There are so many curly hair horror stories when it comes to stylists. So we love it when stylists get it SO right! Curl stylist Stacy Hill is the brilliant stylist behind the latest Texture! cover, and we had the pleasure of interviewing her about her work, her inspiration, and her favorite trends!
NaturallyCurly Congratulations on your cover! The first thing we noticed is that you featured several different textures on one woman’s head – just like in real life! How do you recommend curly haired women work with their multiple textures?
Stacy Hill: I recommend learning to work with each texture instead of working against them. Know that you may have to use more that one product, especially if some of your curls are extremely loose while others are tightly coiled. You may also have to try multiple methods, like twisting the front top portion of your hair if it has “gone straight” from constant smoothing and brushing. Embrace each pattern and learn to love your hair. Be confident in styling your hair and get creative. Don’t be afraid to create new trends.
NC: How do you take high fashion styles from runways or magazine covers and interpret them as wearable looks for curlies?
SH: We use magazines for inspiration only. There are so many fierce high fashion styles, but the reality is they’re not very practical or wearable for everyday life. For our photo shoots, there are no limits; but for day to day, we rework those looks and tone them down. For example, we may use more of the client’s natural hair and less extensions for a more natural look; or we may use less stuffing in our bouffants and chignons so that they’re not as big and heavy. We also push ourselves to innovate and create styles that we haven’t seen in the industry or in editorial. We always want to be a few steps ahead so clients will look to us for something different.
NC: What was the inspiration behind your Modern Day Princess cover? What is a Modern Day Princess to you?
Stylist Stacy HillSH: Our awesome makeup artist, Whitney Norris, came up with the idea of Modern Day Princess. Our whole brand promotes self-empowerment and knowing that you are beautiful, so the concept made perfect sense. The cover style was done by one my talented stylists Brittany Adams, and the photos on pages 24-28 were a collaboration of the entire style team. A Modern Day Princess is strong, confident and unapologetic for being fabulous. She’s not perfect, but she sincerely tries to utilize all of her strengths to be the best version of herself that she can be! She’s supportive and empowering to others and wise in knowing that they’re sparkle brightens her crown.
NC: Any tips for women who want to recreate your cool bouffant look?
SH: To recreate the look simply allow natural curls to dry after applying the proper curl enhancing product. If your hair isn’t long or full enough you may need extra textured hair to add as a stuffing. Slightly tease the top of the hair, shape your bouffant with the teased hair, and secure it with bobby pins. Remember to keep the texture in tact. The sides of the bouffant can be smoothed more or less, depending on how dramatic you want the look to be. For the back of the hair,” DyeVerCity Glam Extensions” were added and tightly wanded on a pencil size curling wand. Once extensions were in place, the curls were picked apart to match the model’s natural wave pattern, while still adding a slight contrast.
NC: What products did you use to create the look?
SH: First,My Honey Child Aloe Vera Leave In was applied to the hair all over.
PUR Whip Hair Jelly by Afroveda to define the curl. Syntonics edge define to smooth edges in place. Design Essential spritz to hold hair in place.
