| Jessica Alba: Hair Stories |
| Karen Marie Shelton |
| Revised Date: 08/11/07 - Original Publication
Date: 5/28/2005 |
Introduction
 Jessica Marie Alba
is one of those stars that became an "overnight success" that only
took her eleven years to achieve.
(Image of Jessica
Alba at Young Hot Hollywood Style Awards - April 13, 2005 - Phyto by
David Edwards/Daily Celeb.com)
Even though the
stunning actress is burning up the theaters with her sizzling
portrayal as stripper Nancy Callahan in Sin City, most people know her from television's 2000
Dark Angel Sci-Fi hit series. As the gorgeous, genetically
enhanced, super-human heroine Max Guevara, Jessica kicked some
serious enemy butt. Her character was famous for sporting a bar coded tattoo.
Sadly, Dark Angel only lasted until 2002.
The 24 year old
Taurus derives her exotic beauty from a French-Danish mother and
Mexican, Indian and Spanish father. The mixed parentage has posed
some acting challenges for the rising star due to ultimate confusion about
her ultimate ethnic heritage.
 (Image
of Jessica Alba at Movieline's Hollywood Life's 7th Annual Young
Hollywood Awards, Henry Fonda Theater, Hollywood, CA - May 5,
2005 - Phyto by David Edwards/Daily
Celeb.com)
Many hip-hop fans loved her role in
the 2003 film Honey which showcased her performing complicated dance routines.
It has been reported by the media that Jessica took rigorous training in
both dance and Tae Bo so that she could perform her own stunts.
Jessica's
dedication to channeling the true essence of her characters is no
surprise. After all, she was totally dedicated to whipping her body
into shape during her Dark Angel role. It has been reported
that Jessica worked out seven days a week to evolve into a super
hard body.
From Mocha To Honey
 There is no
question that Jessica is a striking beauty. In fact, she was
voted #1 on Maxim's Hot 100 Babe List for 2001 while she was
starring on Dark Angel. She also came in at #6 on FHM's
Sexiest Girls of 2002 poll and #12 in Stuff magazine's 102 Sexiest
Women in the World.
(Image of Jessica Alba at Dark Angel
Premiere Party - September 9, 2000 - Phyto by Mark Ragonese/Daily
Celeb.com)
Joining the ranks of Sarah Jessica
Parker and Heather Locklear, Jessica did a brief stint as a
celebrity spokesperson for hair color giant, L'Oreal. In a
previous interview the beauty explained that "for the L'Oreal
commercial her hair was dyed Feria Ruby Fusion". She loved it
because it made her "feel like a rock star" Why? Well
because "everyone looks at your head if you have red hair".
Sadly she had to dye it back to a rich brunette color for Dark Angel.
By birth her
natural hair color is a deep rich mocha brown. Like all celebrities
in the public eyes, Jessica has experimented
over the years with a wide range of hues from light blonde to deeper honey shades.
 When Jessica first broke through in
her Dark Angel role (image shown above), she was sporting very long dark locks parted
right down the center, falling into loose curls that nestled along
her shoulder tops.
(Image of Jessica Alba at Maxim Party
- June 11, 2003 - Photo by David Edwards/Daily
Celeb.com)
Since
those early Dark Angel days, Jessica has morphed through a variety
of hairstyles from shoulder length to short and from dark mocha to
very
light blonde.
In 2003 Jessica appeared at the June
Maxim Hot 100 Party with a long eye skimming fringe framing a sassy
shoulder length shaggy bob.
Her hair color was much lighter than
previously with a light caramel base carefully kissed with random
ribbons of shimmering blonde.
 In
November of 2004 Jessica stepped into the blonde ranks, adopting a honey golden
hue with an array of pinstriped highlights and lowlights.
She went back to a center part with her straightened strands hugging
either side of her cheeks.
(Image of Jessica Alba at 4th Annual
Fashion Forward Luncheon - November 13, 2004 - Photo by David
Edwards/Daily Celeb.com)
Although some of her fans preferred
the darker tresses, adopting a much lighter shade made
her big dark eyes pop and opened up her entire face.
So how does she feel about changing
her hair color? Jessica is such a fun loving person that she
has confessed in interviews that "she has gone every color but
platinum". Can we expect the hot star to keep changing her
hairstyle and color? Most definitely.
During
2005 Jessica has shown a preference to keep her honey blonde look
while continuing to go progressively shorter.
