Short hair is where it’s at. Let’s face it ladies, long hair is great to have, but can be hard and tedious to deal with at times. So, naturally this season – lots of women are opting to cut it all off and start brand new. Many Hollywood starlets have decided to go short or stay short recently – my favorite new cuts being Toccara and Tia Mowry.
Having a haircut is more that just a change of how you look, you even feel like a new person. It’s definitely a mental change, which you should be sure you’re ready for upon deciding to do the big chop.
But, if you are ready – then you will have lots of fun looking for styles because short hair offers a huge variety of looks – just ask celebrity hair stylist Ursula Stephen.
I recently spoke with the stylist, who is widely known as the genius responsible for Rihanna’s infamous bob and current short cut. See what Stephens says about short dos this summer and how she maintains Ri’s locks:
Tianna: You’re known as the stylist behind Rihanna and Keyshia Cole’s new haircuts. Lots of readers particularly love Rihanna’s hair – what inspired her current look and what made you give her look?
Ursula: Well, it was first inspired by the bob – even going that step. It made me say, I want to take the next step because I’m always ready to do something new, crazy, and fun! So, one day I said to her – I’m cutting off all your hair today – because she kept saying she wanted to go shorter. Every minute, she was bugging me about going shorter! We just did it, and it was crazy!
Tianna I read the cut was inspired by (model) Linda Evangelista – is that true?
Ursula: Not necessarily. Somebody mentioned that to her but, I had my own idea for the cut. The bob was so crazy and I was bitting my nails after thinking – ok, what do I do next?
Tianna: What styling products do you like to use for Rihanna?
Ursula styles Rihanna for “Take A Bow” videoUrsula: I use FHI styling products, the heat protectant is very good. I don’t try to use too much products – but, I also use Sebastian’s light holding spray. I just mist it around her hair.
Tianna: Would you say short hair is going to be a big trend this summer?
Ursula: Yes! It’s crazy! I’m thinking when is it going to stop?! But, its getting better and better, and I’m glad. Just to put to put style back into the ish -and being able to switch it up, be young, and have fun with your hair. When your hair is short, its always going to look done.
Tianna: I agree. When I had short hair – it was easier to deal with number one and I just found more to do with it. With long hair, I just want to throw it in a ponytail because I don’t feel like fixing it all the time!
Ursula: Right!
Tianna: What particular styles or short cuts will be popular? Lots of people dig Keyshia Cole’s new cut, are more ladies going to bring pictures of her and Rihanna into the hair salons?
Ursula: People are just taking more chances with their short hair, and like you said can do more things with it. So its going to be a combination of things like heavy blunt bangs – where its longer in the front and it looks like its a long hairstyle by the front but, its still very short in the back. That looks real funky. People are going to want that length in the front because its more versatile and you can do a lot of looks with it.
Tianna: Right.
Ursula: Texturizing like I did for Rihanna in the Maroon 5 video – for that look, I basically curled her hair real tight with a stove iron. Then I combed it into fingerwaves to give a old Hollywood look, but it still looks funky because of the short hair. So its more about versatility and people combining different things with short hair now.
Check out the cuts and different styles Ursula Stephen worked on one of her biggest clients Rihanna:
Continuing reading the interview and about short hair on page 2
On the set of the Maroon 5 videoTianna: What advice can you give ladies who are thinking about going for the big chop?
Ursula: I would say talk with yourself and make sure thats really what you want to do. Hairstyles to me are personality, alot of styles are about personality -you gotta feel it, so you can give it and bring it! Don’t try to get a hairstyle that doesn’t go with your life. Feel good about doing it so, you don’t have to lose sleep after you do do it!
Tianna: Yea I know some girls that felt like that afterwards.
Ursula: Yea, you can’t rush into it – you got to know what you want. This is a old one, but bring pictures! Not one picture – you may like the front of one hairstyle, and the side or another, and the back of another, so bring all of it from different angles. You have to talk to your hairstylist and be specific, because this is a big decision – you cuttin’ off your HAIR!
