Lilac Reign
The Style Society Podcast
Icon Status: Creating Your Signature Hair
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Icon Status: Creating Your Signature Hair

2025 Style Revolution Challenge Vol. 03

The Style Revolution Challenge is a companion to The Style Bible, your guide to iconic style. This series previews the details that shape a wardrobe as unique as you. Don’t forget to download the digital worksheet at the end for a glimpse into the full experience.


Style Revolution Challenge Week Three: Hair

It’s never JUST hair. It’s the cradle of style, the crown you never take off. Bad hair can ruin a good day, while iconic hair elevates your entire look and energy.

Creating iconic hair is about aligning it with your overall style signatures and to avoid a style misstep, intention and cohesion are non-negotiable. In this third installment of Style Revolution Challenge, we’re breaking down five steps to a flawless execution:

Inspiration: Get to Pinning

Source: Pinterest

The key to iconic hair is a striking haircut, color, or chosen texture. Dive into your Pinterest boards and Instagram saves to curate a hair vision that suits your lifestyle and style signatures. Keep your face shape, complexion, and undertones in mind when choosing styles. While face shape haircut guides on Pinterest aren’t law, they’re great starting points to understand what works best for you.

As a heart/diamond shaped girlie with a deep-tan complexion and neutral undertones, I’ve learned that understanding my natural features enhances not only my hair but also my makeup and wardrobe choices. So it’s safe to say, iconic style starts with knowing and complementing our natural canvas.

Lilac Reign is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Preparation: Set Your Goals

Now that you have an idea of how you want your hair, it’s time to assess your current hair landscape and create goals and an action plan on how to execute your desired look.

  • Assess the damage: Audit the state of your hair with and without product to determine if it needs help with moisture, protein, or breakage. Is your hair dry, brittle, or prone to split ends? Do you experience excessive dandruff?

  • Define your hair porosity (high, normal, low): No matter your texture, the true determining factor of if a product will benefit you is your hair porosity (how your hair absorbs or repels water). To find out, test with a strand of hair in water—sinking indicates high porosity (use cream-based products), floating suggests low porosity (opt for water-based products).

  • Define your hair density (fine, medium, thick): Knowing your hair density defines the weight of the type of products you need. Fine hair benefits from lightweight products, while thick hair thrives with heavier moisture-focused options.

Use these insights to set goals like scalp health, length retention, or restoring damaged strands. For me, recovering from years of sleek buns means focusing on hairline restoration, moisture, and finding the right products.

Collaboration: Partner with a Pro

A trusted stylist is key to achieving your dream look. Before committing to drastic changes, schedule trial appointments to ensure their expertise aligns with your vision.

Collaborating with the Fabric Snob motto “not easily duplicated” in mind, your hair should reflect your uniqueness, not just replicate an inspiration photo. With your audit, style inspo and hair evaluation, your stylist should be able to determine what style options are possible for you and how you can nurture your hair over time to reach your goals.

The inspo and the final results. My favorite hair collab with my stylist, Alicia

As a curly girl who is obsessed with my hair health, you can imagine how picky I am with whose hands I allow in my head. I’ve had one too many hair-frying incidents with stylists that caused me to slide down the wall crying. Because of that, I only trust one woman with my hair care: Atlanta master stylist, Alicia Igess.

For over a decade, Alicia has nurtured and grown my hair through everything from balayage to perm rod sets, all while maintaining the integrity of my precious curls and delivering styles that elevate my look.

In our most recent collaboration, she saved my hair after an impromptu home cut where I inadvertently gave myself a mullet. After sharing my inspo pictures, goals and latest hair health assessment, she delivered a striking layered cut that played into my accidental mullet and amplified my “badass editorial” energy I’m leaning into for my 2025 style.

Not only did we exceed my expectations for my look, we also chatted a maintenance plan of products and tools to reach my hair goals for the year. No amount of Tiktok videos could amount to that custom collab experience.

Preservation: Maintain the Magic

Once you’ve achieved your dream look, it’s all about preservation. Iconic hair doesn’t happen by accident; it’s nurtured daily. Stick to a maintenance routine that keeps your hair healthy and styled, whether that’s weekly deep conditioning, regular trims, or sleeping on silk pillowcases to reduce breakage.

Jumpscare: My Edges

After years of slick buns, new hormonal changes courtesy of my late twenties, my latest interest in becoming a straight natural, and the weird ass hairline I inherited from my dad, needing an arsenal of products to achieve my hair goals is an understatement. However, I have a few new products in my cupboard, shopping cart, and wishlist I’ve been researching to help me exceed my goals.

Fabric Snob Favorites:

Experimentation: Keep it Fresh

Abbott Elementary Stans Unite!!

Singular haircuts, color and texture can become very boring and prescriptive, very quickly. While Janine Teagues may consider a change in her part drastic, keep your look fun and interesting by mixing up your styling. Avoid falling into a style rut by implementing new textures (heat styling or mechanical) and protective styles to bring a fresh new approach to your new cut or color.

For 2025, I’m incorporating glueless wigs with bangs to stay aligned with my style while giving my natural hair a break to grow while it’s protected. This approach lets me evolve my look with color and cuts without straying from my signature vibe.

Homework

This week’s worksheet features a breakdown of the 5 steps in one singular place where you can update and refer to throughout the year. Download it here.

Addition steps include:

  • Create a Mood Board: Gather inspiration that complements your face shape, undertones, and style.

  • Audit Your Hair: Assess damage, porosity, and density to define actionable goals.

  • Book a Stylist Consultation: Share your inspiration and collaborate on a look that’s uniquely you.

  • Stock Your Arsenal: Invest in products and tools to maintain and elevate your hair goals.


Hair is more than just an accessory; it’s a signature. When aligned with your personal style, it becomes an extension of who you are. So take the time to explore, experiment, and nurture your locks with care and intention. After all, every icon’s look begins with their crown—and yours is waiting to be developed into historical notoriety.

Until next time.

Xoxo,


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