Haley interviews Bradley Irion
It could easily be said that tresses are a girl’s best friend. No one likes a bad hair day especially if your constantly being photographed. Enter hairdresser to the stars, Bradley Irion. He had befriended such socialites as Tinsley Mortimer and he regards former housewife and author Kelly Bensimon as a close confident. I couldn’t wait to ask Bradley about his hair tips and tricks and share them because lets face it we all want Victoria Secret perfection hair. Make sure to read Kelly’s new book, I Can Make You Hot, for more of Bradley’s hair tricks. Below he dishes on how he got his start in the business, his own hair routine, and more.
HS: How would you describe your style?
BI: well I look is the mirror and think I look like Gisselle, but half the time I wind up looking like a Cher and Steven Tyler love child but I can live with that.
HS: What is your daily look like?
BI: A little bit country and a whole lotta rock and roll!
HS: What are three favorite accessories?
BI: My Rolex Kelly gave me for Christmas, a prehistoric shark tooth necklace, and my hair.
HS: How did you decide to get into hair?
BI: After high school I went to collage for about 3 1/2 seconds and enrolled in a local beauty school owned by an amazing woman by the name Christine Cassano. You know I was young and wild and Christine really took me under her wing and I was one of the only guys in my class so you know we had a kind of special and she gave me one of the best pieces of advice. She said, if you lay down with dogs you’ll get up with fleas. I had been laying down with the dogs, hanging out with you know people that we’re going nowhere fast and it really helped turn my gears in my life around. It made me keep my eye on the prize at a young age and I realized that I can do whatever I wanted to do. I didn’t have to not go all the way. She (Cassano) really enforced that in me and said that I get a could have a very bright future if I just applied myself and worked really hard for what I wanted. Anything was possible. I stopped by a year ago to see her I hadn’t seen her in probably 18 years and I stopped by just to thank her. She was in between clients and we sat down and we were jamming on some hair ideas together. It was just so nice to come back and see her and let her know that things have been going really well for me and to thank her for her advice that has helped me navigate through life. Hairdressers just look cool. You get to just be yourself and not have to conform to traditional office garb.
HS: What inspires you everyday?
BI: People on the street in NYC and the people around me and make-up artists. Watching a face get a good beat down with the makeup brush really gets my wheels turning.
HS: What is your number one tip for good, natural, healthy looking hair?
BI: Healthy hair always starts with a healthy body. That’s it. And a great conditioner, my favorite is TERAX CREMA CONDITIONER.
HS: What products do you use on your clients?
BI: Currently I love Oribe products they smell amazing to everyone it’s easy to use on people and Divas because it smells so great and it works in my hands even better. That’s the tricky thing with products, what works great in one person’s hands doesn’t always work so great in others. It’s all about finding that magical connection with whatever brand you use. To find a hairspray people like in NYC is an amazing thing. Being from Washington state where hairspray is a birthright it was amazing coming here to New York where trying to put hairspray on a New York woman is like trying to throw holy water on a vampire. They don’t like it!
HS: What’s your personal hair routine like?
BI: Most of the time it’s wash and go . If I do style it I don’t use any product before I blow it out, I just blow it out with the big round brush and then use Oribe dry texturizing spray at the roots to give it a little extra something and then that’s it easy breezy.
HS: Do you have any fun projects in the works?
BI: Yes, an 8 day jewelry campaign with photographer Daniella Federichi and one of my favorite models. I am definitely excited.
HS: What’s your favorite thing about being a hairdresser?
BI: All the amazing people and all there crazy stories it makes the day flyby. And the creative process that goes on with shoots.
