I was recently asked on twitter what is in my hair kit which is a great question.

My go to hair kit is very small, which a lot of people think is crazy, but really I think it is totally the other way around, why carry something if you don’t need it.  I suppose I am like the Alton Brown of hair, I hate Uni-taskers.  Also living and working in NYC and traveling by either my scooter, or subway makes you pick and choose what you want to carry since you just can’t throw it in a trunk and go to your job.

Since this is going to be a semi long post I am going to split it into two posts, tools and products.

my list of tools

My favorite dryer (I own 3!)  is the Parlux 3200 dryer, I don’t think I will ever mess with a dryer that is not italian made.. I don’t know why, they just make the best dryers hands down,  coming in a close second (they are ultimatly the same dryer) is the Twin Turbo

yes it comes in other colors, but why bother?

Next I carry the only flat iron I will ever own, the Paul Mitchell Pro Tools 1.0, not only does it heat up super quick, and not pull hair, it has little silicone strips that give you perfect tension to your hair making it so that you only have to go over each section once.

it needs to be in pink!

I only carry two curling irons, I only own three!  I have never felt like I need a different size ever.  Want bigger curls? take bigger sections.  smaller? take smaller sections.  I like hot tools curling irons, but I use the marcel style not the spring and often times I wrap the hair around the iron instead of using it the traditional way.  Many models have asked me why I don’t just get one of the clip-less curling irons, the answer is because then it would be another thing to carry!  I carry a 1.5 inch and a 3/4 inch and thats it, if I know i want to make frizzy hair or an afro type hair style i will carry my 1/2 inch

how i roll

thats it.  seriously.  I don’t believe in hot rollers, you can just use pin curl clips and a curling iron and get better results!  See my youtube tutorial on how to do a pin curl set

The only round brush I will use is by Cricket it is the Technique line .  They never get caught in hair, they make perfect brush sets, they last forever and are super comfortable to use.  My favorite size is the 370.  At my salon I have the 390, 2- 370′s, 2- 350′s, and 2- 330′s.  In my kit for shoots I only carry a 390, 370 and 350 if that. The best part of this brush line is every October they come out with the brushes in pink for breast cancer awareness.. this is when I stock up!  I also carry a teasing brush which i typically use to to tease hair and to brush out curls as well.

heaven in a brush

Wonder which color I own?

I am a comb snob, once I got my hands on the Y/S Park brand of combs I never used another brand again.  The amount of engineering that went into this combs is nothing short of crazy,  the way the teeth are aligned, the way it feels when you hold it.. its just awesome.  and they come in pink!  When it comes to my tail combs I never waste my time with the ones with the plastic ends, not only do they break but what else is it good for.  A tail comb with a good metal end is also an amazing teeny curling iron!  just wrap the hair around and heat it with your flat iron!  I usually carry up to 4 cutting combs and 2 tail combs

last but not least is my clips and pins.  for sectioning I turn again to the Y/S park line, their clips are expensive but last forever and just work…

I think one of the most important things for a session stylist to carry is what I call an “up-do box”  Why on earth would you want to carry all your hair pins in the cardboard boxes they come in, its messy and just crazy.  I keep all mine in a organizer I got from home depot, and it fits perfectly at the bottom of my Zuca Backpack   This box has everything I need, pin curl clips to do pin curl sets, hair pins, bobby pins, and large bobby pins in black and brown, and rubber bands all in one perfectly organized container.

needs to be stocked but you get the idea

My bag of choice is of course the Zuca and since dragging something through the subways and up the stairs is annoying, I refuse to do it and carry a backpack.  This bag is perfect, its organized and even has a pocket for hot curling irons that can with-stand up to 350 degrees!

if it doesn't fit, its not coming with!

That is pretty much what I carry if I don’t know what I am doing at a shoot, if I am going to shoot a fantasy hair style my kit would be drasticly different, but also much smaller