French girls – they have style. And in other blatantly obvious news, the sky is blue, and Trump is an idiot.
But, back to the French girls. These are the women who practically invented effortless cool, and this is especially apparent with their hair. The quintessential look is casually undone – a little bit carefree, a little bit “just rolled out of bed”. But of course there’s much more to it than that: it’s all perfectly considered and it’s what they do – or don’t do – with their cut and colour that really makes the difference.
So, what’s the secret to getting French girl hair, without, you know – being French? Celebrity colourist, and creator of his eponymous range, Christophe Robin, says the Parisian attitude to beauty is all about being low maintenance but mixed with quality treatments to take care of her hair, nails and body. “She might do a good hair mask once a week so she doesn’t have to be bothered for the rest of the week,” he says.
Here, he spills the rest of his secrets to achieving French Girl hair so the je nais se quoi can be shared on this side of the Pacific.
Keep it natural: Ever noticed how there are no women sporting rose-gold tints, or high-maintenance platinum’s in Paris? There’s a reason for that. “I always say ‘nature does a good job’, which is why I always keep some of the natural color onto the roots,” Christophe says. “It creates a nice contrast, blends in more naturally and obviously is more low-maintenance.”
Lo-fi colour: It’s hard to look casually undone when you need your roots done every fortnight. Which is precisely why colour choice is so important. Christophe recommends a chestnut that doesn’t turn brassy and looks natural, or if you’re blonde to keep it full of contrast so it only needs maintenance every three months or so. At the hairdresser, this means asking for something that suits your complexion and your eye colour, but most importantly stressing that it should be low maintenance. Need some inspiration? Look to Dakota Johnson for a great cool chestnut, or Christophe’s long-term client, Catherine Deneuve for a blonde full of lights and contrast.
Bang-on: On the style side of things, the ultimate French Girl hair cut steers clear of obvious trends. Instead, go for length, natural texture and some piecey bangs – a ‘la Parisian poster-girl Caroline de Maigret. “The Parisian woman likes having long bangs as it gives a nice frame to her face and is easy to maintain,” says Christophe. “They usually want cuts that are low maintenance, but never too short – if they want something short they keep some length in the neck.”
Skip the styling products: Notice a theme here? It’s that Parisian’s don’t want to try too hard – and they definitely don’t want to look like they’re trying too hard. Which is why they don’t blow dry their hair, or bother with heat tools (praise be!). But, as Christophe explains, this nonchalance also extends to product; “French women are not so fond of styling products, because the products tend to dirty the hair very quickly which forces them to wash it much too often,” he says. So, step away from the hairspray, and let your hair hang loose.
The take home here is simple: natural, low-maintenance, air-dried hair that doesn’t require hours at the hairdressers. Can we all just be French already?
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