Jennifer Aniston Talks Hair: Her Worst Cut, Daily Routine, and the Celeb with Her Dream Style

Jennifer Aniston is adored for her acting, yes, but also for her hair. The "Rachel" is perhaps the most famous and imitated haircut of all time, so perhaps it's no surprise that the stylist who created it, Chris McMillan, soon became Aniston's BFF and is now the only man she allows to cut her impeccable 'do. Aniston's hair wasn't always perfect, in fact, in a new video for her haircare line, Living Proof, she confesses, "It's hysterical that me of all people, who grew up with the worst hair--well not worst, it was just unmanageable hair--is known for that." Jennifer Aniston's hair wasn't always perfect? Really?! We didn't believe it either, so we sat down for an exclusive interview with the "Friends" star and her now-famous hair stylist, to discuss her iconic hair, then and now, get the scoop on her haircare routine, and her partnership with Living Proof, aka our new favorite product line. If she uses it daily, you know it's amazing.

Jennifer Aniston's Living Proof Hair Care Deal: Spokesmodel Turns Investor

Yahoo! Shine: Everyone wants Jennifer Aniston hair. Whose hair do you want?


Jennifer Aniston: I want Gisele's! That's whose hair I want. I say that [to stylist Chris McMillan], and he will then do whatever he wants to do. I also love Kate Moss's hair. It's that rolled out of bed look. Somehow she can wear a couture dress and just have that look. I've tried to do that, but it doesn't work. We all want somebody else's hair.

Whose Hair Tops Jennifer Aniston's?

S: Who was your hair icon growing up?

J.A.: I know exactly who it was. It was Valerie Bertinelli. [Laughs] It sort of still has that Farrah-esque kind of thing happening. I took a picture of her into a salon and I came out with a mullet, and then I had to cut the mullet off and that was a disaster.

S: Was getting the "Rachel" as big a deal for you as it was for everyone obsessed with imitating it?

J.A.: It was! At the time I'd never had a haircut like that before. I'd only had mullets! Or Astor Place haircuts [in downtown New York City] when you were a kid and you'd get those crazy, like, long at the front and shaved at the back. Oh, I just learned so many lessons from my youth of what not to do, whether it was Boysenberry from Clairol, a purple that turned orange.

S: What's your favorite haircut you've ever had?

J.A.: I guess I did like that haircut when I was a kid, but [now] I like long hair. I really do. Simple, simple hair.

S: When did you meet Chris McMillan and what made you love him as a stylist?

J.A.: My first manager introduced me to Chris when I was 24. She basically said, "you need a haircut." It was darker, I had dumb bangs and it was just not good hair. I already had "Friends," and she said, "you need to fix your hair." If you look at some of the first pictures it's really wild. I walked in [to the salon] and he sat me down and he was just buzzing around and didn't even ask me what I wanted and he just lopped it off. I was happy! He also gave me a blowdry, which no one had ever really done beautifully. ever. Then you're sort of going, "great, now how can I do this [myself]?" Now I can [give myself a blowout]. It's taken years to learn. I use three different brushes. A big [synthetic] round brush, a medium [synthetic] round brush, and a Mason Pearson. [Now] no one other than Chris will cut it.

S: Walk us through your regular hair routine.

J.A.: I'll wash my hair, then I put one of these styling creams in, and then I will usually dry it for a while [with a hairdryer], and then I sort of shape it around the face, because I have all these nasty cowlicks. Then I always go into the crown and give that a little bit of a boost, and then I just sort of--with my hands--I'll take pieces of it and different brushes and twist it or curl it or do different things. Every day it's a different thing. [She'll also take a flat iron to the ends to get it smooth.]

S: How long will it take for Chris to do your hair for an event like the Oscars?


J.A.: That's usually about 35 or 40 minutes to go through the blowdry.

S: Has Chris McMillan ever introduced you to anything that you loved?

J.A.: Beach spray blew my mind. Every time I'd be at the beach the curls would be different, and it would be more manageable, and less disgusting, so I started just going down to the ocean and just putting it in a spray bottle and spraying my hair, not realizing that it existed in a store. He's like, "why are you going all the way down to the beach?" And I'm like "'cause my hair's so much better when it has salt water in it." And he's like, "well, here!"

S: You've probably tried everything. Is there a hair product you hate?


