Jamal scissorhands

What do Linda Evangelista, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson have in common? Well, they all have been given hairdos by celebrity hairstylist Jamal Hammadi.

Jamal scissorhands

What do Linda Evangelista, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson have in common? Well, they all have been given hairdos by celebrity hairstylist Jamal Hammadi.

Known for his ace hairstyling, Jamal has worked with fashion houses like Chanel, Dior, Gaultier and Galliano. He was recently in Mumbai to promote a shampoo brand. CS caught up with him to know more about his passion:

Snipping away
When I was in high school, I was very active in a number of things. At that time, I wanted to be an accountant. But I had an inherent flair for hair cutting and always ended up cutting my friends' hair.

Some people suggested that I take up hairdressing as a career. It took me a while to make that decision, but I have no regrets.

Mop culture

As a teenager, I had a mop of dark curly hair, which I didn't like at all. I used to blow dry it everyday. Right from perming to straightening to using every possible wax/gel, I kept on experimenting with my hair.

My family used to complain that I spent hours in the bathroom. After joining hair school, I realised that your hair should be healthy, and that's very important.

For me, hair styling is an art. A mop of hair is an inanimate thing that I have to sculpt/style into something that's in sync with the persona of my client.

Going global

With the world growing closer, we see a lot of Asian women getting blonde streaks and blondes colouring their hair.

Yes, there is a growing craze for black hair across the globe. But the universal demand is for shiny healthy hair.
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Amongst Indian actresses, I feel that Priyanka Chopra and Frieda Pinto have gorgeous tresses. While PC is quite versatile with her styling, Frieda looks effortlessly chic with her free falling layered hairdo.

Celebrity clients

Model Linda Evangelista is my favourite. I never cut Linda's hair when it's wet, because curly hair is best cut dry.

Linda wants her hair to look as natural as possible with a right amount of glamour to it. Drew Barrymore loves short hair that matches her playful personality while Scarlett can carry off any style with confidence.