The Hair Artist Behind Nara Smith’s Architectural Holiday Hair

Early this year, Theodore noticed Smith and followed her, so she messaged her asking to do her hair. They finally came together this week to make it happen. “Because it was her first creative hairstyle, I created a moodboard with various creative styles to see what she gravitated towards,” Theodore explains. “She sent me an inspiration photo she fell in love with of a gorgeous updo Skylar Marshai did on herself. From there, I reimagined the style through my point of view.”

The process took about an hour—though sometimes it can take up to four or five. Smith has been open with her struggles with eczema on her scalp, and so Theodore came prepared with some pre-braided hair. To work on Smith and create the fluid, spherical shapes, she used hair gel, a lot of hairspray, and countless hair ties and bobby pins. “I already sculpted the prototype hairstyle, and once I transferred the pieces to her head, we added the finishing touches,” she says. “We talked about our lives, and shared so much excitement over how beautiful the style was coming together.” The finished look for Smith? Thick, undulating braids waving across the crown of her head and a swirled, slicked down baby curl, with finer braids fanning out like interconnecting halos.

Then, Nara Smith did what Nara Smith does: she donned a dramatic dress adorned with white and black blooms (which matched the vibe of her hair) to make her own festive, Gingerbread men-shaped Oreo ice-cream sandwiches.