Aaah, big hair. I’ve always been a fan, be it unintentionally with my 80’s poodle-perm, or by getting my ex 60’s model Mother backcombing my locks. I recall one day smooshing up my bedraggled locks and remarking to boyfriend “I love the just got out of bed look”. He replied with “I love the just got in to bed look.” Ha! I was lucky enough to see Alison Mosshart live at the Dead Weather last week, and she was rocking the coolest long ink-black shag which flew about as she convulsed to the music. And my head full of ‘Dust it’, it survived the heady, humid sweaty environs of the gig, plus no small amount of head thrashing. Brilliant. (Love this photo of Alison Mosshart by
Shawn Brackbill)
However, as long and wavy as my hair gets – it does not like to be big. It likes to lie flat to my scalp, and the oilies don’t help. So when I discovered dry hair powder, I was elated! Not so elated when I saw the Bumble and Bumble version for around $80 at Mecca. But very excited to find
Batiste dry shampoo for $16 at the local chemist. Rub into the roots and soak up the oil, puff up your hair the bottles say. Mop up oil they do like a charm. Make big hair, they do not. Thus, I was super excited when my friend and stylist supremo introduced me to’ Back combing in a bottle’ –
Osis ‘Dust it’, the most amaaaazing product! Finally, without pfaffing about with rollers that don’t work, back combing, teasing & hair-spraying that drops out at the hint of a breathe of wind or turns into a lop sided crunchy helmet– I can achieve ROCK STAR HAIR!
Granted, it feels GROSS. I bit like a mélange of wax and a and, a rather unpleasant gritty feeling on your scalp. But by golly, the stuff works. I sprinkle a dusting into my scalp, rub it in a bit, poof up the roots and, et voila – big, tousled, just-been-moshing-at-a-rock-gig hair.
Some of my hair idols include Cindy C, who rocked the most impressive barnet throughout the 90's.
Another fave big hair goddess – Pammy. I love Pammy. If anyone perfects that sexy, tousled just-rolled-out-of-be-with-a-rock-star look, it’s Pammy. I don’t know if it is merely back-combing or a clip on, but I love that ‘pouf’ she gets at the top -back of her head, like ‘hair bustle’, if you will. I guess her hair is so fried, a bit of hair spray would convince it to behave anyway you like. (I'm sorry, you may balk at the pic below, but it is a great representation of Pammy's hair at it's disheveled rock chick best - and I love Tommy Lee.)
My latest big hair fave – Madonna in the latest Dolce ads, trussed up as a glam, buxom Italian housewife. Loving that uber sexy just-got-out-of-bed 60’s hair Madge! (Pics from Vanity Fair)