The Exact Hair Products She Used

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While most of our eyeballs were on the Met Gala attendees’ outfits, hair and makeup also played an important part of the event. The theme, “Costume Art,” and dress code, “Fashion Is Art” was one of the most playful, interpret-it-any-way-you-wanna, iterations of the annual event. Case in point, Angela Bassett, whose look was inspired by “Girl in the Pink Dress” by Laura Wheeler Waring, a flapper girl-era painting.

Bassett’s hair featured a similar 20s-style wave, though instead of a flapper girl bob, the actress chose to wear her hair long. The secret to her flawless look was under-the-radar, curly girl-friendly haircare brand NAVY. Use the code Stylecaster for 30% off your purchase until May 31!

Her hairstylist, Randy Stodghill, first washed Bassett’s hair with NAVY Search and Rescue Shampoo, and used the accompanying conditioner to add hydration and keep the strands soft.

Formula stand-outs: biotin, vitamins A, C, and E, and rosemary oil. Free from SLS, sodium chloride, and parabens

Her hair still damp, the stylist then applied the Aquarian Universal Styling Cream and Celestia Halo Curl Gel to give her curls definition.

NAVY Aquarian Universal Styling Cream

Formula stand-outs: pea peptide, rice protein, shea butter, and coconut oil

NAVY Celestia Halo Curl Gel

Formula stand-outs: Water-based, adds dimension and hold without stickiness, flakes, or stiffness.

The next step was adding the Swell Thickening Cream to add dimension and volume, and then the Whirlpool Styling Foam which helped retain the shape of Bassett’s style, which was imperative given the length of her hair (longer hair falls flat a lot faster, especially during long nights like the Met).

NAVY Swell Thickening Cream

Formula stand-outs: Pro vitamin B5 and sunflower seed extract

Whirlpool Argan Oil and Green Tea Powered Styling Foam

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Formula stand-outs: argan oil, green tea, and aloe

Any gorgeous ‘do needs to be set with a setting or texturing spray to keep its shape, and Stodghill used the NAVY Dry Texture Spray to simultaneously give it more movement and keep it in place (this seems like a contradiction, but it’s basically controlled hair movement).

Formula stand-outs: sunflower seed oil

While styling your hair for the Met Gala may not be in the cards for you (although you never know!), I personally love learning about the tried-and-true haircare products stylists use to prep their famous clients’ hair for events like this. After all, their hair has to be immaculate for hours—it has to quite literally look like art.

About the Author

Gina Vaynshteyn is the Associate Vice President of Commerce at StyleCaster and SheKnows, which means she hunts all the best deals day in and day out. Gina’s worked in women’s media for over a decade, running sites like HelloGiggles and then running shopping at sites like Scary Mommy and Well+Good. She’s also written for Glamour, People, and Apartment Therapy. Gina has interviewed hundreds of stylists, makeup artists, dermatologists, and other experts in order to get her beauty recommendations down to a science. She would never recommend something she wouldn’t buy herself.