The ‘70s Stars That Inspired the Hair in ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’

The band in Daisy Jones & The Six has quickly become my, and everyone on Spotify’s, favorite fictional band. Everything about the show—the drama, the music, the looks—has captivated audiences. Key to the allure is the perfectly concocted ‘70s aesthetic. If you’re like me, you were immediately envious of Camila Morrone’s long sleek dark hair and enchanted by Riley Keough’s wild red mane. I was thrilled to get the inside scoop from Daisy Jones & The Six Hair department head, Maryann Hennings.

The styles are so good across the board! What did you use for ’70s inspiration—any stars in particular? How did you make the styles still feel fresh for today’s audience?

“I started with some research into every band from the 1970s, which led me to a few stars for inspiration. For Daisy, it was Stevie Nicks; for Camila, it was Ali MacGraw; and for Karen, it was Brigitte Bardot. Then, I spoke with the directors, producers, and actors to agree on what each character would look like and customized the looks for each actor by taking inspiration and transforming it to work with costumes, makeup and cinematography. Making the styles feel fresh was made much easier with today’s hair products and equipment, from the ionic hair dryers we used to protect hair alongside heat protectants to the color options.”

Was it challenging trying to bring beloved characters from a book to life?

“No, it actually ended up being easy because everybody knew their character so well, so it was easy to figure out what hairstyles would work best! I also worked closely with our brilliant costume designer, makeup team, producers and director to form a strong opinion on what the hair should look like.”

How did you get Riley’s look and color?

“Riley’s hair was colored a nice, bright red because we felt it gave her the confidence her character would need. Red is a strong look—it goes with Daisy’s edgy style and personality, she really owns the look. To get a similar red at home, try using Clairol Natural Instincts Bold in Copper ($10). Riley’s hair is naturally curly and long, so on days where she was drugged out or hungover and not her cheery self, I tamed the curls down and used products that would make her hair look a bit oily and unbrushed.

For her performance scenes, I followed the guide of the costume designer and based her hair on her outfits (i.e. big and flowy outfits got big curls, and tight, well-fitting clothes got a softer, wavy curl closer to her head). I’d let her hair dry and bump up areas that needed it (like her roots and bangs), and then it was just a matter of adjusting the curl for different looks.”

Was Sam Claflin’s hair a wig or natural? What did you use to get the perfect tousle?

“I asked Sam to grow his hair out from the day I met him, so it was his natural hair. To style it, I diffused it using products that helped get as much curl as possible out of it, then went over it with different-sized curling irons to give him natural, fuller curls. When his character was younger, I just washed and dried it for a more stringy look, and when he became a rockstar I started adding curls and volume to it. Using a curling iron helped to provide continuity in his looks throughout the show.”

How did you get Suki’s look and color?

“Suki’s hair was highlighted blonde with a couple of extensions for a fuller look. The highlights also give hair a better texture to hold curls. From there, I used the right products and equipment to get the look—hot rollers were my best friend. I tried to go old school by using mousse like we did in the ’70s for a nice, sturdy texture, I did a lot of teasing, and I used aerosol hairspray to finish the look. In order to get a similar color at home, you can use Clairol Blonde It Up in Platinum Blonde ($12) along with BIU Luminous Pearl Toner ($12) to refresh the color and Shimmer Lights to prevent brassiness.”