Laura Harris' Short Sassy Hair: Women's Murder Club
Laura Harris' Short Sassy Hair: 
Women's Murder Club
Karen Marie Shelton - Copyright - All Rights Reserved
Revised Date: 12/13/11

Introduction

Laura Harris
Women's Murder Club
ABC

If you were a fan of ABC TV series, Women's Murder Club, you may remember gorgeous Assistant District Attorney (ADA) - Jill Barnhart - who was an integral part of the "Club".

Not only was she one of my favorite actresses from the days of Dead Like Me, Laura Harris, who played Jill to perfection, had one of the hottest short platinum blonde hairstyles.

Laura, who is Canadian born and bred, has appeared in several popular TV shows including playing Marie Warner on 24.  She also made an appearance on Jake 2.0, which was another of my favs. 

From her role on 24 she joined the cast of the quirky Dead Like Me as the blonde and beautiful, but dead, Daisy Adair.  She was wonderful as always.

After Dead Like Me sadly ended, Laura popped up in guest roles on several TV shows and films including three appearances on The Dead Zone as Miranda Ellis, as Nola on Stargate Atlantis and in a  guest appearance on CSI.

Laura Harris
Women's Murder Club
ABC
2007

From there she went on to play the white hot platinum blonde, vampy Jill in Women's Murder Club.  She played a no-nonsense attorney who had a very naughty behind-the-scenes vixen side.

If you Goggle Laura Harris and stop by IMDB or Wikipedia you will discover a long list of acting credits that extend back to 1990.

You will also discover very little about the gorgeous actress other than the names of the roles she played and the fact she started her own production company.

Naturally my focus has always been on her hair which looked absolutely incredible in her super gamine-short-pixie asymmetrical crop.  Her hairstyles have always been something special.

She rocked the bold coveted platinum shade.  Her strong precision cut enhanced the power of her white hues.

Laura who has been some shade of blonde in every acting venue I have witnessed, appears to have baby fine hair.  In her role as Grim Reaper Daisy Adair she wore her tresses to the top of her shoulders alternating between straight and slightly waved.

Going platinum and super short was an excellent choice for the petite actress.

Laura's Hairstyle - White Lightening

Laura Harris
09-08-01

Laura has a modified square face shape with a wide forehead and an angular jaw.  Laura's asymmetrical short crop instantly softened the angular lines of her face.  The long layer on one side gave her face balance and minimized the width of her forehead at the same time.

The sweep of hair fell across one eye giving an alluring appearance that was reminiscent of film legend Veronica Lake.

The actress appeared to have long layers extending along the crown which helped create volume and draw attention away from her angular chin.

It has been reported that the talented Canadian actress has a taste for quirky, character-driven acting roles.

Her hairstyle for her role on Women's Murder Club communicated her quirky assistant district attorney persona quite well.  She had a  trendy hairstyle to boot.

Laura Harris' Hair Style History

Laura Harris
09-08-01

Laura has had an impressive acting career during which her tresses have evolved through a series of noteworthy styles, hues and textures.

The media has reported that Laura is a natural blonde.  For her role in Women's Murder Club the actress has transformed her formerly baby blonde strands from Dead Like Me to stark white platinum.

Cutting edge chic is displayed to its full advantage with Laura's hair which was taken to a bold white-platinum hue that instantly turns on lights in her face.  The drastic blonde color change works well for Laura and complements her eyes and skin tone.

Snipped smartly into a short shape that curves to follow the bone structure in front, layers on top and in back are a bit longer.  Laura wears her style with a variety of parts including messy and very deep side parts that redirects.

Laura's hair appears to be thin and fine.  Her side-swept asymmetrical cut actually gives her hair the appearance of more thickness than when she wore it below her shoulders, in the past.

To Bleach Or Not To Bleach

Laura Harris had the good fortune to be born with naturally blonde hair.  Her natural light tresses made it much more feasible for Laura to transition to white blonde.

Unless your own hair is naturally a light shade, it's not advised that you try to go platinum blonde like Laura.  If you do decide to color your hair to this dramatic white shade, do not attempt to accomplish the task at home.  Otherwise, you may wind up with the Bleached Hair Blues.

Laura Harris
Women's Murder Club
ABC
2007

Bleach is required to achieve the dramatic lightening that Laura's hair has undergone. 

Bleached hair that is slightly damaged will feel dry or rough to the touch and may require extra applications of deep and leave-in conditioning products.

