In this American Salon exclusive, hair design takes flight with the help of the Sebastian Professional What’s Next Awards winners.
Photography by ALBERT SANCHEZ
Daniel Lozada and Rachel Carr were still savoring their wins at Sebastian Professional’s What’s Next Awards in April when the duo arrived at Studio 1342 in Los Angeles to collect one of their grand prizes: a photo shoot with American Salon. “It was my life-long goal to have my work published,” Carr says. “I’m thankful I’m getting to accomplish it so early in my career.” To get the hair just right, Lozada, who hails from Beyond Salon in Condado in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Carr, a stylist at Pittsburgh’s Salon Vivace, put their own special spin on Sebastian’s Urban Explorers collection, which showcases metropolitan hot-spots Berlin, San Francisco, São Paulo and Shanghai. “The architectural designs we created combine different textures and shapes,” Lozada says. “They’re every bit as dramatic as the cities of style that they represent.”
IMAGE BELOW: To create this look inspired by San Francisco, Carr used three irons and Shine Define on the hair, then knotted it on one side before pinning it into place. Whipped Crème was applied to tame locks. Dress: Rachael Cassar; cuffs: Pluma
IMAGE BELOW: Rachel Carr created this Berlin-inspired look by pulling up the sides and rolling them into loose knots. She used the Sebastian Professional Micro Crimper and Shine Define to texturize the top before finger-combing strands into place and misting them with Shaper Zero Gravity.
Body suit: Maria Lucia Hohan; metal harness: Anaikka
IMAGE BELOW: For this San Francisco-inspired look, Carr blow-dried the hair with Potion 9 Lite and Trilliant before mixing a cocktail of Microweb Fiber and Shine Crafter Wax, applying it to strands. After braiding a small section that she pulled across the forehead and pinned, she used three different sized irons and Shine Define to achieve erratic, soft texture. Dress: Anthony Franco; overlay: Rachael Cassar; rings: Baccarat
IMAGE BELOW: Daniel Lozada crafted his take on São Paulo with Shaper Plus and a Micro Crimper. He created multiple braids in the crown area before plaiting the sides and puckering them for volume. Shaper Fierce was used to finish the style. Dress: Anthony Franco; necklace and cuffs: Amrapali
IMAGE BELOW: To achieve this take on Berlin, Carr created a knot above the left eye, bringing it forward. She gathered the rest of the hair and knotted it behind the right ear, then separated strands with Microweb Fiber. Dress: Thomas Wylde; ring: Baccarat
IMAGE BELOW: Drawing inspiration from Shanghai, Lozada used Shine Define and a Micro Crimper on the top U-shaped section of the hair before applying Shine Crafter and braiding the sides. He then inserted a wire in the plaits, shaping and positioning them before back-brushing the top section and forming an elevated shape. Top and pants: Jizell Keseian; cuffs: Karine Sultan