It goes without saying that celebrity hairstylists have the world’s best products and treatments at their fingertips. So we were surprised to learn that Mark Townsend, stylist to the likes of Dakota Johnson, the Olsen twins and Rachel McAdam, favours something so ordinary when it comes to battling his client’s frizzy hair.
It’s cheap, it’s basic and you’ve probably got a whole heap of them in your home already. Yes, we’re talking about a toothbrush.
Hot tip: Preferably a different toothbrush to the one you put in your mouth this morning.
In a video for PEOPLE magazine Townsend revealed he doesn’t go anywhere without a natural bristle toothbrush, thanks to its handy ability to tackle even the tiniest of frizz or flyaways.
“I always use a toothbrush with extra hold hairspray to get all those pesky little hairs around the ears, the hairline around the back and any flyaways at the top without wrecking the hair,” he told PEOPLE.
It’s a trick he uses on all his A-list clients before they leave the salon — who often don’t give it back.
“I have to keep about 15-20 toothbrushes on me at all times because once I use it on somebody, they want to keep it,” he said.
He favours natural bristle over plastic because the alcohol in the hairspray can often react with the plastic bristles. As a bonus, they’re also easier to clean.
Turns out it’s not the only wacky object people turn to for frizz fighting.
Dryer sheets.
Mamamia writer Jacqui Porter swears by dryer sheets to instantly banish her static hair.
“Dryer sheets contain positively-charged ingredients which are released when they are met with heat and movement. The ingredients bond to negatively-charged surfaces and neutralise them, meaning no static in your clothes. That’s exactly why it works on your hair, too,” she wrote.
“All you need to do is smooth it over your hair — works especially well if you’ve just straightened your hair — or you can rub the dryer sheet over your hairbrush and comb through as normal.”
You can pick up dryer sheets from the supermarket for less than $10 for 40 sheets. Bargain.
Image: Supplied.
Blush brush.
It's a key makeup tool, but international celebrity hairstylist Anthony Nader has another use for the blush brush.
"It's my all-time fave and seriously works a treat on just putting the final finishing touches before you walk out of the door. I use an old blush brush, mainly on the part line and larger surfaces on the head, as it’s a more seamless action that covers a larger area at one time," he says.
Simply spray the tips of the brush with hairspray and work over your chosen surface with one clean motion.
"It works so well because you're targeting the areas you want to tame by directing the bristles of the brush on the troubled area." (Post continues after gallery.)
The best hairsprays for a natural looking finish.
Tissues.
Easily accessible, tissues are a great emergency fix Health, Beauty and Style editor Edwina Carr Barraclough swears by.
"If I don’t tend to my hair (i.e blowdry it with the help of a little mousse - I love Aveda’s phomollient™ styling foam, $29.95 and hair oil - try Dove’s Pure Care Dry Oil For Hair, $19.95) I can basically guarantee I’ll have a halo of frizz surrounding my head faster than you can say 'For serum’s sake, wear a beanie'."
"My solution is an easy one (I read it somewhere forever ago and impart it whenever I can). Lightly squirt some hairspray onto a tissue (not straight up in its grill, keep a 20 centimetre gap) and then swipe it over the misbehaving strands. Smooth hair in two seconds," she says.
Image: Supplied
What's your frizz-fighting hack?
Image: People/Getty