Welcome to Present the Receipts, a collection the place we ask business insiders to interrupt down precisely how a lot it prices to get issues accomplished. From begin to end, we observe each final greenback. Up subsequent: what it takes to get a celeb’s hair Oscars-ready.
Hollywood’s largest evening means all of us turn into magnificence critics prepared to evaluate A-listers’ appears to be like from our sweats within the consolation of our dwelling rooms. When our favourite celebrity hits the Oscars red carpet with completely coiffed waves or a slicked-back bun, it’s straightforward to imagine their look got here collectively effortlessly. Nonetheless, behind the scenes, groups of stylists prep for this event months upfront and funds for it even longer. For superstar hairstylist Jerrod Roberts, who styled Hannah Einbinder for the “Self-importance Truthful” Oscars After Occasion, the prep is something however easy. “Oscars bookings occur not less than a month upfront. . . individuals don’t at all times understand how a lot goes into styling hair for the Oscars,” says Roberts. “From the instruments to the extensions, the prices add up quick.”
Among the largest hidden bills embrace specialised hair pins and bungees solely obtainable in Paris and an in depth assortment of high-end irons, brushes, and rollers. For an occasion just like the Oscars, restocking hero merchandise and buying any mandatory hairpieces is crucial. “I at all times replace my package earlier than awards season,” Roberts says. “Whether or not it’s new merchandise, further extensions, or customized equipment, I wish to be ready for something.” Typically, magnificence manufacturers ship him merchandise to check on shoppers, however lots of the high-quality instruments he makes use of – like Mason Pearson brushes and specialised spherical brushes – are private investments.
Surprises are inevitable when working an occasion as high-profile because the Oscars. “One time, a shopper determined last-minute that they wished a short-hair second however couldn’t truly lower their hair for a venture,” Roberts says. “I had to purchase a wig for over $700 and elegance it the evening earlier than.” Prices add up rapidly, from restocking high-end merchandise to investing in customized hairpieces, right here’s what it actually takes – and prices – to create a picture-perfect Oscars look.
Right here’s the complete value breakdown.
Process: Styling Hair for the Oscars
Job: Celeb hairstylist
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Timeline: 1 month
The Receipts
Styling Charges & Necessities: $1,000 – $3,000 per shopper
Hair Extensions & Equipment: $800 – $2,000
Specialised Instruments & Upkeep: $6,125 (instruments, french pins, full package repairs)
Restocking & Customized Items: $1,350 – $2,150 (merchandise, pretend fringes, ponytails, customized wig)
Brushes & Fundamentals: $350 (Mason Pearson brush + spherical brush)
Complete Estimated Value: $9,625 – $13,625 (varies by shopper/occasion wants)
How I Did It
PS: Are you able to stroll us by way of the entire value of doing hair for a celeb on the Oscars? From journey to merchandise, what goes into it?
Jerrod Roberts: For sure crimson carpet occasions, the price can vary from $1,000 to $3,000. If I want to purchase extensions ($600-$1,000) or hair equipment ($200-$1,000), I often cowl these bills myself. I’m lucky to now stay in LA, however after I was primarily based in NYC, I needed to buy my aircraft tickets and pay for my lodge when popping out for the Oscars.
PS: What are among the largest bills that folks won’t understand include styling an A-lister for a significant occasion just like the Oscars?
JR: The largest bills are instruments, pins, and hair extensions. I’ve a set of irons, starting from very small to very giant, which value a whole lot of {dollars} ($800). I additionally use specialised hair pins and bungees that may solely be present in France, so I restock each time I’m in Paris. My full hair package, which incorporates extensions and ponytails in each shade from blond to black, prices upwards of $5,000 – plus priceless units of sizzling rollers I’ve collected through the years which are not made.
PS: What’s an expense that’s completely well worth the splurge when prepping for an award present?
JR: Brushes. I solely use boar bristle hairbrushes, and my Mason Pearson brush prices $250. Every of my spherical brushes is priced between $75 and $100.
PS: How do you financially put together for the Oscars? Is it one thing you funds for months upfront?
JR: I plan for the cash going into awards season earlier than it occurs. At this level in my profession, I really feel like I’ve bought most of what I want for an awards season, however I at all times plan on shopping for further hair or equipment for shoppers.
PS: What budgeting recommendation would you give aspiring hairstylists wanting to interrupt into styling celebrities for the Oscars?
JR: Study to save lots of your cash and construct your package up over time. The character of working as a celeb hairdresser is that your cash is at all times in flux. I’ve discovered to save lots of my cash after I receives a commission for greater jobs and preserve it for after I want it for slower intervals or surprising bills. I began constructing my package after I was an assistant. I’d purchase just a few issues right here and there, and ultimately, I had a good styling package. As I grew to become extra profitable, I began to improve the varied elements of my package, like my brushes, or add to my iron assortment.
Additionally, don’t put all of your eggs in a single basket. Attempt to diversify the best way you make your cash. Whether or not social media, reducing hair in a salon, or working with product manufacturers/training, having multiple method to get earnings will prevent. The final 5 years hit the superstar hairdresser business arduous. We had COVID and back-to-back strikes, which halted productions and red-carpet occasions, and many people have been pressured to seek out different methods to maintain the cash coming in.
Ultimate Ideas
From customized wigs to top-tier instruments, the worth of making a flawless Oscars look is something however small. However in an business the place popularity is all the things, the funding isn’t nearly one evening – it’s about staying on the high of the sport. Styling a celeb for the Oscars is as a lot an funding as it’s an artwork. The prices add up rapidly, however there’s no reducing corners in an business the place each element issues. For a lot of stylists, the payoff isn’t simply within the paycheck – it’s in seeing their work on one of many most-watched crimson carpets on the planet. And when the cameras flash and the look goes viral, the expense seems like simply one other a part of the job.
Jasmine Desiree is a Los Angeles-based author and editor who covers all the things from magnificence and wellness to inside design. She loves reporting on individuals, locations, and traits which are revolutionary and influential to the tradition.
