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Isabella Briggs is the breakout star of the lovestruck cultural phenomenon The Summer I Turned Pretty, playing the sharp-witted and ambitious Denise Russo. While her emotional, delicately layered turn as the straight-shooting senior associate—and similarly expressive roles in Fatal Attraction and Sugar—have won her critical attention, there’s also the question of her brilliant, bouncy curls.
Briggs has 3A hair: loose, springy, spiral S-shaped curls that have fine to medium texture. “I had a complex relationship with my hair growing up, due to the limited visibility of curly hair in the media and the lack of styling products during that time,” Briggs says. “I used to straighten my hair a lot in middle and high school. It wasn’t until the end of high school and the beginning of college that I finally started wearing my natural hair. I’m happy I did.”
“When it comes to acting, I usually like to keep my hair natural unless I really feel that the character would straighten or blow her hair out,” says Briggs. A key visual detail of The Summer I Turned Pretty is that it uses hairstyles as a “signifier of character growth,” and the emotional journey we see Denise embark on.
“To some people, hair is just hair, but to me, my curls are an extension of my personality and a reflection of my heritage,” adds Briggs. And while she’ll still straighten her hair from time to time, “I personally think my curls are my best accessory!”
Briggs’s wash cycle—using shampoo and conditioner—is every four to five days. And if she’s on set, that becomes every three to four days because of all the product used.
“I’ve tried multiple different methods for styling my hair: the bowl method, finger curling, brush styling, and to be honest, I’m still figuring out what works best,” she says. Her routine now sees her work about a nickel-size amount of cream and a nickel-size amount of gel into very wet hair: “I only use a small amount of product, because my hair is so fine. If I use any more, it’ll weigh it down and make it look greasy.” After that, she’ll either section her hair off and brush style it (gently brushing through the hair to separate the strands and spread the products evenly, so it curls properly), or she’ll just comb through her hair all at once, scrunch it, and very gently separate the curls with her fingers.
“If my hair is still dripping wet at this point, I’ll use a microfiber cloth to gently squeeze the excess water out. Then I diffuse my hair, using gravity to my advantage,” she says. Hanging your head upside down gets the maximum amount of volume.
“I also always dry my roots first, so that they’re not weighed down by the rest of my hair, then I dry the rest,” she continues. After her hair is dry, she goes in with a volumizing powder and an oil. “If I see any curls that aren’t behaving, I’ll go back in, wet the strands, finger curl them, quickly diffuse again, and that’s it!” Washing, styling, and drying takes around an hour, while a simpler rewet and restyle takes 45 minutes.
Her greatest tips? At night, wrap your hair in silk or satin or use a silk pillowcase. “Be very gentle with curly hair when wet,” she also advises. “You don’t want to shake it or scrunch too much. That can ruin the curl pattern. And always apply leave-in products on very wet hair. That will help the absorption and create a better look.”
Her go-to products right now include Cécred Clarifying Shampoo, which she uses every eight to 10 days, and Briogeo Curl Charisma Shampoo and Conditioner for her more regular wash days. “Using a curl shampoo and conditioner was a real game changer for me,” says Briggs. “I noticed such a difference in definition and volume.” She also swears by Briogeo Curl Charisma Defining Cream and its Frizz Control Gel, using them in that order. Her favorite hair dryer for diffusing is Pattern’s hair dryer. And to finish things off, she applies OSiS+ Dust It on her roots for a bit of volume and a scrunch with the Bread Hair Oil on the rest of her hair.
“I do notice that my hair enjoys variety after a while,” she adds. “So every few months, I may try a different styling technique or different products; doing that helps keep my hair fresh.” Right now, her preference is wearing those big dynamic curls down. “And I’m not a hater of a bit of frizz!” she says. “In fact, I think it adds to the look.” If she’s feeling lazy, she relies on a slick-back with no parting.
But it’s not all been smooth sailing to get such a set of sleek curls, and Briggs has been on a years-long journey to get to know her hair, what it likes, and the haircut that works best. It’s only in the past few years that she’s even begun to wrap her hair when going to bed—a routine that’s shaved time off of her daily restyling and given her hair more protection. It’s been through watching YouTube and TikTok videos that she’s augmented her own routine, when she couldn’t find the help or advice elsewhere.
“I’m so happy that there are so many people on the internet nowadays who show their curly-hair routines and how to care for curls,” says Briggs. “That’s something that would’ve meant a lot to me growing up.”