Tianna: I know that’s right! What product recommendations can give ladies who already have short locks?
Ursula: Definitely use a heat protectant because you will be curling your hair often. Also, deep conditioners for sure, once a month. A good heat protectant product is FHI because you can use it on wet or dry hair. As far as deep conditioners, Bed Hair makes really good ones. Silks scarves at night, and a great brush – you always want to keep your hair moving because its short.
Tianna: What other celebrities and clients are you working on? I know you just worked with Michelle Williams for her new video…
Ursula worked with Keyshia Cole’s “Heaven Sent” video
Ursula: Yep I did. Those three girls (Michelle, Keyshia, and Rihanna) mainly are my clients because they stay busy! I also do shoots for Essence magazine, Cover Girl, and work for America’s Next Top Model. So I’m all over the place!Tianna: You are! How did you get into the business of being a Celebrity Hair Stylist?
Ursula: Well prior to this, I worked at a salon for 10 years and had very good clientale. I worked on people in the music business, and they basically put my name in there.
Already gone short and need some maintenance tips and products? Here are some of the recommended products Stephens mentioned that you can find right online:
i wish i could cut my hair
I like it. Too many sisters define themselves by long hair, which is ridiculous. They can’t workout, they can’t sweat, the rollers are everywhere, all the time. I like the short look.
i love the short look! but i know i couldn’t work up the nerve to chop all my hair off like melanie did on the game. i’ve heard that people have gotten a full head weave and cut that up instead of their own hair.
Looks great!!
I’ve been considering going short…I needed this post!!!
Long hair goes blah after awhile, and even coloring gets boring
fantasia looks a H.A.M. as usual but everyone elses cut looks nice.
The cut is beautiful. Very talented stylist. This cut is the absolute most beautiful that I have ever seen Rihanna.
I looooove my FHI…It was one of the greatest investments I could of ever made on a college students budget & HANDS DOWN 100% better then the CHI lol… Chrisette’s hair is always bangin, I wonder who her stylist is….
I cut my hair short back in September…in fact, it’s a cut quite similar to Rihanna’s. I’ve never gotten so many compliments nor has my hair been easier to take care of. It’s so low-maintenance and still versatile. For all the ladies who are afraid that short hair will limit their options, fear not. You won’t believe how many great looks you can rock. Take the plunge!
Sweet, I have really long hair, but lookin at Rihanna makes me considering going short, but I am still not ready to make that move…just yet.
I think Rih’s haircut is cute and looks great on her. This post has convinced me to cut it! I haven’t rocked short hair since high school, unfortunately I’ve always had some man in my ear telling me not to cut it
# 8 I totally agree!
#11 My hair is long too, but it grow really fast, so wth! It’s the summer! I say go for it, it’ll grow back!
HHHMM I TIHNKING I SHOULD EVERYONE SAID I SHOULD AND IM REALLY CONSITERING IT!! YEAH I TIHNK I AM AND I WILL DEFINITLY LOOK FOR THOSE PRODUCTS!!!
I am good with my Keri Hilson inspired hair-do. But I am like Kelis hair! That girl stay flyyy!
well I can’t follow this band wagon cause that rhianna length wwont look right on me I tried that years ago, but I think fantashias hair in that picture would look better if she didnt have that white strike on the side. I’ll just stick to shoulder length and super long. Oh yeah and I so like that Kelis hairstyle she is such a trendsetter.
I like short hair cuts
Lets give credit where credit is due. Im not a big fan of hers but I notice how she is always ahead of the game when it comes to fashion…
KELIS was the first to cut all her hair and bring back the bob, shortly after the rest of black hollywood followed suite. She never gets her due props.
When Ciara wore skinny high waisted jeans everyone thought she was the first to Rock them, Kelis was rocking them years before her, just thought I’d feel you guys in.
Yes i agree… short hair is definaltey the IN thing right now i think long hair is played out no. Thats why i have a new found respect for Rihanna cos shes a mainstream artist and she went and cut her hair that short not knowing whether people where gonna dig it or not so shes kinda like a risk taker cos not a lot of women would ever cut their that short including myself..lol.
