Suki Waterhouse knows boho hair. The model and actress has a signature style that just works, defined by a breezy texture and curtain bangs that countless women have attempted to emulate. So, exactly how does she ensure her hair always looks so effortlessly tousled and… well, cool?
Suki reveals her hair secrets to Vogue, below.
What’s the secret to your signature haircut?
My whole hair life has always revolved around bangs, a lot of teasing, and that ’60s hairdo. From the very first moment that I started going out and doing my hair, that [style] appealed to me so much. I’ve sometimes left it behind, and I’ve definitely had better fringe haircuts in different periods (and some very disastrous ones)—but I think that the shaggy fringe haircut has probably been my hero haircut, and it’s the one I’ve got at the moment!
Who are your fabulous hair icons?
I was always looking at Sam Haskins’s images, as well as Bardot haircuts. Plus Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, and Pattie Boyd—the kind of hair that they had, that’s my aspirational hair. I would love to be running around all the time with a perfect ’60s coiffed hairstyle. I can also be quite chaotic, and days when I am almost allergic to a hairbrush (because I can’t find one) have played a part in my effortless, shaggy look.
Would you ever change up your hair inspiration?
Two weeks ago, I went to my boyfriend’s premiere [Robert Pattinson, for Die My Love] and it was honestly one of the first times I’ve ever put my hair up! Someone told me a long time ago that I didn’t—I’m getting deep now—look pretty with my hair up, and it really stuck with me.
I had this big, kind of emotional hair moment where I decided that it would look really good with the dress, and everyone was like, “Come on, you can do it!” And I was like, “What if it’s awful?” In the end, I really enjoyed having my hair up. So I do feel like there’s a new, slightly more modern, sleek [style] coming my way, and I’m quite excited for it!
What are your non-negotiables when it comes to styling?
I read this in a Lucinda Williams biography and started implementing it in my own life: “Don’t wash your hair [before having it styled] and let it just be really flat and straight.”
I also want someone that I trust to do my hair. I have my angels in London, New York, and LA. I’m actually getting my hair done right now! I’ve got Linnéa doing my hair, and she’s the best.
Where do you like to go for a haircut, and what do you ask for when you’re in the salon chair?
When it comes to my favorite salons, it’s all about building that trust. I really love my friend Georgia May [Jagger’s] salon in London called Bleach. They also have a salon in LA now. Georgia is one of my hair icons, and she’s always got different colors and cuts going on. It always looks healthy and just generally amazing. I also really love The Hair Bros, who are so trusted by me and fabulous.
The cut that I’ve got now is a blunt ’60s cut. I did a small role in the Marianne Faithfull documentary recently… I just thought, “I can’t do it without having her haircut.” I’ve really enjoyed it!
With my color, I make sure that it’s not done in a way that means if it grows out, I’m going to be in trouble—so I keep a darker root. We don’t do balayage either; we do very fine highlights. I keep it pretty low-maintenance—I find it so difficult to regularly get my hair done due to time constraints, so these elements are really important.
Have you made any terrible hairstyling mistakes?
Yes, for sure! There’s a crazy picture of me, from when I went to the Evening Standard [Theatre] Awards one year—I really shouldn’t even be saying it because I don’t want anyone to Google it—I have these two sort of, like, balls on my head… I don’t even know what they are! I tried to do something a bit different. It was just really bad.
Then, another time, I was playing Kitty Bennet and I went brunette. They wanted me to have a bunch of extensions, and I was told by the hairdresser, “Do not touch these, I’m going to cut them properly tomorrow.” I sort of had a meltdown at home and got some kitchen scissors and cut them! Then I went out afterwards, and there are some pictures of that on the internet… it looked absolutely insane.
What are your fail-safe hairstyling products?
I have to have the Authentic Beauty Concept Light Cream Mask with me. And I bring my own shampoo and conditioner everywhere – that can really make all the difference.
I’m obsessed with the Shaping Cream. Everybody I know is honestly wildly obsessed with the shaping cream. When my hair’s a little bit dirtier, and I just want to scrape it back to go and run around and do errands, I would say it’s the Solid Pomade.
Have a beauty or wellness trend you re curious about? We want to know! Send Vogue s senior beauty wellness editor an email at beauty@vogue.com.