J.A.: I don't like dry shampoo. I just think that's disgusting. I remember as a kid, when I was really little and I had my long, long, long, long hair that my mom so smartly didn't want me to cut, she would put talcum powder in my hair. I was like, "just wash it! Why aren't you just washing my hair! This just makes no sense." [She'd say,] "It takes so long, Jen, it takes so long."

S: Are you a daily hair washer now?


J.A.: No, I'm not. Well, if I'm working on a movie I will, but when I wear wigs in movies I don't have to, which is really good, and you throw some masks in and it helps your hair really grow. No, I don't have to wash it every day.

S: What's the longest you've gone without washing it?


J.A.
: Four days. It always looks great [after you finally shampoo], and I'm amazed that sometimes it can look great also on a third dirty day. Slept in.

S: Chris, Jen may hate dry shampoo, but we're hooked. Do you have a favorite brand?

Chris McMillan:
Serge Normant Meta Revive Dry Shampoo. Sarah Jessica [Parker], who I work with every now and then, taught me properly how to use it. [He illustrates a very quick spritz.] It's light weight. That's my go-to at the moment. And Shu Uemura has this powder brush and I use it only in the root to get a root lift.

S: Jen, with all the haircare products on the market what made you partner with Living Proof?

J.A.:
They're 100% organic, and they approached me. I had not heard of the company and they explained to me the science and why this hair company is different and would I join them in expanding awareness of their brand. And I said, "wow, this sort of falls into the area of life that I've been wanting to become more a part of," which is business and more involved--not just being hired to be a face or an actor or whatever. And I said, "let me try the products," and I tried them for a while when I was going off to do that movie. Usually [hair products] will stop doing what it claims to do after about a month. I gave a bunch to Chris and said put it in your salons and give it to all your salon clients, and to my girlfriends, and everybody was like, "this is amazing."

S: What are your favorite products from the line?


J.A.:
I have wavy hair. Mine used to be really thick. It's getting a little less over the years just because of wear and tear. But these products have completely changed my hair. First I started with Frizz [the anti-frizz shampoo, conditioner, and styling cream], because I was shooting a movie in North Carolina in 100 degree humidity. And I love the Restore Mask [treatment] I apply once a week. That goes in on Sunday nights.

S: If you could give one piece of hair styling advice to women what would it be?


J.A.: Learn how to blow dry so you don't rip hair. People are really sloppy with how they start to blowdry. They don't section it, and it just breaks.

S: Chris, what inspires you to change Jen's hair?


C.M.:
[Model] Arizona Muse cut her hair off, so I wanted to give it to Jen! [Laughs] I'm so inspired by magazines. I love hanging hair, with those long layers that are really nice and sexy. I'm inspired by girls on the street in chic cities like Paris, London, and New York.

S: Women all want Jen's gorgeous, tousled, second-day-hair look. How can anyone achieve that with the Living Proof products?


C.M.:
We call that day-old-hair-same-day. [Laughs] It really is about product distribution. You can layer these products onto the hair, they're not that heavy. Basically it's getting the preciousness out of hair. Think about when blowdry your hair, but then you put the curl back in and suddenly you're ready for the Miss America contest, but you want to be Jennifer Aniston or Gisele. You want that beach wave. You need to comb products through the ends of the hair, use Amp Instant Texture Volumizer. It gives that chunky texture and it separates the hair without weighing it down too much, so layer it on to the hair. Prime Style Extender, to me, is the lightweight version of Amp, so that's great for finer hair. If you have naturally curly hair use the Full Thickening Mousse, which has a rubberized feel in it. Let it dry natural. The more you touch your hair in the drying process, the wider and bigger it becomes. So you cannot touch your hair in the drying process. We love that lived in hair!

Want to meet Jennifer Aniston AND Have your hair cut by Chris McMillan? You're in luck. Click over to Living Proof and submit your own video, photo and caption, or written entry explaining your hair obsessions and confessions. You'll be entered to win the Ultimate Good Hair Day!

Check out the clip below to watch Jennifer Aniston and her stylist talk about our obsession with getting the perfect head of hair.



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Jennifer Aniston: Awkward Tween to it Girl
Jennifer Aniston's Living Proof Hair Care Deal: Spokesmodel Turns Investor
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