I met Zuleika Acosta, a.k.a. my Chief Style Officer, in August 2010. Then, in October 2010, she styled my hair for our engagement photos. Since then, she has become my go-to girl for anything involving hair. She helped create my signature look. When we were planning my wedding, my Mom nicknamed my most popular hairstyle the "croissant bouffant." The beauty of this particular style is that, while it looks incredibly high-maintenance, once you have mastered the art of the croissant bouffant, this style can last for days. I get stopped on the streets regularly about my hair, so ZuZu and I thought it would be appropriate to share our secrets with you as you prepare for your Big Day!
RECIPE:
Classic Croissant Bouffant
10 Bobby Pins
10 French Hair Pins
Medium Hold Hair Spray
Texturing Spray or Dry Shampoo (We like Bumble&Bumble or Oribe)
Hair Bungee or Hair Tie
Fine Tooth Tail Comb
Sectioning Clips
Bristle Brush i.e.: Mason Pearson Brush
Relaxed Croissant Bouffant
10 Bobby Pins
10 French Hair Pins
Medium Hold Hair Spray
Texturing Spray or Dry Shampoo (We like Bumble&Bumble or Oribe)
Hair Bungee or Hair Tie
Fine Tooth Tail Comb
Sectioning Clips
Bristle Brush i.e. Mason Pearson Brush
Medium Sized Curling Iron (3/4 inch to 1 14 inch)
INSTRUCTIONS:
First step, relax. It's really not that difficult once you get the hang of it.
Depending on the occasion, we alternate between two styles, what we call The Classic Croissant Bouffant and The Relaxed Croissant Bouffant.
Classic Croissant Bouffant: Very structured and geometric. A stay-put 'do that lasts for days, can even outrun a marathon! It's a high maintenance look with a long shelf life. We nick-named it the "Longevity 'Do"
On clean dry, detangled hair:
Step One: "Horseshoe Section/U Section"
Section out the top portion of your hair. You can use the arches of your brows to set a guide to where you want your section to be. This section should not pass the crown of your head. Making a horseshoe shape, or a U shape helps. Use the point of your tail comb to make the section. Secure "U Section" with a clip.
Step Two: "My Little Pony!"
Now that you have the top portion of your hair out of the way and ready, move on to the pony!
Brush all of your hair to the back of your head. Holding your hand in place where you want the pony to be, grab all the hair into your hand. Using a hair tie, or bungee tie (in photo), secure your pony. For tender headed ladies, maybe you might want to leave it a little loose if you are prone to headaches. Take a small sliver of hair from your pony to wrap your hair tie. If you have a really cool funky color tie, I'll forgive ya if you skip this step.
Step Three: "To Bouffant or Not to Bouffant"
Unclip the U-section of your hair. Using horizontal sections (going towards the back of your head) backcomb your hair. Backcombing is not teasing. It is not ratting or knotting you hair. You must PACK IT DOWN. Making sections about an inch thick (or the width of your comb), pack down the strands of you hair. This is what creates the structured look of the croissant.
If you are in the mood for the relaxed croissant bouffant, all you have to do is modify Step Three to the following:
Instead of teasing the top of your hair, curl it using your curling iron and texturizing spray. Once you curl each piece, use your fingers to rake through the curls and loosen them up. Then gently comb back and pin down to your liking and desired height. And you're done! Either leave your pony sleek or style in a braid!
