Rena Calhoun doesn’t play. For, her longtime collaborator, Hunter Schafer’s Met Gala ’26 look, the celebrity and editorial hairstylist brushed through color as an homage to the Klimt painting the Euphoria star was referencing on the red carpet!
Calhoun says, “subtle variations of blue are brushed through the hair in a watercolor-like effect, intentionally uneven and diffused. This placement mimics the visual inspiration behind the look: Mäda Primavesi, Gustav Klimt’s portrait of a young girl, echoing its soft, painterly quality.”
Beyond the pops of color — which were stunning — Schafer’s hair was set in cascading waves with a deep side part pinned back with a custom Prada bow. All inspo worthy for spring events. Calhoun describes the texture as “smooth yet effortless, refined without feeling overly polished.” We call it perfect.
Read on for the exact products (K18) and tools (ghd) Calhoun used.
Get the Look:
- “To prep her hair for the best possible color result and create a clean canvas, I had Hunter start with the K18 TripleBright oxidation defense purple shampoo to detoxify and brighten her natural color. We followed with a few pumps of the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Mask to help repair her hair from color and styling.
- Next, I rough-dried her hair using GHD’s Speed Ionic Hairdryer until it was about 90% dry. At the very end, I used a paddle brush to smooth out the ends.
- Using a 1.25-inch GHD Chronos Curve curling iron, I created a classic pin curl set throughout the entire head.
- Once the curls were completely cooled and set, I removed the pins and brushed through with a smoothing boar bristle brush to stretch out the texture and create a soft, polished finish.
- I applied a few drops of K18 Molecular Repair Hair Oil into my palms and worked it evenly through the hair for a red carpet ready finish.
- Lastly, the bow!”
If you take on this Met Gala ’26 style for your next client using this breakdown, we need to know about it. K? Tag @readthetease on Instagram and TikTok.
