Last year belonged to the (cunty little) bob. This year? It could be the pixie. That is to say we think Janelle James’ 2026 Critics Choice Award hairstyle by Joy Johnson just may be that powerful.
The “Abbot Elementary” star, who took home a win for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the show for her role as Principal Ava Coleman, stunned on the carpet and on stage accepting her trophy. Her hair was short and chic, for major impact. (Plus that speech!) Johnson tells The Tease that the look was “a classic pixie blend of elegance, something soft with a little texture.”
Read on for a detailed breakdown directly from Johnson on how she achieved that balance, listing the exact products she used for Janelle James and her techniques for this timeless short hairstyle.
Get the Look:
- “We started with prepping the roots of the hair with Mizani Butter Blend Sensitive Scalp Relaxer to achieve sleek, straight hair.
- I then shampooed the hair with Mizani Butter Blend Balance Hair Bath Shampoo and Conditioner.
- Next, I towel dried the damp hair and started my wrap molding process to set the style — so I used Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Curl Leave-In Conditioner, Paul Mitchell Soft Style Foaming Pomade and Influance It’s Natural Honey Almond Styling Foam. Janelle was then put under a hair dryer and all those products help create the mold to give a soft drying finish before styling.
- On to the styling and finish— I go in with a little Keracare Conditioning Creme Hairdress and distribute that throughout the hair and gives the hair that moisture and shine. I used a tail comb and start my curling process with a 1/2 inch ceramic flat iron creating soft bends all around in alternate directions.
- I then finger style for movement with a little baby fringe in the front, finished with Sebastian Shaper, and this defined the classy, timeless pixie style.”
If you recreate this red carpet pixie, we want to see it! Tag @readthetease on Instagram and TikTok.