But i cut my hair a lil while back and i luv it!!!
Just remember ladies HAIR GROWS!!! …SO CHANGE IS GOOD!!
I LOVE Rihanna’s hair its firece!!!
Ursula is the shyt…she was my mom’s hairstylist for a while when she worked at a shop in Brooklyn..im glad to see she’s doing her thing!!..
My hair is short always has been Toni B inspired me to cut my hair.
Rihanna’s hair stylist does a great job with her hair. I like how she gives her different looks and not the same ‘do all the time. If you guys could interview the person that coordinate Rihanna’s outfits that would be great.
im loving rihanna haircut right now.It better than the one she came out with in UMBRELLA. I heard she said in Company UK magzine that she not ever going back 2 Her Brown Long hair. she is lovinggg th black… The love the look of hers @ the grammys,ooo and at the kids awards with over sweeping fringe with fushica lipstick.Shorter is much more versatile and sexy. long hair isnt much a trend anymore. She been formed into a beautiful lady… lol. she has a few flaws,but hides them very well…
I LIKE THIS FEATURE!!! COOL TIANNA!!!
…..I.AM.NOT.MY.HAIR. Cute styles though.
TOONS YOU SAID IT….Lets not forget who started the whole short hair faze…KELIS!!!! Now everyone whats to jump on the short hair ban wagon. in the words of lil kim” get ya own shit..why you ridding mine?” I like those who set trends not follow them!
I’ve been transitioning from relaxed to natural since August 2007, so I already planned on cutting it!
I don’t want to be under a dryer this summer! lol
Im too much of a punk to cut mine but these short cuts are very stylish…I like the ‘Whisp away’ and ‘Edgy bangs’ the best….
noooooooooo! everyone is already going short!!
DON’T GO SHORT! WE’RE ALL GOING TO LOOK ALIKE!
but, i do thank you cl for posting some of the looks of rih rih. i too, cut my hair in september and like to do different things with it. but, DARE TO BE DIFFERENT! DON’T GO SHORT! (or if you do, don’t get a tail or mohawk in the back, overrated)
Keyshia Cole know she got that good hair. It be so slicked down on the side…haha.
This was a great piece,and Ursula Stehens does a great job with these gorgeous, cuts she’s creating. I also loved how she said you have to have the personality,and balls to rock a short cut,and that’s true i cut my hair about 3 years ago and it wasn’t realyl for me,i grew it out and i love how it looks with all the length. So kudos to all my sisters rocking those short do’s
Macy Gray is also rocking the heck out of her short hair!
#18 yes, yes sis I totally agree Kelis is a trendsetter!
I GUESS THIS IS ANTI BEYONCE
SHort is cute for the summer.I especially like Tia and Keyshia’s hair cut……..I’m wearing short now and I like it…Ready 4 it to grwo back though.Can’t be short allyr round.Plus when I wanna go long,I just throw on a 1/2 wig….lol
Wait a minute!!! #18…you are so frickin right. Kelis WAS FIRST to take the plunge and be a trendsetter and inspire the essentially exact same cut that Rihanna is rocking nowadays when she came out with her Bossy video!!!!!!!! Kelis girl…much props…And her cut was fly as hell!!!!!!
Kelis didn’t invent short hair and she wasn’t the first to rock that type of style because i remember that model Omahyra Mota from Jay Z’s Change clothes video was rocking that cut back in 03/04.
I just cut my hair recently and love it. I’ve gotten nothing but compliments. If you’re going to do it, now is the time with summer approaching. The only problem is finding a stylist that you trust and know that they will do a good job. I like my beautician but she act like she is doing me a favor. Last time I checked I’m the one with the money.
i LOVE ri’s cut, short hair is really my thing now but why must her hair always look so dry at times. i hope she has time for conditioning treatments with all that time she spends on the road.
I love my short hair. I wash it and style it myself and go to the hairdresser only when I need a cut and thats like once every 2-3 months! Talk about low maintenance!
