa.com; T3 SinglePass Luxe Flat Iron, $180, ulta.com
“They key is throwing your hair over your head, throwing it back and throwing it to each side while drying,” Oretega, who also works with Sharon Stone and Shay Mitchell, explains. “Just add a little volume mist. I used L’Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Boost It Blow Out HeatSpray to give the roots a little bit of texture and body.”
Another trick? He didn’t dry her entire head of hair. “I started maybe 4 inches from the roots. I didn’t want to take that root texture out because I wanted that body,” Ortega tells Stylish.
Once the Age of Adaline actress’ hair was dry, the stylist used the T3 SinglePass Luxe Flat Iron to get her hair smooth — but again, there’s a little twist. “I flatironed Blake’s hair forward,” Ortega says. “If you flatiron the hair toward the face, when you finally throw your hair back, it has that oomph. If you iron straight down, you’re not going to get that same volume.”
L’Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Nutri-Gloss High Shine Glossing Mist, $7 for 100 milliliters, lorealparisusa.com; L’Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray Extra Strong Hold Volume, $15, lorealparisusa.com
For a final touch of shine, Ortega mixed two sprays: Advanced Haircare Nutri-Gloss High Shine Glossing Mist and Elnett Satin Hairspray Extra Strong Hold Volume, both by L’Oréal Paris, of course. (Lively is a brand ambassador, after all.) “I don’t spray it on the roots, mainly the ends,” Ortega tells Stylish. “The mist gives it shine, while the Elnett adds body.”
Ortega calls the result, which was inspired by the simplicity of Lively’s Lanvin dress, “sleek, chic and simple. It’s a really good go-to when you don’t want something too fussy.”
