When we got a tip that Halle Berry would be debuting a major hair change on the Oscars red carpet, we could hardly wait to see what she'd show up with. Another undercut tattoo? Back to shoulder-length extensions? Or would she be reverting to the pixie cut that she arguably made famous years ago (FYI, there are over a million results for "Halle Berry pixie" on Google).
Instead of those options, the Kidnap star paid homage to her natural curls with the help of her longtime stylist Castillo. "It was a joint process that took around two weeks to decide on," he tells Refinery29. "Halle’s been wearing her hair natural lately, and we really wanted to create a style that embodied her whimsical spirit."
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To do that, he washed her strands with MOP Mixed Greens Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner, and added the line's Lemongrass Whip to her roots for extra volume. Before drying her hair, he applied MOP C-Curl Defining Cream throughout, and added dimension by creating curls of different sizes with the T3 Whirl Trio Curling Iron.
Berry, who shimmered in a black and nude Atelier Versace halter gown, told Vogue that her curls had a specific meaning. “The dress is glamorous with a sense of romance that made me feel feminine and fresh," she noted. "With this look, I celebrate my natural hair by allowing it to be wild and free.”
While Berry celebrated her texture, some social media users didn't want to join that party. Some said her hair aged her. Others sympathised for the people who sat behind her. Most called it a wig, even comparing her to Rachel Dolezal. They called her Scary Spice, and just plain scary. They said she looked like she was electrocuted. And those were some of the nicest tweets.
We don't have to tell you that trolls and haters will always surface to try to make everyone — especially celebs — second guess taking a chance with their look. Our thoughts? We love when any star experiments and even more when it means something.
Despite the haters, Berry's bold step in embracing her natural beauty means that she has the last laugh. "She was blown away with the finished look," Castillo tells us. "She said she felt absolutely amazing."