Jennifer Aniston Has a Warning Before You Try “The Rachel”

Not much surprised me about my call with Jennifer Aniston. She was just as nice as you would expect, proving her long-held title of America’s Sweetheart to be correct. But I was surprised to hear her describe her hair as “tired,” as she not only kick-started possibly the world’s biggest haircut trend with “The Rachel,” but her hair always strikes the perfect balance of effortless and polished.

This is why her haircare brand, LolaVie, was met with “oh, of course,” rather than “dear god, not another celebrity beauty brand” when she launched it in 2021. While the brand was born with a single product, the Glossing Detangler, it has since grown into a curated collection of essentials spanning shampoos, treatment masks, and dry stylers. (There’s even a dog shampoo!) And this August, the brand family gained another member with the Powder Perfect Dry Shampoo, which comes in a compact non-aerosol pump.

In honor of the launch, I caught up with Aniston to chat about her everyday hair routine, her in-shower essentials, and her advice for anyone wanting to try The Rachel.

About Her Hair

“I have naturally curly hair, and kind of inconsistently curly hair, and it’s a little on the dry side because I’ve colored it, washed it, and flat-ironed it. It’s been through the ringer over the years, being in the wonderful business that I’m in, so she’s just hanging on for dear life. That’s what I love about my hair products, they are very nourishing and keep my hair healthy. And I love when I get the time to give it a break, and I use all of my weekly restorative conditioners and my scalp scrubs.”

How Her Hair Philosophy Has Changed Over Time

“When we’re young, like anything, we take our hair for granted. A healthy, bouncy, 20-year-old head full of hair is a little bit different than a when-you’re-older head full of hair. So, it’s been about navigating the changes and learning that, at some point, things are going to backfire—coloring and blow drying take their toll. So I try to give it breaks now and then.”

“There was a period where I had cut my hair, but then I had to go do a show and match it [from past seasons]. So I’d had extensions for a while for continuity, but that was actually a good thing, because I was able to use the extensions to do the coloring, so it gave my hair a break. It’s had its journey.”

On the New Dry Shampoo

“I just love it. This is one of those products that took us a while to perfect: the dry shampoo itself, the consistency, the scent, the delivery system pump, because we didn’t want to do an aerosol. We had many iterations of it until we landed on this pump. It was a very fun, messy process, but we landed on a great product. We didn’t want it to just cover oils. We wanted it to revive the hair, nourish the scalp, and also give your roots a nice lift. A couple of weeks ago, I was doing a photo shoot, and [my hairstylist] Chris McMillan was using it all through my hair to texturize it and give it a little bit of grit. A little goes a long way, and it smells wonderful.”

Her Favorite Product Cocktail

“When I’ve left my hair curly, I do a couple of pumps of the Perfecting Leave-In Conditioner, and then a couple drops of the Lightweight Hair Oil, mix it together, and it just adds a little extra shine. Or, I mix the Sculpting Paste and the oil. That’s another great combination for textured hair.”

The Hairstyle That Makes Her Feel the Most Herself

“The long, straight, full blowout. I don’t deviate from what works. As boring as it may be, it’s what I love.”

“When I was a kid, I had long hair down to my butt, and it would weigh my curls down—so I actually always had that long, straight hair. But when I was 13, my mom said I was allowed to do whatever I wanted, because I would always say I wanted to cut my hair. So what did I do when I turned 13? It was the stupidest thing my mom let me do. I cut it off because I wanted to be like Dorothy Hamill or Valerie Bertinelli, and oh my God, it was a disaster. And then it was like, What’s happening? I have curly hair? I was definitely alarmed by what took place, and I’ve been trying to grow it out ever since.”

Her Biggest Hair Regrets

“[Cutting it all off] and bangs. I always think, ‘Okay, I’m gonna do a bang, I think it’ll be good.’ And then everyone says, ‘Don’t, Jen, you’ll hate it.’ And I go, ‘No, what if I do a curtain bang? That’s not really a bang, it’s sort of a bang.’ And then I’m wrong. I don’t have great hair instincts, so I leave it to the professionals.”

The One Thing You Should Know Before Trying “The Rachel”

“If you have curly hair, beware. You need to really know how to blow it dry; it’s a short, choppy cut. Just trust me: Curly hair, beware, that’s all I’m gonna say.”

Her Wash Day Routine

“It’s basically just my Restorative Shampoo and Conditioner. Once a week, I’ll do my scalp scrub, because that is fantastic and a game-changer. It’s actually helped my hair grow, which is all I ever want. I use a little bit of the Glossing Detangler, not too much, and then I’ll try to let it dry naturally for a bit before I go in with a blow dryer, if I have the time. Once it’s damp, I’ll apply the leave-in conditioner and oil, then let it dry naturally—hopefully, it will be a successful dry naturally day, it’s always a crap shoot—or I’ll give it a good blow dry.”

“I wish I had a [blow out] tip. If I had music to me walking towards the blow dryer, it would be from a horror film, very suspenseful—What’s it gonna be? What’s behind the door? [Blowdry brushes] are actually really good for people who struggle, like myself, with a blow dryer and a brush. Some of them get really, really hot, and they damage your hair. So, you have to use them sparingly.”

Her Five Minute Hair Refresh

“I put a little water around the hairline, and lift the hairline. I’ll probably do a little dry shampoo at the roots, give it a little zhuz, straighten any kinks if I have some, and marry it all together with a hair dryer. I’ll put a little paste and oil, or leave-in conditioner and oil, and off you go.”

The Best Hair Advice She’s Ever Gotten

“Don’t wash your hair every day. Day three or four hair is okay, lean into dry shampoo. That’s when I discovered dry shampoo, because Chris McMillan was like, ‘You blow dry your hair every day, you’ve got to stop washing it. Just let it be with the natural oils and use a good dry shampoo.’ I was like, ‘What is dry shampoo? I’m putting powder in my hair?’ And then I finally understood it, and I’m addicted to it.”