 (Image of Jessica Alba at 2005 Sin
City Premiere - March 28, 2005 - Photo by David Edwards/Daily
Celeb.com)
At her most recent appearance at
the May 6, 2005 Lint Awards, she had her hair clipped into an edgy,
cropped blonde look with lots of choppy layers. All signs of
both her center part and her bangs were completely gone.
Steal Her Look
Although you might not believe it
from looking at her, Jessica is challenged by a pesky cowlick and
fly-away frizz. She keeps both at bay with the help of a
hair wax. She also prefers wash and wear hair putting her
newly washed hair, when it is longer, "up in pigtails, braids or a ponytail" and using her fingers to tousle it dry when it is shorter.
Letting her short crop air dry is actually healthier than using a
hot blow dry that might strip the color or dry out her tresses
further.
 Of
course Jessica has access to a stable of celebrity hairdressers to
coif her to perfection for her red carpet strolls and movie
premieres.
(Image of Jessica Alba at 2005 Lint
Awards - May 6, 2005 - Photo by David Edwards/Daily
Celeb.com)
STEP 1
Jessica's hair has been heavily highlighted
and colored for years. This tends to
make hair dry and prone to the fly-a-ways
and frizz that Jessica experiences.
To protect
bleached, blonde highlighted or colored
tresses, start by rinsing hair completely with
lukewarm water. Keep in mind that hotter temperatures
will speed up fading and dry hair even
further.
Select a
super moisturizing shampoo formula like
Phytojoba or one designed for
colored hair like
Phytocitrus. For ultra dry or
super fragile
strands, use the dry hair formulas and
dilute the shampoo for extra gentleness.
Tips For Diluting Shampoo
To dilute
shampoo mix 1 part of your favorite product
in a freshly washed container with 8-10
parts of warm water. Shake until the
mixture forms a suds.
Drizzle the
suds over the top of your crown and pat into
wet strands. Gently drizzle some of
the sudsy formula down the length of your
strands. Pat carefully.
Apply only
one shampoo application. Rinse well
with lukewarm water.
If your hair
is very prone to extreme dryness or frizz,
consider adopting one of the Phyto Special
Treatment programs in for
dry hair or for
fighting frizz.
STEP 2
Gently
squeeze excess water out of the strands.
Apply your favorite leave-in conditioner
with your fingers. Match the
conditioning product to your hair type,
texture and condition.
Work the
conditioner into the driest parts of your
hair. Leave on for up to five minutes.
Rinse well.
Finish with a cool to cold water rinse.
STEP 3
Towel blot
your strands to remove excess drippage.
Apply your favorite detangling product or
leave-in conditioning product based on your
type, texture and current condition of your
strands.
Keep in mind
that if you have fine or thin strands, you
will want to use a very light detangling
spray. For medium to thicker strands, use a
heavier conditioning product.
If you are
prone to frizz, experiment with frizz
fighting formulas like
Phytodefrisant or
John Frieda Frizz Ease that help provide
a sleeker smoother finish.
STEP 4
 If
you want to go for Jessica's sleek straight
style, be sure to either apply a defrisant
product like
Phytodefrisant or a straightening balm
like
Robert Hallowell's Flat Factor.
(Image of
Jessica Alba at Step Up - Photo by David
Edwards/Daily
Celeb.com)
Distribute a
dime-sized dollop of the product of your
choice into the palms of your hands and mix
well. Use your fingers to work the
product completely through your tresses.
STEP 5
Separate your
hair into 2" sections and blow dry with a
large round brush, starting near the back of
the head and working around to the front on
either side.
Beginning at
the back of your head, blow-dry hair in
half-inch pieces using a large round brush.
To create extra volume, hold brush in the
hair near the scalp until the hair cools
(about five seconds), then move the brush
down and through to the ends of the hair.
STEP 6
To create a
super straight finish, use a hot flat iron
to touch up any sections that require a
smoother texture.
STEP
7
If desired,
spray lightly with the hairspray of your
choice. Finish with a shine serum or
spray. Apply to the palms of your
hands and lightly brush across the surface
of your hair.
Optional Alba Looks
 If
you prefer to go with Jessica messy, choppy bedhead look, follow all
of the steps above until Step 5. Skip the blow drying and let
tresses air dry instead.
Use your
fingertips to tousle the ends to get that
edgy look that Jessica wore at the Lint
Awards.
(Image of
Jessica Alba at 2005 Lint Awards - May 6,
2005 - Photo by David Edwards/Daily
Celeb.com)
Summary
Jessica Alba is on fire.
She is scheduled to appear in two more movies for 2005 including
Into the Blue with Paul Walker and Ashley Scott and is already
lining up new roles for 2006. Watch for great things to
come for this hot young star in the future. |