Secret confessions of Melbourne’s celebrity hairdressers

Melbourne’s hairdressers to the stars have dished the dirt on what it’s really like to work with celebrities, such as Anna Wintour and Priscilla Presley.

Melbourne’s hairdressers to the stars have dished the dirt on what it’s like working with celebrities.

Melbourne’s hairdressers to the stars have a code: “What happens in the chair stays in the chair”.

But sometimes, secrets, like an overflowing bottle of conditioner, spill.

Like the pop superstar who had a bad hair colour week and had to do promotional duties in a scarf.

Or the celebrity who has a set of similar wigs with varying hair lengths to keep up the illusion of growing hair.

Or the popular TV presenter who proudly uses spray-on dye to cover a bald spot.

Or the WAG who came in for a wash, cut and blow wave, only to be told she should probably deal with her nits first.

“You have to be a therapist, a friend, and a confidant,” an award-winning snipper said.

“With regular clients, it’s like a continuing story of their lives. You just pick up after the last haircut.”

However, the celebrity client is a high-pressure appointment with a different set of rules.

“We like to do our homework and see what’s happened to the celebrity lately,” a hairdresser said.

Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour at the Australian Open in 2019. Picture: Lukas Coch

Anna Wintour arrives at the AO Inspirational Series Brunch in 2019. Picture: Sam Tabone

“Most likely, they’ll have been in the newspaper somewhere, somehow. We research to stay clear of those conversations. If they’ve had marriage problems, you don’t want to say, ‘How’s your wife or husband?’ We need to be aware of what to say, and what not to say.”

When Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour was in Melbourne for the Australian Open, she came with a reputation. Think, The Devil Wears Prada.

“Everyone thought she was a witch but she was one of the best people to work with,’’ her Melbourne hairdresser said.

“She even sent us flowers and a front cover of one of her Vogue editions.”

One freak-out situation, a prominent stylist recalls, was when Priscilla Presley came to town for the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

“She had been getting her hair done for a few days in a row and one day she just said I want a 1920s finger wave. We had no idea how to do that and we’re on YouTube trying to learn to how to nail a finger wave.

“I was sweating bullets and remember going to the bathroom and spraying her perfume all over myself.”

Another recalls a US superstar having a mega meltdown after blaming the hairdresser, make-up artist and stylist for her woes.

“She started arguing with her manager, then took it out on our team,” the hairdresser said.

“She complained about the hairstyle, but it was exactly what she, and her team, asked for

“We got a brief, the clothes were chosen around the hairstyle and the make-up. Everything was signed off, and agreed to, two weeks earlier.

Priscilla Presley in the Birdcage during the Kennedy Oaks Day at Flemington in 2017. Picture: Tracey Nearmy

“But when the dress arrived, she started crying because she hated the dress,” the hairdresser added.

“Then she said she hated her hair because she hated the dress.

“I told her, ‘Listen, this is what you wanted. If you don’t like it, sack us now, and we’ll leave.

“She lost it and it took her hours to calm down.

“Everyone started ringing around for another dress. Then they had to take a dress from another star at the event who had a lesser profile. A poor woman had to give up her look for the prima donna.”

Another celebrity snipper said British singer Lily Allen was rude.

“Lily Allen was the craziest person I’ve ever met in my whole life,” the hairdresser said.

“She kept us waiting for at least an hour and she was smoking a cigarette and blowing it into the make-up artist’s face. She also wanted glitter on her eyes, specific hair; it was a lot.”

One hairdresser says diplomacy and a cool head are often needed to keep demanding clients on side.

“You say, ‘it’s OK, how can we figure this out together? What would you like?’” the hairdresser said. “Then, on the side, we’re texting management to say, ‘She doesn’t want anything you’ve told us to do.’”

In most cases, celebrities don’t pay for haircuts. Their hosts — TV shows, tour promoters, fashion events — do.

One hairdresser describes Lily Allen as the ‘craziest person I’ve ever met’. Picture: Mark Metcalfe

“They’ll offer to sign something, or give you tickets to a show. They offer gratitude with products,” a hairdresser said. “The celebrities who don’t offer, you just think, don’t worry about it.”

One hairdresser says a rising number of influencers try to blag free haircuts in exchange for an Instagram shout-out.

“They will tell you how good they are, and how they can make or break your business,” the hairdresser said. “I tell them Just Cuts is down the road.”

Another hairdresser says AFL footballers are generous and personable clients.

“They pull out their wallets every time. They always offer to pay. Always,” a hairdresser said. “I’ve never had a footballer being a rock star or a smart arse. Never.

“I do wait for them to pull out their wallets first to see what their character is. Then I say to them, ‘don’t worry about it, it’s on us.’”

Most people spill their deepest secrets while sitting in the hairdresser’s chair.

“People aren’t afraid to talk about themselves,’’ said one big-name hairdresser.

“Years ago, I looked after a husband and a wife and he’d be telling me she’s playing around and then she’d tell me he was. So they both confessed to me.

“At one time one was up the back getting their hair washed and the other was in the front getting a cut and both were saying the other was cheating. Awkward!”

Another hairdresser had a similar story.

“I had a guy in my chair thinking his world is great, and his wife was getting her haircut in another chair, just bagging him.”

Conversely, one hairdresser said small talk, or signals from a client for silence, can be a struggle.

“You usually get small talk from new clients, but then I try to open up the conversation by asking what they do,” a hairdresser said. “If they start chatting, then you know where to pick up the conversation next time.”

The silent type, the hairdresser said, are punishing.

“If they give you yes or no answers, you know to leave them alone,” the hairdresser said. “It’s hard, it’s shit, it’s boring. But some people are introverts. They want a haircut, and get out of there.”