Jennifer Lopez’s hairstylist Chris Appleton shares how he created her performance-ready, humidity-defying hair for her Super Bowl performance.
Hairstylist Chris Appleton, hairdresser to Kardashians, Jenners, Katy Perry, Winnie Harlow, Ariana Grande and more has shared how he created Jennifer Lopez’s waves with Vogue ahead of her Super Bowl appearance.
“Hair is such a big way of expressing yourself, especially on the stage,” he told Vogue . “What it does as you perform can really help tell a story.”
Chris Appleton has been behind some of the most iconic headline-grabbing hairstyles of today, from Jennifer Lopez’s half-up half-down hair to Kim Kardashians’ overnight extreme blonde and Ariana Grande’s gravity-defying ponytail.
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, €399
Appleton tells Vogue that when he normally creates JLo’s hair for a two-hour performance, he takes sweat, wind machines and head flips into consideration. For a Super Bowl performance, there’s the added trouble of humidity from Miami’s heat. “As effortless as it looks,” he says, “it’s a lot of planning to make sure the hair moves right in those six crucial minutes.”
“It’s all in the curling of the hair,” Appleton tells Vogue. “I curl the hair with a one-inch small iron to get a really strong foundation. Then, I brush it out and go back in with a larger two-inch curling iron. As she moves, the hair moves, it has to be simultaneous.” To set the style, Appleton blasts the hair with the cool air setting from a hairdryer.
Tangle Teezer Fine and Fragile, €14.50
Over on his Instagram, Appleton says he created the look using a Tangle Teezer, €14.50, the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, €399 and the cult hero Color Wow Dream Coat, €34. Color Wow Dream Coat acts like a raincoat for your hair, sealing it in a protective layer that stops humidity and rain making it fizzy or flyaway, and lasts up to two to three washes. “It helps,” says Appleton, “but when she performs, she performs like an athlete, every hair flip, every move, she is full out.”
Kevin Murphy Shimmer Shine, €26
The final step is a blast of shine spray for high voltage glossy shine. “People expect a look,” says Appleton. “This is the Super Bowl, go big or go home!”
Photography by @scottbarnescosmetics.
Read more: Watch Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s step-by-step tutorial for beach waves
Read more: The best beauty looks from the 2020 Baftas
Read more: We tried and tested the Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Mascara