Tressed to kill! Charlize Theron hit the 2019 Oscars red carpet on Sunday, February 24, with a decidedly new ‘do: a freshly-snipped blunt bob in a highly unusual-for-her hue, a deep, rich chestnut brown.
Why did the classic Hollywood blonde go to the dark side? One might assume that the 43-year-old actress went brunette for a role, but Theron’s hairstylist, Adir Abergel, tells Us exclusively that she made the change simply for the Oscars! “Charlize is incredibly fearless,” says Abergel, who was responsible for the creative direction of Theron’s hair throughout Awards Season 2019. “She is willing to experiment.”
So why the shift to this particular shade? As soon as Abergel saw the stunning denim-blue Dior gown stylist Leslie Fremar had planned for the Tully star, he had the concept of a haircolor that would contrast with her eye color “to pop everything out,” he says. “Hair is an extension of fashion,” Abergel tells Us. “It can be your greatest accessory.”
Abergel collaborated with Theron’s hair colorist Tracey Cunningham to cook up the bold brunette shade, using runway photos and Instagram pics as inspiration. The hue took several days to fine tune. “When you’re going from light to dark, hair can grab on to pigment unevenly, so we changed the color gradually and added more as we went on.” Prep began about a week before the awards show. First step: a slathering of Virtue Labs Restorative Treatment Mask to fortify strands. “It’s important to get the hair to the right strength before going dark,” explains Abergel. They then did the color process over two sessions with “three rest days in between.” The transformation was complete a few days before the Oscars, so that Theron could “feel her new look” and hit the red carpet with confidence.
For the big night, Abergel was inspired by the high neck, long sleeve line of the gown to chop the actress’ hair shorter, into a sleek, blunt bob with major shine. Before styling, he boosted hydration with another round of the Restorative Treatment Mask to give hair “the most amount of shine,” then applied Virtue’s new ColorKick, a salon keratin-based hair filler that seals the cuticle, rinsing out after three minutes. To style, the hair pro ran Virtue’s Volumizing Primer (an updated “old school setting lotion,” he says, that will be out in March) and a dollop of UnFrizz Cream through locks before parting low on one side, blow-drying sleek, then ironing small sections super straight using the ghd Platinum + Styler.
Considering switching up your color for Spring? Take inspo from Charlize Theron and be fearless. “She said I trust you and I love your vision,” Abergel tells Us. “I was more nervous than she was!”
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