There is Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Kate Hudson... Celebrity hairstylist David Babaii s roster of clients is essentially a who s who of top actresses. "They say David, you re the bad boyfriend in Hollywood, " he laughs. " You make us fall in love with you and then you re never available. "
And despite traveling across the globe as one of the most in-demand stylists, Babaii has managed to spend the last three years meticulously developing his new plant-based haircare line n:p beautiful—with an added commitment to do good. And with the call for eco-friendly, socially conscious beauty brands reaching a crescendo, it couldn t arrive at a better time.
Launching with three styling tools and 10 products, which range from deeply-nourishing shampoo and conditioners to volumizing styling sprays, the line boasts cutting-edge, plant stem-cell technology and exotic, ethically-sourced ingredients, such as scalp-rejuvenating royal jelly and conditioning lotus flower extract, from the Amazon. "I went to the locations—planes, boats, trains, a donkey—to be sure it was helping the communities," says Babaii of his travels in the world s largest tropical rainforest. "I didn t want anyone [calling] bullshit. I wanted it to be sustainable [with great] ingredients." And in supporting the causes closest to his heart, 10% of the net proceeds will benefit both the Pediatric Cancer Research and Animal Welfare foundations.
With a coterie of famous women behind him and a slew of other high profile supporters—the brand s debut campaign was lensed by Babaii s longtime friend and collaborator Peter Lindbergh in Paris—n:p beautiful s offerings are bound to make their way into pro kits and personal vanities alike. And from the secret weapon behind Jolie s va-va-voom volume to the flat iron that practically does all the work for you, here Babaii reveals his three standout favorites.
The Volumizing Spray
"There s a level of volumizing that happens right before it gets sticky that s the perfect amount for big, thick hair," he says. "Angelina [Jolie] loves this product because she has flat, fine hair and she loves big hair. She was my guinea pig."
n:p beautiful Volumizing Spray, $31, npbeautiful.com.
The Miracle Serum
"It s unbelievable for someone like Uma [Thurman], who has thinner hair, all the way to Sandra Bullock, who has tons of thick hair," says Babaii. "In both cases, [it] instantly absorbs and takes you back to virgin hair."
n:p beautiful Miracle Serum, $45, npbeautiful.com.
The Flat Iron
"Ergonomically the tip fits the finger so well, and the vibrating technology [has] a pulse that shuffles the hair so you have a straight swipe—one pass," he says. "[It] heats up in 30 seconds and doesn t strip or burn hair. [Notch] 400 is the sweet spot and heat limit I set for this iron because I ve seen what happens when people have a higher setting...."
n:p beautiful Flat Iron, $249, npbeautiful.com.
