tête-à-tête

Aussie hairstylist David Mallett tends to Paris’ chicest women, so we asked him to share his (and their) secrets

Hairstylist David Mallett gives his tips for nailing Parisian It-girl hair.

He may originally hail from Western Australia, but after decades in the capital of chic, celeb fave David Mallett (Marion Cotillard and Clémence Poésy are among his coiffing clientele) has an easy aesthetic that’s decidedly French. “I’m not a fan of dead-straight hair. I think it looks terrible,” he says. “There’s a bend and mess to a French woman’s hair. And they’re all about volume, so there’s nothing in any of my products that will weigh hair down.”

Mallett launched his eponymous brand of products in 2011. “Clients told me they were overwhelmed by the haircare choices. So I created a small range that works,” he says.

His salon, a stone’s throw from Paris’ iconic Louvre, recently expanded to an outpost in the freshly (and lavishly) refurbed Ritz Paris, alongside the Chanel spa – très chic.

YOU’RE FROM PERTH. HOW DID YOU END UP IN PARIS?

I started washing hair at 15. I did shoots with a local photographer out of my garage and won a competition. The prize was $2,000, so I used that to run away to London. I went to Paris for a shoot with photographer Jean-baptiste Mondino, styled by Emmanuelle Alt, and the talent was Lenny Kravitz. Emmanuelle asked if I could stay the next day for another shoot with a young German model named Diane Kruger. Emmanuelle made a joke that for an Australian, I wasn’t too bad. [Laughs]

WHAT’S THE SECRET TO FRENCH STYLE?

They wash their hair less and they don’t condition, so any curl and bend develops naturally depending on how they sleep on it. Women will mostly get one professional blow-dry a week, and after a few days, they’ll throw it in a chignon. They can get away with it because they don’t work out as much as Australian women.

WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR MORE SUCCESSFUL SHAMPOOING?

Wash less. It’s better for the environment and your scalp. I don’t think hot water is good for the scalp either, so I wash with cool water. And if your water is hard, get a filter.

WHICH PRODUCT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

Australian Salt Spray. I’ve always cooked with salt from the Murray River. I was mixing it up with hot water and taking it in a spray bottle to the salon, so I decided to collaborate with them. It’s very soft salt and not corrosive on the hair. It’s not chalky and doesn’t leave that hideous white residue. The scent of the product isn’t frangipani or coconut either – French girls hate that stuff. It’s bergamot, which I love. And if you spray it on your hand and lick it, it tastes like the Murray River.

BEST TIP FOR A BETTER BLOW-OUT?

Have a good blow-dryer, with plenty of power and a nozzle – with a strong dryer and a good brush, half the work is done. I like a brush that gets really warm when you use it, especially for big hair – you use them like rollers. And a Mason Pearson mixed bristle brush is great for finishing. That’s what I use at shows and on shoots when I need to clean up hair.

WHAT ELSE IS IN YOUR KIT?

Elnett hairspray. It’s the ultimate. You just keep spraying it and the hair jumps up. I wouldn’t even try to create a hairspray – I couldn’t compete with that.

WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO UP-DO IN A HURRY?

I just did [socialite] Bianca Brandolini d’adda’s hair in the back of a car on the way to a Giambattista Valli party. The paparazzi were following so the car was all dark. It was a low bun to the side, with a little backcombing for volume. It’s cool and simple without looking stiff. And it doesn’t make a young girl look old.