Hair gone wrong is more than a cautionary tale. It can be a shriek-inducing nightmare, if told around a living room campfire by a fashion-obsessed scout leader. That is the set-up in Troop Beverly Hills, as Phyllis Nefler (played to perfection by a flame-haired Shelley Long) delivers the final line of her scary story: “He permed me!” she cries, setting off a round of blood-curdling tween screams.
Sydney Sweeney, a student of cult classics, remembers Long’s full-volume look in the 1989 movie. “My mom has similar hair—curly and big and beautiful and thick—and I grew up always wanting that hair,” the actor says, speaking in a video call from Los Angeles. An unwanted perm isn’t what gives Sweeney a case of salon-chair fright. “I’ve always been terrified of just cutting my hair super, super short, just because it takes so long to grow.” Perhaps a G.I. Jane–level transformation is not in the cards. “Maybe not,” Sweeney says, though the gears are already turning. “If the character really asks for it, I always go for it,” she continues. “I’m going to fully commit myself and I’ll do it—and then after I’ll be like, ‘Why did I do that?’”
Rollercoaster performances are familiar territory for Sweeney, who plays the desperately lovesick Cassie in HBO’s Euphoria and, later this month, stars in the thriller Immaculate, as a newcomer to an Italian convent that proves far from serene. (Sweeney co-developed the project and is a producer with her company, Fifty-Fifty Films.) Her debut this weekend as a Saturday Night Live host serves up another high-wire moment—no net with a real-time broadcast—so it’s safe to say her new role with Kérastase is a welcome unwind. Partnering with a French hair care brand means a lather-rinse-repeat kind of homework, an off-screen respite to onscreen demands. Sweeney jokes that the endless rounds of heat-styling and coloring for work have “probably fried any emotional memories that my hair has held onto.” In other words, no need to unburden herself with a drastic chop. But she is devoutly undergoing a “hair health journey this year,” she says, “and Kérastase is helping me with that.” Below, Sweeney shares her favorite TLC products and discusses the narrative power of hair.
Vanity Fair: You’ve been very busy the last few years with TV, film, and beauty roles, this Kérastase partnership included. How do you see hair informing your sense of self?
Sydney Sweeney: I’ve always felt that my hair represents just how I’m feeling and who I am at that time. It’s like an accessory to whatever you want to wear—the personality that you want to have that day. If utilized, you can have a lot of fun with it, which is like Cassie in Euphoria: She transforms into so many looks because of her hair. I think that people forget that it’s not just makeup. Your hair can actually transform you too.
What are your essentials for maintenance?
Working on Euphoria, we have to touch up the blonde all the time, and that just fries my hair. So if I am not working on a job, I won’t color my hair. Even if I have press [for a project], I’m wanting my natural hair color to grow out, so I’ll have my hairstylist, Glen Coco, put in extensions to make it blend more. I just want my hair to become healthy again. I like to use a mask to really help calm and heal the damaged hair—the Premiere line has this beautiful one. There’s also the Premiere repairing shampoo and conditioner, which has been amazing for my hair. The ends are always split because that’s of course where the blonde just sits the most, and gets dyed over and over again. So I’ll use the Elixir Ultime hair oil, which is actually the first product that I ever used from Kérastase. I’m starting to get into the high-frequency wand that people have been using on their hair. I saw it on TikTok. I don’t know if it works, but I’m seeing what journey this takes me on. Also silk! I’ve switched to silk pillowcases and silk hair ties, and I try to use claw clips instead of rubber bands.