A Guide to Perfect Summer Hair
By Lauren McGaughey — Photographed by Bobby DiMarzo
In a city filled with an abundance of colleges and universities, smart minds are ever-present in Boston and neighboring Cambridge. It’s no surprise, then, that MIT science is behind the wildly popular Living Proof line of hair care. Mitch De Rosa, co-founder of Living Proof and owner of Mitchell John Salon, has experience in all aspects of Living Proof’s business. Getting his start by training with top hairstylists in North America and Europe, his creativity and expertise led to the opening of Mitchell John Salon in Boston’s Financial District in 1989. One of the highest-rated salons in Boston, Mitchell John Salon is known for its cutting-edge cut and color techniques, as well as the products they carry. Among them is Living Proof, the company De Rosa has helped create, evaluating all facets of their hair program. His work has graced the pages of Vogue Italia, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, working with models and celebrities including Gisele Bundchen, Blake Lively and Paris Hilton. This month, De Rosa is taking us into his world of fashion for perfecting summer hairstyles.
What styling tips would you give to women who want to achieve beachy waves?
“I would recommend starting with Full Root Lifting Spray on wet hair, brush through to evenly distribute, then blow dry, go in with a little bit of Amp Instant Texture Volumizer and one pump of the Satin Serum, work together in your hands and start breaking up curls to get a softer, more natural look.”
What do you think differentiates your products from others that flood the hair market?
“It goes back to the beginning, creating products that are uniquely different, trying to solve beauty’s biggest problems – every other product is pulling from the same usual ingredient list of resins and silicones. We have proprietary ingredients we’ve created at the molecular level in our own laboratory to create products, working closely with stylists and our marketing team to be ahead of trends.”
Which Living Proof products do you recommend for different hair types in the summer?
For fine hair: “Spritz Prime Spray and comb through for a wash and go style. For fine, medium-length hair, use a little bit of Full Root Lifting Spray, comb through, and air dry or blow dry.”
For wavy/thick hair: “Perfect hair Day (PhD) 5-in-1 Styling Treatment is the easiest grab and go product. If your hair is on the dryer side, apply Prime Style Extender Cream to wet hair and comb through, then apply PhD over it and air dry.”
For curly hair: “Apply Prime Style Extender Cream, then PhD. Take a pen and wrap pieces of hair around it, then slide the pen out for nicely formed ringlets.”
What beauty insider tips have you taken from working with models and several international magazines?
“Working backstage involves limited time where you can’t start from scratch. I’ve learned to do things quickly, like backcombing techniques and spraying Flex Shaping Hair Spray onto a Mason Pearson brush then brushing through so hair is easy to rework and change for multiple looks.”
