Snippets from a star stylist

Lifestyle channel TLC this week launched its first hairstyling and makeover series, Be Blunt , with celebrity hairstylist Adhuna Akhtar. Apart from a dream makeover, participants get to meet Bollywood stars in their new transformed look. Wife of actor-director Farhan Akhtar, Adhuna is excited about working on an Indian show that is hair-centric. The series is a great way of presenting changing hair trends in the country, she says. From working mostly behind the scenes for films, ad films, weddings and photo-shoots, the TLC show has brought Adhuna and her brother Osh Bhabani in front of the camera, showcasing their craft.

“A new challenge and big responsibility! That’s how we looked at the show... and it’s very pertinent to the kind of work we do... we were only too happy to present it,” says Adhuna.

The six participants were finalised through a selection process and each was unique to work with, she adds. The choice of cut, colour and style depended on individual lifestyle, the time they could spend on their hair, their bone structure, body proportion, the nature and texture of hair, eye colour, and what they liked and disliked about their hair.

“The programme also shows a day in the life of a hairdresser. We dealt with a lot of questions about hair and its care and styling during the shoot. Hair grows just half-an-inch per month, so if you want a well-groomed look 365 days a year, get it trimmed after six to eight weeks,” says Adhuna. In the show, she dispels some of the myths associated with hair and shares tips.

While Indians still prefer long hair, this is not peculiar to our country. “I look at hair wherever I go, and women in Portugal and other parts of the world also prefer long hair. It’s important to respect the need for long hair, but I enjoy cutting hair short and like to wear my own hair short. Some women are nervous or even sceptical about cutting their hair short,” says the stylist, who dons a short casual haircut. She even shaved her head once to find out what it felt like. “Liberating” is her verdict!

Hair, she says, is like a miracle fibre to work with. “It’s like cloth and how a tailor would cut it, there is a science and technique to it. Each haircut is unique,” she says. But it is the stylist who adds the final touch. Her personal favourite is Victoria Beckham’s hairstyle and of course that of husband Farhan!

The self-taught stylist loves to experiment too, and take things to the next level.

A mother of two daughters, she finds herself juggling work and home. “But I have a good support system. I don’t have to spend much time on the salon floor, it’s more management of activities. I orient my time around my children’s schedule.”

And what is Mum’s word on their hairstyle? “One of my daughters has silky, shiny hair and the other has curls. While I do cut their hair, I never shaved their heads as I decided to let nature take its course,” she says.

The current trend is androgynous and her personal style reflects this.

But who cuts her hair? “I have a fantastic team and I can just go to anyone and get it done.

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