Get To Know: Marc Mena, Celebrity Hairstylist and E! Style Collective Member

Celeb Stylist Marc Mena Shares His Secrets For Heathly Hair

By Marc Mena Feb 27, 2015 6:00 PMTags
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Celebrity hairstylist and E! Style Collective member Marc Mena has been creating amazing editorial and red carpet hair looks for more than a decade, working on legendary supermodels like, Christy Turlington Burns; master actors like, Marcia Gay Harden; and entrepreneurial powerhouses like, Ivanka Trump.

Though he specializes in the seemingly more complicated aspects of hair (notably, sculptural dry cuts and are-they-or-aren't-they extensions), Marc believes that the marker of a perfect hair day isn't a quirky cut or pricey treatment—it's simply well-cared for and healthy strands.

We caught up with Marc to learn about his rise to the top, how to create a dynamic career as a stylist and why conditioner is not the enemy when it comes to bouncy hair.

When and how did you know you wanted to be a hair stylist?
My sister had alopecia her senior year in high school, so I started doing her hair to cover up her bald spots. It was then that I realized how good I was at styling hair, and how it good it made other people feel, so that's when I knew being a stylist was for me.

What was your first big break into the biz and what did it teach you about how to mold your career into a successful one?
When I was young in my career, I got scouted from a big beauty brand. I was discovered by a woman who was a client of the salon where I worked. She represented a haircare brand and started coming to me for blow-dries. But what I didn't realize was that every time she came into the salon, she was actually interviewing me and finding out more about me. After several times of coming to me, she thought that I would be great at representing the brand and it took off from there.

The company signed me to be a spokesperson and from there I learned how to make people feel good and how to teach people how to use products at home. That really shaped me and made me able to teach people how to use a product and take care of their own hair.

What's the best piece of career advice you've been given?
Love what you do.

What is the biggest obstacle you've faced so far in your career and how did you overcome it?
My biggest obstacle is being in a salon, doing editorial, and doing media and trying to manage it all at once. I'm lucky, though, because I'm married to a life coach and he helped me learn how to balance everything.

What's a particularly memorable experience that's come from your work with celebrities?
Looking out on the guests at my wedding and seeing a couple of celeb clients was a great moment. Seeing them looking at me as not only a hairstylist but a friend was really touching.

Any misconceptions you'd like to dispel about what it means to be a hair stylist?
It's not always so glamorous. There's a lot of organizing and traveling, especially during fashion week, when you're lugging tools and kits. It's draining and exhausting.

What qualities should a successful stylist have?
In addition to having talent for doing hair, a good stylist needs to have a good personality and to be able to read other personalities. A successful stylist also has to know their boundaries and be able to feel when someone wants to you to be there and when someone doesn't; it's your job to determine that.

What's the biggest risk you've taken in your career and how did it pay off?
My biggest risk was moving from Los Angeles to New York. It paid off because I was able to get a job at a great salon right away. I really wanted to be in the fashion world, so moving allowed me to successfully cross into that realm.

What advice would you give budding stylists who are looking to break into the biz?
Be determined and put in the work, because if you put in the work, it will pay off.

You're known for your wizardry in working with extensions and doing so in a way that doesn't damage the hair. Any advice for the extension wearers out there?
Treat every single extension like it's one of your babies. A lot of people think extensions do damage to your hair—they can when you don't take care of them. Letting them get matted and tangled can cause damage. And going through the removal process with matted extensions can cause even further damage because you have to separate and rip the hair apart to release the extension.

To baby your extensions, detangle and brush out individual strands of hair. When you go to sleep, put hair in a braid so hair doesn't tangle. Use a satin pillowcase to reduce friction when sleeping, and use shampoo and conditioner that's formulated for extensions. If you treat your extensions well, then they'll treat you well.

What are your current inspirations?
To rule the beauty world, one weave at a time.

What inspires you outside of the beauty world?
Art. I love colors and shapes. I think anything that has to do with the art world, even furniture, can inspire me. For example, when looking at a portrait that has yellows in it, the average eye just sees yellow, but I see tones and shades of yellow, that makes me think of unique color that could be applied to doing highlights and balayage. A beautiful sculpture makes me think of the different shapes that a hairstyle can take. I have my assistants go to museums to see different trends because I think inspiration can hit without us even realizing it.

What mistake do you often see people making with styling their hair and how would you suggest they correct it?
Overheating the hair. Many people get impatient and pre dry their hair 90 percent of the way, and then start styling with hot tools before the hair is dry. This puts too much stress on the hair. Be sure your hair is completely dry before breaking out the styling wands.

You're on a fabulous desert island that holds red carpet events. What three styling tools do you bring with you and why?
Elastics, bobby pins and gel. Elastics a to pull hair back, gel to fight the frizz, and bobby pins to pull it back into a beautiful chignon.

What one hair trend do you wish would go away for a while?
Shaved sides.

What one burgeoning hair trend would you like to see more of?
Healthy beautiful hair.

Whose hair has you inspired right now, and why?
Margot Robbie. The brightness of her color and the shape of her hair is fresh, and it makes me excited about spring and summer.

Who are your dream clients?
My dream clients are the royals. I've worked on Princess Charlene of Monaco in the past, but my dream client is Princess Kate because her hair is beautiful and shiny.

Any final words of wisdom for creating the best hair at home?
My advice to others is if your hair ain't twerking, it ain't working. That means if your hair is not bouncing when you walk then there is something wrong. It means your hair is lifeless and we need to put life back into your hair.

To bring your hair back to life, be sure to condition it well. A lot of times we forget during the winter season, but the air is really dry. Adding humidifiers into your room helps moisturize your hair. Winter to spring to summer just sucks moisture out of your hair, and sucking moisture sucks the life out of it. People forget to condition because they think it weighs your hair down, so it's important to shampoo and condition your hair. Conditioner is not the enemy!