Known as a creative maverick, César Ramirez’s styling technique has made him one of the most sought after stylists in the Hollywood hair scene. Having created memorable hairstyles like Jennifer Hudson’s signature pixie and Ciara’s blonde ombre bob, Ramirez is known as an innovator in the hair world.
These days Ramirez is tapped as Mizani’s Global Artistic Director where he serves as a spokesperson for the brand and leads education initiatives, provide artistic direction and offers product vision and insight. But, one of the roles he’s most excited about is bringing a younger audience to the brand. “The brand went through a phase where it was well-respected in the natural hair world, and then it dwindled, and no one really knew what happened and where it went,” he says. “I just want to say we’re back and there’s so much more to come!” The brand recently introduced MIZANI True Textures collection, a haircare and styling range for curls, coils and waves, and Ramirez stands by it 100 percent. Here, he reveals his top misconceptions about natural hair.
1. Natural hair isn’t work appropriate. That’s not true at all! Were a lot more open to people looking different, people having a little bit more of a unique style. As long as it’s well kept (and well maintained) it’s perfectly appropriate to have any textured hair for any corporate environment.
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2. Natural hair doesn’t grow very long. I believe as long as you’re treating it really well, and you’re using the right products it can grow really long. I have lots of clients that have really long natural hair, and they just take really good care of it. They have a personal relationship with their stylist who helps take care of it. It grows really long if you want it to.
3. Tighter textured hair is very strong. Textured hair is actually very delicate and it needs to be taken care of. I always tell my clients that you should think of your hair as the most delicate fabric that you have, almost like a cashmere sweater. You don’t want to throw a cashmere sweater in the washing machine, right? You want to take it to a professional that knows how to deal with that fabric. So you want to always add more moisture to natural hair and always use sulfate free shampoos. If you’re going to use chemicals make sure that it’s done by someone who is a professional and you’re not at home doing it yourself using things you’re not really familiar with because it is a very delicate fabric.