Rachel Leigh Cook Goes To The Prom Styles For Medium Hair Lengths

Introduction

I absolutely love the movie, "She's All That", starring Rachael Leigh Cook as the cute, quirky, but brainy Laney Boggs.

The movie was a charming remake of Pygmalion where nerdy art student Laney Boggs is made over by popular school jock Zach played by Freddie Prinze Jr.

The film is chock full of stars including Paul Walker who plays Zach's best friend and the hot girl who dumps Zach - Taylor Vaughan played by a sassy Jodi Lyn O'Keefe.

During the run of the movie, Laney and Taylor not only wind up competing for the attention of Zach Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr.), but they also wind up competing for the title of for Prom Queen.

Since HairBoutique.com always gets so many questions about Prom hairstyles, I'm always focused on any Prom hair information I can find.

Laney & Taylor's Prom Hairstyles

When Laney and Taylor attend their Proms as Prom Queen candidates, my eyes were glued to their hairstyles.

Of course I was impressed by the Prom gowns Laney and Taylor wore. The fashions were well suited for the personalities of the characters they played and the hairstyles that they wore.

As Laney Boggs, Rachael's hair was fine, soft and chin length. Taylor had thick, shoulder length hair that appeared to be coarse with some natural wave or curl.

Laney looked stunning in an Audrey Hepburn sleek and elegant French Twist while Taylor's hair was coiffed into a more traditional curly updo.

Laney and Taylor both showcased hairstyles which were very appropriate for their on-screen personalities, Prom dresses and hair types.

Is The French Twist Outdated?

I receive lots of questions about whether or not the French Twist is outdated or old fashioned. The answer? Absolutely not. The French Twist is a beautiful and classic hairstyle which can be modified to make it current.

As Laney Boggs in She's All That, Rachel Leigh Cook looked absolutely stunning in her simple, but elegant gown and sleek, shining soft French Twist.

With Jennifer Love Hewitt portraying the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn on screen, don't be surprised to see lots of versions of Audrey's French Twist making a big comeback.

The Classic Formal Do - The French Twist

The French Twist style can be worn by just about anyone with medium

to super long hair. Laney Boggs aka Rachel Leigh Cook has medium length hair.

Although it appears to be fine in texture, I suspect that either a "hair ratt" or "hair form" was added to give the hair fullness and height.

On Laney the French Twist was elegant and stunning.

Using A Hair Ratt Or Add-on Hair

Where do you find a hair ratt or hair form? At any large beauty supply store or in the HairBoutique.com's Marketplace. If you can't find an official ratt or hair form, you can use clean pantyhose carefully rolled to fit close to the head.

Famous movie stars have confessed in the past that they would "cheat" with their hair and sneak in rolled nylons or pantyhose to add fullness to their Twists.

If you have your heart set on wearing a Twist and have shorter hair, you can always "cheat" a little and pin on add-on hair and use your own hair to cover the "add-on".

Where do you buy add-on hair? Most beauty supply stores will usually have a variety of add-on hair lengths.

Advantages Of French Twists

The advantage to the French Twist is that it can be dressed up or down, worn high or flat, adorned with flowers, feathers, hair accessories, tiaras, pearls or even well-placed curls.

It can be modified to look good with just about any face shape.

You can add or subtract a wide assortment of bangs, side curls, tendrils, parts, coils or twists to slim a round face, give height to a long face, show off a slender face or camouflage any other shape.

The French Twist is a classic style. It never goes out of style and gives instant sleekness and class.

Instructions For The Basic French Twist

I have always found it challenging to explain how to do a French Twist. I love the fact that Sarah Michelle Gellar, Gwyneth Paltrow and other stars will often wear their own versions of a French Twist.

The photo to the left shows a very sleek and beehive enhanced version of the traditional French Twist.

If you have never created a French Twist on yourself, I strongly recommend that you have a friend or stylist do the first couple of Twists for you.

Watch closely and then when you feel comfortable, you can practice doing the Twist on your own hair.

There is the basic French Twist which is a simple hair updo twist. With some practice and visualization and a good mirror, anyone with medium to long hair can do a Twist to their own hair.

There is also the very complicated types of French Twists where the hair is divided into multiple sections and many different types of pins and swirls and curls are added.

I have never been able to pull one of these off by myself. Maybe you will be able to, but generally it is best to have a friend or hairstylist help you with the more complicated updos.

At least until you get the hang of it.

Instructions For Do-It-Yourself French Twist

The following instructions are taken from a great braiding book: "Beautiful Braids: The Step-by-Step Guide To Braiding Styles For Every Occasion and all Ages by Patricia Coen and Joe Maxwell.

This book was originally published in 1984 and is the book that I used to learn how to do my own French twist. It was recently re-released.

The following instructions are the easiest instructions I have ever found in any book that describes how to do a French Twist.

1. Use your fingers or a comb or brush and direct newly cleanse or day old hair smoothly back from your forehead.

Note: When working with newly cleansed hair make sure it's prepped properly with appropriate styling products.

2. Gather your hair into a ponytail with a base positioned halfway between your crown and nape of your neck. Position it slightly to the left of center. Don’t anchor it just yet.

3. Twist the ponytail around two times, in a clockwise direction. This holds the base of the hair closer to your head and gives you a firm anchor to work against.

4. Hold the base of the ponytail in your left hand. With your right, hold its end up, pointing toward the ceiling.

5. With your right hand, fold the end of the ponytail, about the top third, down towards the nape of your neck.

6. Fold the entire ponytail down under itself, towards your nape so that is it less than half as long as it was.

7. Curl the folded ponytail in your left hand. There should be a slight hollow between the ponytail and your scalp.

8. With your right hand, begin to gently push the upper right hand portion of the folded ponytail down into the hollow.

9. Continue pushing the hair underneath your left hand into the hollow so that the folded ponytail is slowly rolling inside the hollow.

10. The twist is complete when you can’t push any additional hair into the hollow and the folded ponytail has become a tight roll.

11. Create a seam by tucking in bobby pins along the line formed where the right hand edge of the roll meets your scalp starting at the bottom.

12. Place bobby pins the same color as your hair all along the seam up to the top of the roll, concealing them just under the roll.

13. Begin to push the upper portion of the ponytail over into the space with the other hand, so that the folded part is slowly rolling over into it.

14. When you've pushed all the hair in, secure with hairpins along the seam formed by the join, starting at the bottom. Conceal the grips by pushing them right underneath the roll.

Summary

Rachel Leigh Cook, as Laney Boggs in "She's All That" chose the elegant French Twist as her Prom hair style to show off her gorgeous face and shiny chocolate brown tresses. She was simply breathtaking.

The French Twist is one of the most basic updos. A good basic Twist can be the foundation for a dressy updo adorned with flowers, jeweled hair sticks or seasonal hair accessories.

Anyone with medium length to longer hair, some practice and a little bit of creativity can have a sizzling hot edgy Prom hairdo.

Original Publication Date: 02/12/2000 - Revised Publication Date: 11/03/11

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