My interview with Andre Walker answers reader’s questions and he reveals how to get Oprah’s cover look!

If you’ve followed Oprah over the last few decades you then know that Andre Walker has been her longtime hair stylist. Oprah’s hairstyles have always been on everyone’s radar over the years, and when she grew her hair out several years ago I think half the women over 40 in America gave longer hair a second look. So when Oprah appeared on the September issue of O The Oprah Magazine, we all took notice when Andre left her hair go completely natural!

“Oprah’s hair is so beautiful, it was an easy choice to try and change it up by going natural,” says Walker.  “We have done so many covers with so many hairstyles, I feel like this was a long time coming.  She looks great and achieving this look is so simple.”   Andre breaks down the look into a few easy steps.

1. Start by shampooing and then conditioning the hair with a protein rich conditioner such as Andre Walker’s Total Keratin Obsession (TKO) Deep Conditioning Treatment, but only rinse half of the conditioner out.
2. Towel dry the hair, and follow by adding a generous amount of nourishing oil such as Andre Walker Q Oil, then comb through.
3. Cornrow or braid medium sections of the hair securely, and let it air dry.  Once completely dry, unbraid and style hair using your fingertips.  “It is important not to use a comb or brush to style the hair because this will cause frizzing,” explains Walker.
4. Add more oil if needed, and the look is complete!

I had a wonderful conversation with Andre (he’s won 7 Emmy awards) revealing what Oprah thought about this hair style, answering reader questions, learning about his hair products and finding out that Andre and I have something in common!

How did you convince Oprah to let her hair go natural for the cover of the September issue of O The Oprah Magazine? She wanted to do it, I didn’t have to convince her!  She’s worn it like this before, but not in public. We always said we had to do it and the September issue of “O” was the issue about change, so it was the perfect time to do it. 

What inspired you to create your own line of products? So many products don’t do what they claim to do and I wanted to create products that delivered. Hair primarily is made up of keratin, and we lose keratin over time so my products have keratin in them. I feel that is the #1 important thing for hair.  We lose keratin by straightening, coloring, curling our hair – everything we do to make our hair look great damages it.
The second most important thing is Q-Oil. It’s nutrition for the hair and it helps lock in moisture which gives it great shine and styling manageability.
My 3rd most important product is Hair Makeup. I developed a color touch up stick as most of them that were already out have flat color to them and they aren’t natural looking. The ones I developed have more shine to them. They have reflective particles in them to give the hair shine, but it doesn’t look like glitter or anything just more natural shine. These are great because once they dry they stay put till you wash them out. This actually won a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval – I was quite happy about that, I’ve always wanted to get the Seal of Approval and one day I happened to pick up a Good Housekeeping magazine, which I never do, and there inside it mentioned that they gave it the Seal of Approval.
My Phytocelltec Botanical Stem Cell line of products is an anti-aging line of hair care. Stem cells (apple stem cells) have been proven to regenerate cells in skin so I thought to try it with a hair product. People that have used the shampoo and conditioner swear their hair is stronger and where it was weak it’s growing in stronger, too.
I’m also working on a new line specifically for highly textured, thick, coarse, wavy hair and I’m also working on a product to achieve the look Oprah had on her cover.

What hair issues do you see in women over 40?  Many are stuck in a rut. I told Andre that my colorist had a great analogy about why women are stuck in hair ruts, that it was the happiest time in their lives and they don’t want to let it go.  He completely agreed. Women look back at times when they were happiest and thought they were beautiful, but by the time you’re in your 40’s your hair isn’t the same. It’s not as thick, it won’t always do the things it used to do. We need to take better care of our hair, to condition it more and do more to it. My Phytocelltec line is great for this.

What’s the must-have hair products every woman should have?  I suggest 4 things.  #1 is Oil – a good one like my Q-Oil.  #2 A color wand like my Hair Makeup – it’s great for touch ups and you can put it in your bag to bring with you anywhere. #3 A great deep conditioning mask like a salon strength one. My Total Keratin Obsession Deep Conditioning Treatment is great for this. Use it once a month for 15 minutes and it will do wonders for your hair. Many women are afraid of this and think it will weigh down their hair, but it brings life to the hair. #4 A great styling product.

I posted on Facebook a few days before my interview if readers had any questions for Andre and two women responded. Here are there questions. 

What are some products for styling curly/wavy hair so its not crunchy, but soft?  I’m developing it! I’m am working on an all-in-one product that can be used as a styling cream and for blowing out the hair straight.  To get a nice defined pattern in the hair use a good conditioner, a styling cream and Q-Oil and a touch of gel. But my new product will do that all in one.

I have fine but dense hair – how do you make the outer surface smooth?  Don’t be afraid of a good oil. My Q-Oil has argan oil that helps control the frizz without weighing the hair down. Use it at the beginning of styling your hair and at the end of styling your hair, take some and use it on the ends. What’s nice about this is it doesn’t just sit on the hair, it absorbs into the hair making it smooth, yet it plumps the hair. My Q-Oil is very light. Some are not as light as others, so not all oils with argan oil are created equally.

I asked Andre, who I am sure has traveled the world, where is his favorite place to travel?  I love my peaceful lake home in Wisconsin and Napa Valley is a fun place to go for wine and enjoyment. But last year I went to India and I was very moved as it’s the most amazing place. I couldn’t get enough of it and I want to go back. It really changed my perspective on living and life. The people are so spiritual. They deeply believe in karma and what you do come back to you so they are very aware of what they do. Even those that are poor are very proud and focused.

Within our conversation the topic somehow turned to interior design and I told him that is the field I work in during the day and he told me he loves design and for years has owned a design firm called Walker Simmons. I had no idea! Thanks Andre for sharing with us!

 

images: O magazine and supplied by PR