At long, long last: Scandal returns to Us tonight! Which means that Kerry Washington will be on our TV screens once more—along with her glorious head of chocolate-colored tresses.
In honor of the occasion, Us Weekly rang up Washington’s go-to red carpet hairstylist, Takisha Sturdivant-Drew, who dished out the actress’ secrets to hair perfection. Plus, she revealed her favorite Scandal hairstyle—and it’s not Olivia Pope’s super-straight classic.
“I can’t think of any Olivia Pope hairstyle that made me cringe, but I’ll tell you what I loved: the natural curls on the beach. They were so gorgeous!” Sturdivant-Drew told Us. “I know Olivia Pope is conservative, but I think you can still play with that a little bit. I’d love to see those curls come back!”
Something else she’d love to see Olivia Pope try? Washington’s copper-hued hiatus highlights. “I love the highlights on Kerry. I get sad when Scandal‘s coming back, because Kerry comes to me and says, ‘Okay, Takisha, we have to tone it down!'” she confessed, laughing. “But I love the light in her hair, you know? It makes her look younger, more fresh.” (FYI: For an in-season event like the Emmys, Sturdivant-Drew simply sprays color into Washington’s hair, so that it washes out the next day.)
While Olivia’s preference for a single shade means that Washington’s hair doesn’t suffer from dramatic dye jobs, it still has the potential to be damaged from all the styling tools needed to create Pope’s crisp bob, which is why Sturdivant-Drew relies on two strong products.
“Kerry uses product in her hair all week long, so I use Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo, and then the Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask. The shampoo cleanses the scalp, but it doesn’t leave the hair feeling stringy. Just soft to the touch and healthy,” she explained.
Last but not least, we asked Sturdivant-Drew what her dream hairstyle for the Django Unchained actress would be. Without missing a beat, she replied, “Short! I would love to do a pixie cut on her. With her eyes, her nose, her face structure, it would be so good on her! “
Are you excited for Scandal’s return tonight? Tune in to ABC at 9 p.m. ET to see the season premiere, and tweet with @UsWeekly using the hashtag #stylebyUs!
