Chris McMillian—the Hairstylist Behind ‘The Rachel’—Has Finally Launched a Product Line

Chris McMillian isn’t new to this. The celebrity hairstylist has been working steadily behind the scenes since he started doing hair in high school, and despite having celebrity clients like Jennifer Aniston—he’s the man behind “The Rachel”—and Leslie Bibb—also behind her “c*nty little bob”—you can still find him behind the chair at his namesake Beverly Hills salon.

After decades working with other brands—and thousands of bouncy blowouts, loose waves, and headline-making haircuts—he’s finally stepping out on his own. On August 12, he launches Chris McMillan Hair, a collection of styling products that gives you everything you need to recreate his iconic lived-in style.

“My signature look is a touchable, relatable, messed up kind of hair, hair that is really natural,” McMillan tells Byrdie. “If you look at like Jennifer Anniston’s hair, if you look at Mariska Hargitay’s hair, if you look at Michelle Williams’ hair, if you look at all their hair, I love a loose natural look. A girl like Jen walks on a red carpet and is touching her hair and flipping it side to side, and it’s natural. Her hair is never sprayed, or helmet head-y and perfect. Loose, natural, and relatable, that’s my look. I want people to be like Oh my God, I can do that.”

And now, he’s making it just a little easier. Ahead, McMillan himself fills us in on the new collection.

The Inspiration

For McMillan, it was really just a matter of time—and finding the time—before he brought his own brand to life. And after years helping brands like Living Proof and Drunk Elephant, he decided the time was now. Though the brand has been officially in the works for three years, McMillan says that he’s been working on it since the day he picked up a pair of scissors in high school.

“I’m a hairdresser, I’m a hair whore, I’m a product whore,” he tells Byrdie. “I love them all. I have opinions on hair, I have opinions on hair color, I have opinions on hair products. So, it’s just natural,” he says of finally creating his line. “It takes a lot of time to do a hair product, especially the way I’m doing it, it’s like a couture dress. I’m making products that work and make my life easy.”

As far as inspiration goes, McMillan simply had to look to his drawer at the salon. “These products that I made are what I pull out of my drawer—there’s probably like six or seven that I use on every client, every day, all day long, out of like 50 products in that drawer. I mix things, and so I took those little mixing products and made them into one product.”

The Products

The line is launching with seven stylers, all of which aim to bring McMillan’s toussled ease to your bathroom. First up is the brand’s signature product, The Glassy Smooth Blowdry Spray. “It makes my life easy, I use it on everyone,” says McMillan. “It will make your blow dry last, takes away the frizz, adds shine, reflects humidity. It kind of works as a detangler, and it’s a prep spray. It’s just great.”

Then there’s The Styling Balm, which McMillan calls “moisturizer for your hair.” Add it to wet or dry hair to shape, lean into natural texture, or remove frizz. McMillan also created The Dry Texture Spray, a “dry shampoo and texturizer in one without the powder.” He says it’s great for fine hair, as it builds thickness and adds texture.

For more hold, he dreamed up The Mousse, a whipped, lightweight formula to define curls and add volume. “It’s easy to apply and smells like the beach,” he says. Then, there’s The Gel. “I didn’t know gel could be changed, like I was fine with a gel drying hard and shiny,” he explains. “I didn’t know there was options, because there never was, until I came up with this creamy gel that dries stiff but breaks, and there’s no residue. You can get that wet look with fulness, without it being weighed down or greasy. You can let it dry into your curly hair, and your hair will be ribbony and soft, and you can brush it out at the end of the day, and you’re not left with a greasy slicked-back hair that you have to wash it out.”

The collection rounds out with two products that McMillan is sure will be a must-have in every stylist’s bag. “If a hairdresser says they don’t use hairspray, they’re lying,” he says. “Hairspray is the holy grail of all products for all hairdressers,” which is why he created The Major Hairspray. “I use it as root lift, as a heat protector, and I also use it as hairspray when I finish the look. I call it sweet and sour, it comes out soft, but it’s got a punch. It’s buildable, and it’s layerable and it’s brushable.” He also assures me that it will not trigger any childhood dance recital trauma (like so many sprays do).

Finally, there’s The Wand. “It’s like a mascara for the hair that gets rid of flyaways,” he explains. “It’s also is really great for doing slick backs and detail work. And it’s just kind of this secret magic potion, I use it on my eyebrows, I use it on my hairline. The applicator is super strong, so I can actually do a slick back with it, I’ve even used it to do a little round brush blow dry around the front.”