Slicked Back Hair Made Its Way From Fashion Week To The SAG Awards Red Carpet

You’d think that for a red carpet as glamorous as the 28th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, the stars would pull up with the most extravagant glam — glitzy embellished nails, dramatic yet polished makeup, and long voluminous hairstyles. While some stars did pull out all the stops, others kept their looks simple and understated, once again proving true the minimalist mantra that less is more. Three stars in particular, HoYeon Jung, Rosario Dawson, and Selena Gomez graced the red carpet in slicked back hair updos that look as sleek and elegant as they are easy to create.

The Rare beauty founder opted for a glossy slicked back bun with a middle part, which was fitting since the runways and streets of New York, London, and Milan all saw various iterations of slicked back hair, cementing the style as a top trend for the upcoming season. Of course, it’s no surprise that the actor would be on trend given that she is often the trendsetter herself. Squid Game actor HoYeon Jung, (who is nominated for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for her role in the Netflix series) went the route of a sleek braided ponytail, which also made rounds this season during fashion week.

Dawson went the edgy route, with a slicked top knot, that showed off her cool undercut. Celebrity hairstylist Aviva Perea was behind Dawson’s hairstyle, which was really created to let her gown have its moment. “With Rosario’s gorgeous off-the-shoulder gown, I knew I wanted to create an updo to accentuate her long neck and glowing skin. We decided on a sleek, shiny, edgy top knot to complete her look,” Perea says in a press release.

Perea explains that the key to a sleek style like this one is prepping the hair to make sure it has a strong shine, which means lots of hydration and moisturization. The process started in the shower with Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Joia Strengthening + Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner.

Next while Dawson’s hair was wet, Perea applied a generous amount of the Brazilian Glossy Nourishing Hair Oil which works as a heat protection and fights frizz. Then using a round brush she blew out the hair and followed with a flat iron to make the hair super sleek.

While gathering hair into a ponytail before assembling into the top knot, Perea applied another generous dose of the Hair Oil for added shine and extra frizz control.

“[I] finish the look with hairspray to lock the bun in place, and don’t forget to treat hair with a moisturizing mask, like the Triple Brazilian Butter Hair Repair Treatment, to revive and repair strands from all the blow drying and heat styling the next day,” Pera warns.

Both Gomez and Jung’s hairstyles have a common thread (literally) — they’re tied up in an ever-so-pretty bow, for an added touch of prep.

The glossiness alone of the bun would’ve made this hairstyle a moment, but the addition of the silver snake necklace, silver earrings, and the dramatic puffy sleeves on this Oscar de la Renta gown take this look from great to stunning. If you glance too quickly you’ll miss the black ribbon tied around Gomez’s bun, but the subtle detail adds a great deal of pomp to her overall ensemble — it screams very rich heiress or impossibly elegant royal.

“We didn’t want the hair to distract in any way and opted for a clean, classic bun which also flatters Selena’s face so well. Her stylist had a Chanel bow that was the cherry on top,” Gomez’s stylist Marissa Marino tells TZR.

Marino teamed up with Tangle Teezer to achieve this look, and you’ll be shocked how easy it is to pull together. After blow drying the hair straight, Marino used the Ultimate Finisher from Tangle Teezer to pull the hair into a smooth, bump free bun. “It’s so effortlessly separates hair that may be clumped together to create a flawless bun,” Marino says about the product.

While Gomez’s look has a bit of an old money feel to it, Jung’s airs on the preppy millennial side (think: the OG Gossip Girl). Rather than wrapped tightly in a bun, Jun’s slicked back middle part gathers into a tightly plaited ponytail wrapped at the end in a embellished black ribbon of the same fabric as her square neck Louis Vuitton gown. The beauty of this look really lies in its simplicity, and as a matter of fact, it’s quite easy to pull this hairstyle together. Jenny Cho, the hairstylist behind Jung’s look, shared the step-by-step routine she used to get the actor red carpet ready.

This collab between Cho and Jung was deeper than just getting ready for another red carpet as the inspiration behind the look held culture significance and ties to both women’s Korean heritage.

“I learned about the inspiration behind HoYeon’s dress from Louis Vuitton that showcased the traditional Korean embroidery work to the traditional hair tie (daenggi),” Cho explains in a press release. “The dress was so on point in how familiar it was to the motherland of Korea yet how modern and cool it felt. I can’t hide the fact that I was very emotional about how I got to be the one to style her hair into a modern version of the sleek traditional Korean braids and to put the daenggi into HoYeon’s hair. It was sincerely one of the most special glam moments to remember.”

Cho used all Sisley-Paris products to achieve the look, starting with the the Hair Rituel by Sisley-Paris La Crème 230 which she combed through Jung’s hair from the mid-lengths to the ends, using a wide tooth comb. “The cream protects the hair from the heat up to 450°F to prevent damage to the strands,” says Cho.

To create a sleek blow out, she used the Hair Rituel by Sisley-Paris Volumizing Spray as a texturizing spray for added control of the hair. She then blow dried the hair with the GHD helios professional hair dryer and the GHD Oval Dressing Brush to straighten Jung’s natural, wavy hair as close to the head as possible and towards the nape area. “To make it even more sleek, I flat ironed the hair by using the GHD platinum styler,” Cho explains.

The stylist then made a center part using a rattail comb and applied four pumps of the Hair Rituel by Sisley-Paris Precious Hair Care Oil to add shine as she pulled the hair back and brushed as much as possible to create a clean and sleek ponytail, which she then fashioned into a three-strand braid.

“To keep the braid looking glossy and shiny, I used the GHD narrow dressing brush around the front [of her hair] and I applied more of the Hair Rituel by Sisley-Paris Precious Hair Care Oil before I beginning the three strand braids,” says Cho.

Once the braids were in a good place, she secured them with an elastic band and added the beautiful Korean tie that LV made to pair with her dress to the end of the braid, wrapping it around so it falls like skirt of a ballgown.

The result is a hairstyle that is sophisticated enough to wear on a star-studded red carpet, but easy enough to pull together on a random weekday, or weekend night out.

Below see all the tools you’ll need to recreate this preppy chic braided ponytail — no red carpet or professional hairstylist necessary.

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