Celebrity stylist Jonathan Antin shares a very important philosophy with Lock & Mane. He wants everyone to have a good hair day … all the time. That was what led the star of Bravo’s hit show, “Blow Out” to develop his own line of products from the purest highest quality ingredients. We caught up with Jonathan (who is constantly jetting around the world attending to very important hair) to get the low down on what makes his brand so darned special.
Lock & Mane: Tell us a little bit about why and how you developed your products?
Jonathan Antin: When starting my career as a hair stylist on magazine shoots and working with celebrities, I learned that the most important thing was to deliver great hair with great speed. I often mixed existing brands’ styling products hoping to create just a few products that could deliver lasting results. This is why I created Jonathan Product with the mantra, Simple Hair and How to Get There, always with the goal of making it easier for my clients to style their hair at home. I found a fantastic lab to work with and that is how it all began.
L&M: What are the benefits of having vegan products and what were the challenges in making them?
JA: Vegan products are plant derived and do not contain any animal byproducts. Plant derived ingredients are more environmentally friendly since they are a renewable resource. Overall vegan products are gentler on the hair and scalp and have positive effects on our bodies and the environment. The biggest challenge is communicating that these products are just as luxurious and efficacious as other products on the market, and also better for your hair and the planet.
L&M: You have always stressed the importance of water for the hair? How did you discover that water and water purification made such a difference for hair?
JA: Water quality in the U.S. varies geographically, but our water supply is usually tainted with things like chlorine and heavy metals. Most shampoos and conditioners on the market, made up of 80% water, use this water in their formulas. The result of using these products? Dry hair and skin, dull and faded hair color, and hair that is less soft and manageable than it could be. For these reasons, I spent years advising my clients to wash their hair with bottled water so that their hair would not be stripped by the impurities from their shower water. Thanks to Jonathan Products, I don’t have to give that advice anymore. All of my products are formulated with Essential Water — water that is de-ionized, purified and infused with botanicals — and the result is pure, natural and gentle products. In addition, with the Beauty Water Shower Purification System you can now have bottle quality water in your shower.
L&M: Yes, yes, tell us a little bit about how your patented water purification system works.
JA: After I conquered controlling the quality of water inside the bottle, it was time to take things to the next level and control the water outside as well. To effectively filter chlorine and other impurities from shower water and protect hair and skin, we introduced the Jonathan Product Beauty Water Shower Purification System. It contains the highest grade of filter medium available on the market today, and after just one week of use, you will notice softer hair and skin. The exclusive, patented two-stage system changes ordinary shower water into pure, pH-balanced water that is free of hair-stripping, skin-damaging chemicals. It is the closest thing to showering in natural spring water. And easy to install!
L&M: Every guy we know loves Dirt. Was it originally intended for men or did you create it for women and guys just commandeered it?
JA: I created Dirt for everyone. Hair left to its own devices can often be unruly or difficult to style. We have to counteract that, make hair do what we want it to do. When I was younger, I thought I had bad hair — thick, frizzy and curly. I used to wash my hair the night before because blow-drying was so difficult. I began to notice that my hair was easier to deal with the day after. When I became a stylist, I started to put product into clients’ hair if it was clean before I cut it. I also had clients ask me to style their hair to look like it does the “day after” they wash it. I always try to give my clients a simple process to achieve whatever look they want. So I decided to create a product that helped solve all these problems. I mixed five different types of products together and created my own formula, which I used in my salon and gave to my clients to use at home. Everyone loved it. I named it “Dirt” — it’s a clean way to help give hair the look and feel of slightly dirty hair. Dirt helps tame the hair and make it feel like “the day after” — more moldable and pliable.
L&M: Tell us about Green Rootine. Why did you create it and what sets it apart from your other products?
JA: Green Rootine is a collection of all-natural, purely-derived formulations designed to provide optimal hair health. I created this line because I wanted to give my clients a natural option for their hair care regimen. Green Rootine Shampoo, Conditioner, Silkening Crème and Dry Shampoo are gentle formulas free of synthetic chemicals, sulfates, parabens and petrochemicals — packed with vitamins that feed and heal the scalp. Green Rootine products are gentler on the scalp and hair, using essential oils from plants as preservatives and fragrances. Hair is left soft, shiny, smooth and manageable. What sets these products apart is that they are truly 100% natural, free of all chemicals and created using simple formulations. This is unusual in most hair care products today.
L&M: If you were a woman whose hair would you want to have?
JA: Halle Berry. I love when she has a great short haircut. That look is always picture perfect with just a little of my DIRT.
Hello lovelies! Can you believe the holidays are here already? It seems like just yesterday we were discussing how to get the Mad Men look for Halloween, and now here we are on the brink of holiday madness. If you are anything like us, you tend to delay-delay-delay buying presents until the last minute! Well, to help all of you out there (and ourselves) avoid procrastination, we’re posting gift ideas throughout the month.
