As John Frieda’s international creative consultant, Harry Josh cuts, colors, and hangs with Taylor Schilling. Meet the chic set’s go-to guy for everything coif-related.
Harry, it’s been ages! What’s new?
I’ve been working like a crazy person! This has truly been the busiest year I’ve had in more than 20 years of doing hair. It’s been kind of amazing and kind of exhausting all at the same time. In the past two years that I’ve created my own brand [Harry Josh Pro Tools] while continuing my role with John Frieda, the amount of demand and attention that it requires is like adding a whole other career into an existing one. It’s a really fascinating and exciting part of my life, and it’s been really cool to create something from the ground up. I couldn’t be happier with my workload.
Style-wise, what are you best known for?
Two extremes: highly polished, expensive-looking hair with red carpet finishes, and the exact opposite, which is bed-head/nothing/sexy rock ’n’ roll hair.
How do you help women find their hair personality?
A lot of dialogue with the client! It takes a lot of questions. I spend a good 20 minutes talking to women about their hair, what their life is like, how much time they’re willing to put into their hair, how they’re feeling about life, weight loss, weight gain, relationship status, you name it. These elements really do tell you a lot about the person in the chair. It’s never cut-and-dried.
Love what you’re doing with Taylor Schilling.
Taylor is amazing. She is the funniest person I’ve worked with, and we laugh so much that it’s hard to be on time. She’s fun, cool, and definitely not high maintenance. It’s just not her look. If she could roll out of bed and go to an event, she would. She only sits in the chair because I force her to. She’s not one of those glammy girls who are obsessed with being transformed every day. Taylor just wants to look natural and be done as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
Are you an Orange Is the New Black fan?
Obsessed! Capital O. I binge watch it the second it comes out.
What other celebs have you been working with lately?
Rose Byrne, Ellen Pompeo, Kate Bosworth, and supermodels like Behati Prinsloo, Lily Aldridge, Candice Swanepoel, Karlie Kloss, and Gigi Hadid.
You were once a casting director. Which models are you loving these days?
I’m really obsessed with the social media stars of today. It’s the Gigis, the Karlies…they’re setting a precedent for the next wave of supers.
What’s new in your work with John Frieda?
I’ve been their international creative consultant for going on eight or nine years. It’s been an incredible opportunity to work with a mega brand. I help curate the products they put out on the market. They want constant feedback, so it’s cool to be so involved with a global brand. It’s definitely sprung my interest in creating my own business.
What new products are on the horizon for John Frieda?
We brought back the Beach Blonde Sea Waves Sea Salt Spray, which was out in the late ’90s and early 2000s. They’ve reformulated it because all of us experts thought it was so incredible, and now it’s even better. We also have a product called 7 Day Volume In-Shower Treatment that I’m really loving. Girls with fine hair put it on before the shower and rinse it out. It’s a really innovative way to create volume from a shower perspective as opposed to just adding a topical product after the shower.
What’s trending in the color department right now?
The whole darker-root, lighter-end thing isn’t going anywhere. We’ll see places for that constantly. Low maintenance but high impact is always desirable.
What are the coolest cuts for summer?
We’re definitely seeing a return to shorter hair. We’ve had such a long-hair spell for so long! We’ve had so many people chopping off their hair in the past six months, so I think we’ll continue to see this effortless, easy, loose-textured, above-the-shoulder cut throughout the summer.
How about for fall?
It’ll probably grow out a little bit longer and will be a lot less layered.
Where do you look for hair inspiration?
It happens everywhere, 24/7, nonstop. It can come from walking around the streets of the Lower East Side to seeing a skater who passes by.
New York is the perfect place to see creativity come to life. I love seeing people with no budget come up with great looks. I live near Parsons School of Design, so I see all these college kids looking great. They have no money, yet they want to stand out and be creative. I find it really inspiring, and I take nuggets from them and convert them into something I think would work for a real woman.
What’s your routine for staying fit and looking chic?
I get up, have my coffee, do a 20-minute meditation, walk the dogs, and then go to the gym. When I work out, I alternate between weights and dance cardio. Once I do that, I know it’s going to be a good day.
What other projects are you working on?
Right now, another focus is on my Pro Tools line. I’m launching new items in the fall, so my emphasis is on getting them into the hands of beauty editors. My convertible two-in-one iron will be a world-first in hair care—it’s a professional curling iron that the pros use and can then be clicked off and turned into a wand for a consumer.