Severe damage to the cuticle, which is designed to protect the cortex where natural color resides, may result from over bleaching.  The hair may be left spongy and porous with a tendency to retain moisture on following shampoo cycles and becoming difficult to dry out.

The cuticle may be left feeling extremely rough or in some cases the delicate cuticle fishlike scales may be permanently damaged or burned off.  In worst case scenarios hair breakage may occur from the root area.

Damage to the hair during bleaching is decreased if contact time with the actual bleach chemicals are reduced. 

Therefore heat is often applied to speed the chemical reaction.  The heat may be moist heat applied by use of a steamer or dry heat through the use of infra-red lamps. 

Steal Laura's Hair Style

To recreate Laura's style you must start with a precision cut hairstyle. Since hairdressers are very visual, take a few photos of Laura's current asymmetrical cut to your hairstylist.  Be sure to bring photos of the hairstyle from all views.

Be prepared to discuss the pros and cons of adopting such a dramatic style with your hair pro.  It's possible that your hair type, texture and/or strand condition may not be ideal for this style.  You may also need to consider whether the hairstyle would be appropriate for your face shape and type.

If you and your stylist agree to recreate Laura's hairstyle on your own tresses, expect your stylist to carve 2" to 3" long layers along the crown, sides and front that are razored or cut with the point cut scissor method to ensure smooth edges that flow together.

Start With Your Natural Texture

Laura Harris
Women's Murder Club
ABC
2007

The type of hair texture you possess determines the type of  tools and techniques you should utilize to style Laura's sleek hairstyle.

If you adopt Laura's white lightening bleached hair color, you will need to baby your newly fragile hair. 

Start with the very best hair care products and tools for turning chemically processed hair into a sleek cap:

1.  Shampoo strands in lukewarm water with Moisture enhancing shampoo and rinse out conditioners.

2.  Apply moisture enhancing leave-in conditioners.

3.  Employ Frizz fighting products if your hair has a tendency to frizz.

Laura Harris
Women's Murder Club
ABC
2007

4.  For a mane that's soft to the touch, work a hair softening hair cream through damp strands to create smoothness. 

Use products with a cream or silicone base.  Avoid hair styling products like gel, wax or styling mud that hardens the hair. 

5.  Give thin, fine hair an instant volume boost by skillfully wielding your blow dryer.

Blow dry the right side of the hair to the left side and the left side to the right.  Dry the back of the hair to the front and front to the back.  Use either a paddle style brush for a sleek finish or a round brush for volume and curve.

Note:  Changing the direction of blow-drying creates volume directly at the roots.

6.  If you prefer a tousled look to a sleek one, finger pick your strands while air-drying for a messy look.

7.  Finish either style with a spritz of shine building serum to help lock in moisture, add shine and block humidity.

8.  If you wish to build in some texture, set damp strands in pin curls or finger waves and sit under a hood style dryer or air dry.

When styled for full effect, a section along top of the crown is lifted with hairspray to form spikes.  For a softer look, layers can be styled down and tousled for texture.

Summary

Laura Harris
Women's Murder Club
ABC
2007

The Asymmetrical style that Laura Harris sports for her new role as the quirky Assistant District Attorney, Jill Barnhart, is slightly wild and definitely borderline naughty. 

The beauty of Laura's hairstyle is that it is truly one-of-a-kind which is the signature of the asymmetrical cuts that came into prominence in the 1980s. 

Laura goes with one long side sweep of hair and heavy razoring along the opposite side and in the back.  Her ends are cut bluntly instead of jagged which gives her a more professional slant to her quirky style.  There is never a right or wrong way to wear an asymmetrical style.

The stark platinum color is used to skillfully emphasize Laura's edgy style.  Asymmetrical hairstyles have been around since the mid 80s.

There are no right or wrong ways to wear a funky Asymmetrical hairstyle. Your imagination is the only limit as to what you can create with a haircut like this.

Numerous people find that an Asymmetrical haircut gives them the chance to play with style in ways that they never imagined possible.

An asymmetric hair style is always longer on one side than the other or longer in the front than in the back.

Asymmetrical hairstyles have become popular with celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Rhianna. Kellis and Pink.  Jenny McCarthy wears a modified version. It displays a glamorous rockstar feel.

Original Publication Date: 10/01/2007 - Revised Date:  12/13/11

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