Jennifer Aniston’s Latest Hair Product Was Inspired by Her Time on “Friends”

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It’s no secret that Jennifer Aniston—and by proxy, her Friends character, Rachel Green—had some of the most sought-after hair of the ’90s. One of her secrets? While on the hit NBC sitcom, she concocted a custom paste/serum hybrid with longtime hairstylist Chris McMillan. That homemade preparation was the inspiration for the latest product from the actor’s brand LolaVie: the Sculpting Paste.

“We used a makeshift paste on set, and it would be the last thing we put in the hair,” Aniston tells Bazaar. “We called it ‘dirtying the hair up,’ so it’s not so soft and bouncy, and gives it some texture.”

The Morning Show star says she thinks Rachel would be a fan of the Sculpting Paste. “She’d definitely use it in her updos—I mean, we did,” she says. “I think she would absolutely use it.”

She adds: “I love that we talk about her like she’s third-person and that she’s a real character.”

We caught up with Aniston to discuss the Sculpting Paste—which she says her friends are already obsessed with—and also learned how she indulges in an “everything” shower.

How did the Sculpting Paste come to be?

Every product is a baby of mine, but this came from something that I would always use at the very end of the hair portion of getting ready [on the set of Friends]. A paste itself was usually too thick and sticky, so we would mix it with a couple of drops of serum to get that perfect texture. Making the Sculpting Paste was our mission to re-create that end product. Chris takes a quarter-sized amount, rubs it through my hair, and then lets it sit for two seconds. After you let it sit, you aggressively toss [the hair], and it gets all piece-y without making it too sticky. If you’re using it for a slick-back bun too, it’s great to get those little flyaways and give you that nice, sleek look. It gives a last-minute set to your hair—it’s like a period at the end of a sentence.

Slick-back looks are very popular right now. Do you ever use the product for one of those?

I’ll usually throw it up in a low bun if I’m not working. At the moment, I’m dealing with shorter hair, so I have a teeny little nub, shall we say, that I definitely use the Sculpting Paste to slick down the front [of]. I’m not usually a slick-back hair kind of girl.

Did you give anyone samples of the Sculpting Paste to try out?

Of all the products and rounds of testing we have done, this is the one that I couldn’t keep in my house. I constantly had to call my partners and ask them to get me more samples. It was mainly the boys, because this is finally a product of ours that is particularly great for guys. They also love the scent, because it’s not too feminine—it’s very unisex. Most of my guy friends use a sculpting paste, but they don’t want a sticky-helmet kind of head, especially my dear friend Jason Bateman. He has a head of hair that’s just not right, and he’s the envy of every male—and female. We always send him product. He got the Sculpting Paste for Christmas, for the start of his [new] movie; he goes through the paste like crazy. The girls also love it. I usually use it on my girlfriends when they’re here getting ready, before we go out.

You’re a big Pvolve fan—you joined the company—and I know scheduling hair-wash days around workouts is like a second job. When it’s not hair-wash day, do you use the Sculpting Paste for your post-workout routine?

It’s almost impossible. How can we dry sweat? Dani [Coleman], my Pvolve trainer, always wears a slick-back bun and is obsessed with the product. Her husband is too. I’ve been slowly growing my fan base, even before the product launched. After working out, I usually try to finger-dry my hair and then use some Sculpting Paste to put the shape in my hair, or throw it in a low bun, and off we go.

What are your top tips for maintaining healthy hair with great color?

We’re all looking for tips on how to keep hair healthy. We put our hair through so much wear and tear, between hair coloring, blow-drying, straightening, setting—everything. Ultimately, the best thing to do is to get good hair products that have healthy ingredients, which we’ve always strived to do at LolaVie. Chris always tells me that whenever you can air-dry your hair and put in some leave-in conditioner and a bit of oil, that’s best.

“Everything showers” are trending. What does your everything shower look like?

The “everything” one would be on Sundays, because that’s when I put my hair mask in. Sometimes, I’ll start ahead and leave the mask in overnight. Otherwise, I start with the normal routine of shampooing, but swap the conditioner for our Intensive Repair Treatment. Then, I use the Glossing Detangler and brush it through it with the detangling brush. I’ll put it up in a towel for like 10 minutes, let it air-dry a little bit, and then add a little leave-in conditioner or the two drops of oil before styling. On Sundays, I let it dry naturally, though.

LolaVie Sculpting Paste is now available for $29 at lolavie.com and online and in stores at Ulta.

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