When I cut my hair years ago, I had a bob and loved it. I experiemented with other short styles, but I find having long hair (what I currently have going on) easier. All I have to do is wrap it and go. When I had the short hair, I had to worry about styling wax, mousse, heat, etc. So I guess I’m different and think long hair is easier to deal with.
#41, that’s good for people who that have hair that doesn’t grow fast, but I was always in the salon with my short cut to keep it maintanined because my hair grows super-fast. Those of you with short cuts, do it up because they are cute!
#38 nobody said kelis invented short hair she made it more relevent, in the r&b world, noone started hopping on that wagon until Kelis did it (in the entertainment world) because everyone was so stuck on long flowing hair.
Ursela is the bombdigity
@ 23
i feel ya there
get ri ri’s stylist
shes so fierce!
she knows about fashion
I cut my hair short back a few years ago, now I have dreads they’re quite long and i wear a lot of styles too short, pin up ,curly , really curly bouncy,straigth i never have hair where I can wear in some many verstaile ways but still remain my hair(dreads) with even cutting or remaining long, but whatever fits you.
Kelis made it hot though.But like Kelis stated she got her inspiration from back in the 80s where Salt-N-Pepa had their hair in Push It and MC Lyte, but Kelis made it her own style and everybody kind of took it from there with the chop because Kelis cut her hair in the video in Bossy.But I’m loving the looks.
Short hair is cute, but you have to have the face for it I think. I love my naturally long hair. No weaves, extensions, etc…sure it takes more work to manage…hair cholesterols, rollers, conditioning… but it’s all worth it when you know it looks good….i wouldn’t cut it for the world.
Yeah I agree #43, It’s not that my hair doesn’t grow fast its just that i grow my hair into different looks as it grows. When I get it cut I get it cut really low in some parts and when it starts to grow out it grows out into a different look.
Love the interview…I think short hair is more maintainence than long…You absolutely have to get it done at all times and i’m broke so like she said it woudn’t fit my lifestyle I can barely get to the salon now! I’m a no fuss kinda girl and my natural curls wouldn’t look good that short. But I really love the short cuts even if it is a trend, its just hair, it’ll grow back or just get a weave/wig!
The cut is Beautiful on Rhianna but never for me (my features are prominent and I need long hair to balance them out).
I have had my hair short since Feb 07 and I love it short!!! I get so many compliments on it and plus Ladies it gives you more room to use accessories. I always have on exciting earrings that zest it up! It also lets me play with my eye makeup for when I go out. I love it! I love it so much when I got to my stylists I get her to cut it more and more everytime!
Smh peop jus forgot about Halle Berry what goes around comes around
I love the short look…con’t have the balls to cut my hair myself…but kudos to those who do b/c it looks fierce.
But on another note…I guess the fashionistas that commentated on the globes or Grammys…I can’t remember told us long tresses were coming back…but that seems to be false now…
IM GOIN SHORT IN MID-JUNE!!!!!! HOORAY!!!! THIS POST HAS DONE ME GOOD!!!
Been there. Short hair needs to be maintained and trimmed making it more of a hassle than long hair IMO.
It’s also not for everyone.
Round faces or small heads w/ bigger bodies do not look good with short hair.
L LOVE the fashion features, keep up the good work! You should do a feature aabout natural hair (being natural myself for a year now!)
Rihanna= wannabe Kelis
Nothing But Love you are just a Rihanna stan and then you be having the nerve to call other people stans. Kelis didnt invent short hair but she made it popular. Rihanna whole image was jacked from Kelis and Fefe Dobson so sit your stan ass down. Kelis deserves her props.
Whateva at haircuts, just doing a 360 from the past I guess! Ursula’s hair looks great on her face! Nicely done!
All of the styles I’ve seen in the past now they are cut on a diff face in a diff year! Well I am in NYC so a lot of clothing styles and hair styles are just not wow for me as I see they are for others on here…..
Love Chrisette’s hair on her, very funky