The Things They Carry – Nov/Dec 18

Photographer: Duane Tinkey

Libby Heinz
Hairstylist

Libby Heinz of Serenity Couture has been a hairstylist and a styling instructor for a decade. Styling hair in a salon is one thing, but Heinz also has mastered the craft of taking her show on the road—working out of her travel kit, from weddings to magazine photo shoots. Her mobile-stylist motto: “Always be prepared.” That includes having a “backup bag” with replacement supplies. Here’s a guide to her take-along essentials (pictured below):

STAKE-OUT: Wrapping hair on these little garden stakes is great for crimping.

IRON WILL: I can’t work without these—my flat iron, curling iron and a Marcel pro-grade curling iron, which creates more precise curls, in more shapes. I have three or four burns from that thing!

VELCRO ROLLERS: Basic but helpful, these hold hair where it needs to be while I’m working. 

DRY POWER: Working on the go requires a portable hair dryer that is powerful, lightweight, comfortable and reliable. This 2,000-watt Nano works for me.

PICK, PICK, PICK: The six-prong hair pick [left of the Band-Aids] is great for gently picking sections of hair within a style.  

PATCH
KIT:
It’s a risky business; we get burns and cuts. The vial contains lavender oil. It’s very soothing and has a calming aroma that helps brides. 

TUNES: I can’t work without music. On location, I rely on my Bose Bluetooth speaker. 

RELIEF: At the end of the day, I like suckers like my Ring Pop Sours. The ibuprofen? Sometimes vital. The Energy 

Shot wakes you up for a few more hours. 

PINS AND CLIPS: It’s amazing how many you need to create some styles.  

HAND LOTION SECRET: A delicate touch of lotion makes a good hairstyle finisher for taming fly-aways.

BRUSHING UP: A back-combing brush builds volume in the formation of a style. The black and white ones are tail combs, and the bottom brush style is a good finisher.

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