kristin ess

Get Rid of a Cowlick | Bangs
Hair

The Right Way to Blow-Dry Your Bangs (and Get Rid of a Cowlick)

Bangs are a big trend, but sometimes you can end up with a cowlick if you're not careful.
by Allure

Bangs are a big trend, but sometimes you can end up with a cowlick if you're not careful. Allure has tips to finally get unruly hair to lie flat.

I've never let my cowlick get in the way of my love for bangs, but that doesn't mean I haven't suffered for my stubbornness. Mere hours after thinking I've believably hidden my cowlick, I'll look in the mirror to see that it's made a weird part in my fringe or spouted up through them like a tenacious little fountain. So yes, I was pretty excited when LA-based hairstylist and cofounder of The Beauty Department Kristin Ess told me exactly how she tames her own cowlick, as well as what she considers the best and only way to blow-dry bangs.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Extensions: Part 2
Hair extensions

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Extensions: Part 2

Welcome to the second part of my interview with awesome celebrity and fashion stylist Kristin Ess from LA's Warren-Tricomi salon.  Last time we talked about getting the right extensions for your hair color and texture, and today we're tackling some important rules for styling, maintaining, and using extensions that are good to know even if you're not in the market for extra hair.
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Welcome to the second part of my interview with awesome celebrity and fashion stylist Kristin Ess from LA's Warren-Tricomi salon.  Last time we talked about getting the right extensions for your hair color and texture, and today we're tackling some important rules for styling, maintaining, and using extensions that are good to know even if you're not in the market for extra hair. So just keep reading.

How do you care for extensions as far as brushing and styling?

Please brush your hair twice a day: Brush it in the morning, and brush it at night. I don’t care what you do, but you have to brush it. I also always encourage everyone to put their hair in a loose braid before bed, because the less it gets tossed around while you’re sleeping, the better. When you’re brushing, you should be using a natural boar’s hair. It’s just softer on hair.

With extensions, can you use them to add volume on top, or are they just for length?

It’s a very common misconception that you get crazy volume at the top of your hair. Extensions are heavier than your hair, so actually, you’re going to be flattening the hair on top if you put them there. Now, what you can do in order to gain a little volume is put some in toward the front on the side.

People often confuse their terms, too. They don’t mean volume, they mean density or thickness. You can totally use extensions for thickness. But your thickness is gonna be more on the sides and on the bottom than on the top. It’s up to you to do the top of your own hair.

For more of the interview, keep reading.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Extensions: Part 1
extensions

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Extensions: Part 1

When I spoke with celebrity stylist Kristin Ess (she's the one getting all Betty Draper on the right) of LA's Warren-Tricomi salon about her work on Lauren Conrad's extensions for The Hills and the red carpet, she also very kindly agreed to answer all my burning questions about the mysterious world of these length-enhancing strands.
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When I spoke with celebrity stylist Kristin Ess (she's the one getting all Betty Draper on the right) of LA's Warren-Tricomi salon about her work on Lauren Conrad's extensions for The Hills and the red carpet, she also very kindly agreed to answer all my burning questions about the mysterious world of these length-enhancing strands. I learned a lot, and I think you will, too. To see the first part of my fun, informative interview with Kristin, just keep reading

Kristin Ess Talks About Lauren Conrad's Extensions
Celebrity Beauty

All About Lauren Conrad's Extensions With Stylist Kristin Ess

Kristin Ess of Warren-Tricomi Salon in LA has styled everyone from Rachel McAdams to the runway models at Marc Jacobs, but she's also known for her work on The Hills, and for Lauren Conrad's styles in particular.
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Kristin Ess of Warren-Tricomi Salon in LA has styled everyone from Rachel McAdams to the runway models at Marc Jacobs, but she's also known for her work on The Hills, and for Lauren Conrad's styles in particular. So when I found out that Lauren's perfectly natural-looking hair was actually Kristin's perfect extensions, I really wanted to speak with her to get the scoop about them. To find out how Ess works her magic, read more

Bella Interview: Kristin Ess, Part III
Hair

Bella Interview: Kristin Ess, Part III

Let's finish Friday with the last installment of my interview with celebrity hairstylist Kristin Ess.
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Let's finish Friday with the last installment of my interview with celebrity hairstylist Kristin Ess. I really enjoyed talking with her because she not only knows her hair stuff, she also has the kind of attitude that would make her fun to work with. In the first part of our interview, we talked about how she began working in a salon at the age of 16. Yesterday, she shared some hair trends, and today she talks about where you should scrimp and where you should spend on hair products.

