Celebrity Hairstylists Are All Launching Ranges Right Now—I Just Tried Them All

Celebrity beauty brands are not my thing. I'm somewhat of a product snob, and I go into the testing process of any celebrity-backed beauty brand with a hearty serving of cynicism. My reasoning is that despite the fact that some of my favourite stylish celebrities make for great beauty inspiration, I know they're no experts when it comes to products. In reality, it's the countless people responsible for their makeup and hair looks that really hold the secrets.

The one area of beauty that I will almost always turn to expert advice for is haircare. The reason for this, I'll admit, is mostly selfish. You see, I have never been able to style my own hair in a way that oozes effortless glamour. I always leave the salon feeling like my only hope is to have an expert on hand every day (like the A-listers do). And out of all of the hairstylists that I've worked with over the years, it's always the stylists who boast celebrity clients who really know what's up. Celebrity hairstylists require products that work quickly, are long-lasting, and champion versatility—and these are all of the things I crave from my haircare.

So it will be of no surprise that whenever a celebrity hairstylist launches their own haircare brand, I'm the first in line to try it. A quick way to get celeb-like lengths at home? Sign me up. And over the past couple of years, I've been spoilt for choice. With the likes of Jonathan Van Ness, Andrew Fitzsimons (a favorite of J.Lo and the Kardashians) and George Northwood (Alexa Chung's go-to) all launching their own line of products, it's fair to say celebrity-stylist haircare has really been having a moment.

But can expert-formulated brands really deliver celeb-standard hairdos? I've given every single one a try, and these are most definitely some of the very best haircare brands around.

Stylist to Alexa Chung, Daisy Edgar Jones and Meghan Markle, George Northwood is what we in the beauty industry would describe as hairstylist royalty. His signature looks champion an effortlessly "undone" look that still leaves hair looking expensive. It makes sense, therefore, that his haircare brand (which is stocked in Boots) embodies his styling ethos, with lightweight wet products and texturising styling sprays. You'll be left with lengths that look worthy of the red carpet, just with a bit of cool-girl grit.

Adam Reed boasts a number of big-name clients from beauty editors to celebs, and he's also responsible for countless high-end fashion looks backstage at fashion weeks. Having spent years consulting for big-name brands about the kind of products they should be making, Reed decided to take matters into his own hands and launch Arkive Headcare. With products suitable for everyone, the line-up focuses on treating the hair and scalp while providing a truly enjoyable experience. The formulas are gorgeous, and I look forward to washing my hair knowing that I've got some Arkive on the shelf.

Jonathan Van Ness needs no introduction. He has become a celebrity himself in recent years and has a wealth of haircare knowledge from his many years as a hairstylist. JVN Hair is so much more than a celebrity haircare brand. It offers a totally inclusive and gender-neutral line of products that are, without a doubt, some of the best I have ever tried.

You might know of the Hersheson name through its family-run, London-based salons. Father and son haircare extraordinaire duo Daniel and Luke Hersheson have been running salons together for years. In recent years, Luke Hersheson has made a name for himself styling the hair of some of Britain's most iconic celebs, including Victoria Beckham, Kiera Knightley, and Dua Lipa. The iconic Hershesons aesthetic champions an effortless, undone look that, thankfully, can be achieved with just a couple of products.

When three of the hair world's biggest names get together to create a haircare brand, you get R+Co. Founded by Thom Priano and Garren and Howard McLaren, R+Co makes products that are every bit as good as you would expect. McLaren has decades' worth of experience in styling and education, Priano specialises in men's grooming (his clients include the likes of Harry Styles and Brad Pitt), and Garren has worked with some of the industry's biggest names (including Giselle and Linda Evangelista). While the range is relatively large, it's the styling products that really stand out for me.

Chris Appleton is the man behind some of Kim Kardashian's most iconic hair looks as well as J.Lo's bouncy waves and Ariana Grande's sky-high ponytail. Within the industry, he is famed for his ability to give hair a glass-like, expensive finish. When he collaborated with Color Wow to produce a hair mask, there was a struggle to keep it on the shelves.

Another Kardashian-favourite stylist, Andrew Fitzsimons is famed for his ultra-long, rich-looking hair creations. So imagine my joy when I discovered that his new haircare range was genuinely affordable. The products, which contain a bunch of really impressive ingredients and high-tech complexes, are all about embracing and elevating what you already have.

You might not know this, but the man behind this super-luxe haircare brand, the late Oribe Canales, was one of the most influential hairstylists of the '90s (and probably of all time). With the likes of Cindy Crawford, J.Lo and Christy Turlington as devoted clients, Oribe redefined what glamour looked like for so many. In 2008, he (along with co-founder Daniel Kaner) set out to create hair products that would give luxury a whole new meaning. When I sat down for dinner with Kaner recently, he mused over the way that Oribe was dead-set on creating products that were better than anything else on the market, oozed luxury and smelled like "lipstick, sex, and as though you crawled into a Birkin bag and died." I couldn't have summed up Oribe products any better myself—they truly are the best of the best and the pinnacle of luxury.

Jen Atkin is a celebrity hairstylist that totally personifies California cool. She has, after all, worked on the hair of California's coolest personalities. I'm talking Kendall Jenner, Shay Mitchell and Hailey Bieber. And her haircare brand couldn't be more on the mark. Ouai (pronounced way), evokes the feeling of soaking in the rays of Californian sunshine while delivering effortlessly healthy hair.

Next Up: It's Official, These Are the Short Hair Trends Taking Over In 2023

This story was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.

Promo image: @ALEXACHUNG