In honor of Jane the Virgin fall finale (The CW, 9/8c), on-set stylists Michelle Rene Elam (department head hair) and Tena Parker Baker (key hair) share their backstage secrets for achieving the cast's signature hairstyles.
Gina Rodriguez / Jane by Michelle Rene Elam
Gina Rodriguez’s character Jane is very natural, busy, no fuss and full of life. She works a lot so her hair undergoes a bit of stress.
To keep it healthy and in top shape I use heat protectants, mostly White Sands Liquid Texture Firm Thermal Styling Spray and then Paul Mitchell Pro Tools Neuro Unclipped 1.25-inch Styling Cone to set her whimsical locks.
She has a copious amount of hair, so I often flat-iron the roots with my T3 Singlepass styling iron to keep it snug to her head.
Maintaining her style throughout the day requires different products, depending on the humid or dry weather, how long the workday is and how many hair changes we have.
I keep Moroccanoil Treatment and White Sands Orchids Oil close by to tame any wildness and give that extra sheen. Some days Oribe Supershine Light Moisturizing Crème is needed when her hair is extra tired.
I seal her with Aerogel Styling Spray or Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray Medium. When she wears a ponytail, I use a wooden dye brush with holding spray to tame down any strong little guys popping out.
Her hair requires very particular shampoos, so whether traveling or home she uses Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo & Seaweed Bath Co. Balancing Argan Shampoo.
Yael Groblas / Petra by Michelle Rene Elam
Yael Groblas’ character is very kept and represents money and all that it can buy. Her hair is tender but very healthy and she is a pro at keeping on top of maintaining its health.
I use Living Proof Restore Target Repair Cream on her ends, then mist her hair all over with White Sands Liquid Texture Firm Thermal Styling Spray to protect and smooth while blow-drying it using T3 Anti-Gravity 2.5-inch Barrel Ceramic Brush. Her style is a specific mix of noir 1920s and 21st century mod glam. To create this style and help it last all day, I set her hair using a 3/4 to 1-inch Marcel irons, angling it at 2 and 7 o’clock all the way around. Then I used a big bone comb and Mason Pearson brush to keep the flowing shape. On humid outdoor scenes, I keep Oribe Impermeable Anti-Humidity Spray handy and in heavy fog I even toss on a rain cap.
Andrea Navedo / Xo by Tena Parker Baker
Andrea Navedo's character is young at heart and just wants to have fun. Her hair likes to hug her beautiful face, however we want to see her jazzy eyes, so there's a few tricks to achieve this.
I use White Sands Liquid Texture Firm Thermal Styling Spray on wet hair. Using the T3 Tourmaline Hair Dryer, I aim the air around the hairline with a natural boar bristle brush and sweep it away from her face.
Then I continue smoothing her natural waves with the Anti-gravity 3-inch Barrel Ceramic Tourmaline Brush to keep her hair damage-free and give it a glossy finish. To keep Navedo’s flowing curls sweept away from her face using T3 body Single Pass Twirl 1.25-inch Iron, then Oribe Texture Spray to lift her roots.
Her style is maintained throughout long days with White Sands Orchids Oil and Aerogel Styling Spray to keep the shine, shape and soft hold, along with a Mason Pearson brush to form the soft waves.