What kinds of hair products are worth splurging on, and which can you get at a drugstore?
It depends on the hair. If you have long hair and highlights and you need moisture, spend the money on shampoo. It's different for everyone. As far as hairsprays go, there are definitely hairsprays that are more of an aid in styling than others. If I'm in a pinch in another city or country, and I have to run to the store in the middle of the night because I lost my bag or something, I can buy any hairspray at the grocery store. I know which ones on the market are doable. Rather than using Pantene, I'd rather use Aqua Net because I know it's going to hold for a photo shoot. It's horrendous and it's disgusting, but it works.

You should definitely splurge on a blow dryer. It makes all of the difference. If there's one thing I tell my clients, I always tell them to get a good blow dryer. But you don't need to splurge on a curling iron. My favorite curling iron is Hot Tools. It's the most amazing curling iron ever. They're so cheap and so amazing.

For the rest of the interview, read more

Bella Interview: Kristin Ess, Part II
Hair

Bella Interview: Kristin Ess, Part II

I recently had the chance to talk with Kristin Ess, a stylist at Warren-Tricomi salon in Los Angeles.
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I recently had the chance to talk with Kristin Ess, a stylist at Warren-Tricomi salon in Los Angeles. (That's her in black, with models whose hair she styled.) Yesterday, I posted the first part of the interview, in which she talks about how she got started. Today, find out what she thinks about the lifespan of the bob, working on top fashion shows, and how she'd make over Britney's hair.

I know bobs have been big, but is there any hairstyle that you think is fresh — something that regular women can wear?
Some people think the Posh bob is fabulous, but a lot of people are growing it out right now. So it's a matter of customizing that cut to each person. Two people, even if they look completely different, can look great with that bob, but the grow-out period is very different. We're doing a lot of customizing with the grow-out process right now. Some people are styling it wavy, some people want to keep it short. That is definitely the haircut of the moment right now. There are still people coming in to get it.

Really? That surprises me.
They were too scared to do it in the beginning. This is definitely one of those "Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama" haircuts that's going to stick around for two years. We haven't had anything that exciting for a while. Everything has just been long hair, really pretty hair — which is exciting in its own way. But this is the first in a while to be a haircut phenomenon. That's definitely one that sticks out to me right now.

To find out who Kristin would love to work with, read more

Kristin Ess interview
Hair

Bella Interview: Kristin Ess

Talk about overachievers. In high school, Kristin Ess was working at a posh Beverly Hills salon, paving the way for her current stylist spot at Warren-Tricomi salon in Los Angeles.
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Talk about overachievers. In high school, Kristin Ess was working at a posh Beverly Hills salon, paving the way for her current stylist spot at Warren-Tricomi salon in Los Angeles. At the young age of 20, she began working on runway shows, eventually creating hair for designers including Marc Jacobs, Diesel, St. John, Rami Kashou, and Thom Browne. She's also worked with Rachel McAdams, Amber Valetta, Rachael Leigh Cook, and the Hills ladies.

A few weeks ago, I got to talk with Kristin about her career, hair trends, and the best drugstore steals. Since we had a lot to talk about, I'm splitting the interview into a few parts. Be sure to come back tomorrow for more insights and advice from Kristin!

You started working in a Beverly Hills salon when you were in high school. How did you know at such a young age that you wanted to work with hair?
I have nine brothers and sisters—I'm number 10. Most of them were younger than me, so I was always doing someone's hair. It was always my thing. Everybody knew that's what I was going to do. I did a report on it in the fourth grade for my career report, and my mom still has that and it's framed. It's like, "I want to move to Beverly Hills and do hair for One Life to Live" or something. I just always knew I wanted to style hair.

For more, read more