Yahoo Finance The Liquid Hair Trend Is Jennifer Lopez's and Kim Kardashian's Secret to Glossy, Smooth Hair
Take a quick scroll on Instagram and we guarantee you'll see a famous influencer or celebrity (ahem, Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa) with liquid hair.
If you've ever wondered how celebrities get that ultra-shiny, glossy, frizz-free style, well, this is the secret. Consider liquid hair the sister trend to glass hair, which was popular last year. They're similar, but liquid hair is a bit softer and shinier. Beyond being gorgeous enough to get you to stop mid-scroll, this style is definitely something you can accomplish on your own. Whether you go to the salon or decide to take a DIY approach, it's possible to get that celebrity-approved sleek and shiny look.
Ahead, we tapped a few professional hairstylists to give us the lowdown on liquid hair. Keep reading to learn what liquid hair is and how to make your hair do that.
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What Is the Liquid Hair Trend?
The liquid hair trend is a style that's so shiny, glossy, and straight that it looks like water. The look comes from Chris Appleton, the celebrity hairstylist who works with the previously mentioned A-listers and has mastered the art of liquid hair. "It's super sleek and appears to reflect light like water does — hence the name," says New Jersey-based professional hairstylist Jennifer Korab.
As we previously said, it's similar to the glass hair trend, but a bit softer and more, well, fluid. "Similar to the glass hair trend that was popular a couple of years ago, the liquid hair straight is very straight, shiny and sleek with one major difference: movement," says David Lopez, a celebrity hairstylist and creative director of Glam Seamless. "Liquid hair still has body, bend, and movement giving it that fluid feel." Glass hair seems indestructible — almost like a solid sheet rather than strands.
What's the Process of Getting Liquid Hair?
The most common method of achieving liquid hair is getting a keratin treatment. "These treatments work on the hair by sealing down the cuticles of the hair and locking in moisture," says Michelle Cleveland, hairstylist and owner of Hair Addict Salon. "Ultimately, this will reduce the frizzy halo effect that happens when your hair is dehydrated."
While keratin treatments can have beautiful, long-lasting results, there is some debate on the safety of these treatments because of their use of formaldehyde, which the CDC explains, can be carcinogenic in high concentrations. There are formaldehyde-free straightening treatments available, too. For instance, Cleveland says she uses the Majestic Hair Botox Treatment, which is a formaldehyde-free keratin treatment that has amino acids and natural proteins to thank for its great results.
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Can You Recreate the Liquid Hair Trend at Home?
If you're looking for a less permanent option to achieve liquid hair, rest assured all it takes is some extra quality time with your hot tools. "You can recreate this look at home with hair smoothing products blow-dried into the hair and follow up with a flat iron after," says Cleveland.
We recommend using the Color Wow Dream Coat Spray ($28, colorwowhair.com) prior to blowdrying the hair because it acts as a keratin treatment that works to give all hair types silky, smooth, and frizz-free results.
Pro tip: Use the nozzle attachment on your hairdryer and face it down when blow drying to seal the hair cuticle. Then, follow up with an additional shine-enhancing product. The Davines This is a Shimmering Mist ($35, amazon.com) smells delicious and adds a beautiful sheen to your hair. Another option that Appleton recommends is the Color Wow Extra Mist-ical Shine Spray ($30, colorwowhair.com) for its ability to give hair a healthy, glossy shine. Whatever you choose, Korab says these tips are key to a smoother blowout.
Heat protectant is also a necessity for achieving liquid hair since the sleek look requires so much heat to achieve. Lopez recommends the Glam Seamless Silver Styling Kit ($110, glamseamless.com), which includes everything you need to mimic a keratin treatment at home, like a heat protectant, a primer, leave-in treatment, and smoothing serum.
One final tip from Lopez is to use hair extensions. "The liquid hair trend works best on thicker, fuller hair," he says. "For those with finer hair, I would highly recommend incorporating extensions that will allow you to wear that sleek, straight, shiny style with body without it appearing stringy or too thin." And please keep in mind that those luscious, beyond-belief celebrity looks that probably drove you to this article in the first place? They're likely achieved this way more often than not.
