Q&A With Dove Celebrity Hair Stylist Mark Townsend

Dove Celebrity Hair Stylist, Mark Townsend, has been giving us plenty of advise on how to get beautiful, healthy hair for the summer, and now it’s time to get personal. From his favorite trends & inspirations to celebrity clientele, check out the below Q&A with Mark for all the scoop!

1. What is the one Dove hair product you cannot live without?

I love the Dove® Refresh+Care™ Invigorating Dry Shampoo because it is so lightweight; I don’t have to worry about weighing my clients’ hair down when using the product. Also, it smells incredible! The formula contains the same fragrance notes as Dove shampoos and conditioners, so it gives hair a freshly washed scent when hair is in need of a little refreshing.

2. What is your favorite Dove product this season?

My summer hair cure to reduce frizz on my clients is definitely the Dove® Style+Care™ Frizz-Free Shine Cream-Serum. I’m beyond obsessed with this product. It gives you the nourishment of a cream to help with dry summer air while also providing the shine and frizz-fighting properties of a serum – all in one bottle! I put a small amount in my hands, rub them together and rake the product through the hair.

3. What is your favorite hairstyle trend right now?

Full hair with a lot of volume and bouncy waves.

4. What are your two hairstyling tips for this summer?

A fast way to instantly improve the condition of your summer locks is to use Dove® Style+Care™ Nourishing Dry Ends Serum on ends to smooth out roughness and dryness. I like to call it a “hair cut in a bottle” because it keeps ends fresh between cuts and delivers just enough piece-y-ness without being greasy for a simple summer style. If you’re looking to beat the heat by putting hair up and off your shoulders this summer, spray hair pins with Dove® Refresh+Care™ Invigorating Dry Shampoo before pinning it up. This creates a good kind of friction that really locks those pins in place and keeps them from coming loose or, even worse, slipping out while you’re on the go.

5. What do you recommend for keeping hair looking fresh when it comes to humidity?

I believe that frizz-free hair starts in the shower. I have seen such a dramatic difference in my clients’ hair since I started recommending Dove® Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo and Conditioner; It really nourishes the hair from the inside, leaving the hair super smooth.

6. What must your pre-styling routine always include?

Healthy, beautiful, shiny hair starts in the shower so make sure to use the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type and level of damage (go to dovehair.com to find the right one for you). I also always use Dove® Style+Care™ Thermal Replenishment Spray on the hair before using a flat iron or curling iron to keep from damaging the hair.

7. Do you have any wacky beauty/hair tricks?

My favorite styling trick is to spray hairspray on a natural bristle toothbrush and then gently tame flyaways with it. This way you can make little touch ups throughout the day without wrecking your entire hairstyle. I also spray hairspray on disposable mascara wands and use them to smooth any loose hairs when I create an updo or ponytail.

8. Is there a certain time period you look to for inspiration?

I find inspiration everywhere! I am definitely drawn to the styles and shapes of the 1930s and 1940s and I like to try and recreate those styles in a modern way.

9. Is there a style icon you look to for inspiration?

I don’t think you could find a hairstylist on earth that hasn’t been inspired by Brigette Bardot and the incredible hairstyles she has worn. I also really get inspired by my clients Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. They have the most amazing style and they have been starting fashion and hair trends since they were teenagers. I always say that everything I know about hair texture, I learned from them.

10. Is there a city that inspires you in terms of hairstyle and beauty?

My favorite cities that inspire me are Paris and Tokyo and they couldn’t be more different. I love the casual chicness of Parisian women and the confidence they have in their style; the way they can throw on jeans, boots, a tank top and a great vintage jacket that shows off their perfectly undone chignons and bobs. I also love seeing the teenagers in Tokyo and their incredible individual style and how far they can take a trend. It is so incredible to see these young women with so many different colors in their hair and their fun hairstyles. The zippers on my luggage are usually on the brink of busting when I get back from either of these cities because I stuff my bags full of different kinds of hair pins and brushes.

11. Do you have any advice for girls who want to incorporate braids into their look?

Braids are huge right now! I really like to make a few small braids in the hair before pulling the hair into an updo because it gives really great detail and texture to a chignon.

12. Which celebs have you enjoyed working with?

I have to admit that I am one lucky and very happy hair stylist because I love the incredibly talented and beautiful ladies I get to work with. 10 years with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen has been so amazing and inspiring. I recently started working with the fabulous Christina Aguilera and she opened up a well of inspiration that I didn’t know existed before; she pushes me to be as creative as I can possibly be and that is such a joy for me. My client and good friend Minka Kelly is a ray of sunshine that I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with for many years (and she has the best head of hair I have ever worked with). She is one of the most beautiful women on the planet and that is because her inner beauty shines through. I could write an entire book filled with how much I love working with Jennifer Lawrence. She is so unbelievably talented and just breathtakingly gorgeous; she is the most down-to-earth, fun person to be around. Styling Jennifer’s hair for The Academy Awards and for “The Hunger Games” premiere in Los Angeles are two of the biggest highlights of my career.

13. You style Jennifer Lawrence’s hair. Are you a fan of the Hunger Games?

I am the biggest Hunger Games fan! When Jennifer got the part of Katniss, I might have been more excited than she was (actually that is not possible)! While I was reading the book, I kept thinking about what I would do if I was the hairstylist on Katniss’ prep team and how I would style her hair for her events. Then I found myself basically in that position when I was styling Jennifer’s hair for the Los Angeles movie premiere because we got Jennifer ready in a hotel room just above where the premiere was happening and we could hear the fans downstairs screaming and there were giant TV screens everywhere showing the stars as they arrived on the red carpet.

Our Beauty and The Beach series highlights the biggest trends and beach-perfect looks for summer. For more information on our relationship with Dove® Style+Care™: cmp.ly/3