What do you love about your trade?
I think one of the things that really drew me to doing hair was the idea of transforming a person and making them just feel really good. With the rise of social media, I’m also really passionate about helping more women learn how to do their own hair, and on our website theouai.com, we do tutorials of real women doing their own hair, just to show people that you can achieve certain looks on your own.
Jen Atkin, founder of OUAI & celebrity hairstylist
What is your hair philosophy?
Take a chance, take a rest and try layers.
Your pet peeves when it comes to hair?
That would be not correctly using products. I’ve seen when people have used too much hair oil and also not cutting their hair. Also, I feel like a lot of times girls just get stuck in a long hair rut, and they don’t play around with their hair colour. I just wish people would do more!
Which style decade are you inspired by?
Personally, I’m inspired by the ‘90s supermodel like Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington. There also was a lot of variety in hairstyles like I like Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer’s long, layered hair then there was also Gwen Stefani and Shirley Manson from Garbage.
Who would you trade hairstyles with for one day?
Dora the Explorer. I just did it! [laughs] Now let me think…I love Bianca Jagger’s hair. I love everything from the ‘70s. That was so cool!
What I Like:
OUAI Rose Hair & Body Oil, RM141
As my hair hasn’t recovered from last year’s bleaching (went all out for that lilac hair, that’s a story for another time), OUAI’s Rose Hair & Body Oil has been a life saver for my hair – my hair feels soft and hydrated after. Not only that, it smells absolutely divine and all you need is just one pump to smooth it over your ends and you’re golden for the rest of the day! – Anne Lee, Beauty Writer
