<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"  When Lupita Nyong&amp;#039;o graces the red carpet in red Ralph Lauren or Nairobi-blue Prada, her hair can easily be seen as an afterthought. With her natural beauty and regal fashion choices, she&amp;#039;d look just as striking if her strands were slicked down for every appearance. But she&amp;#039;s never been that boring. She arrived to the NAACP Image Awards in bronze J. Mendel with her soft textured hair parted boldly down the middle. At the Critic&amp;#039;s Choice Awards, she offset her white Calvin Klein gown with an exaggerated widow&amp;#039;s peak. And there she was at the Oscars, her hair feathered into a soft faux-hawk and accented with a glittering metallic headband. You can become so enamored with Lupita&amp;#039;s beauty and talent that you miss her groundbreaking approach to the TWA (teeny weeny afro). She styles it with imagination and aplomb, encouraging women to experiment with the timeless look in new and exciting ways. The short, cropped style is traditionally viewed as one-note: a transitional phase between a big chop and afro, unworthy of attention or variation. But Lupita breathes new life into it, garnering attention we haven&amp;#039;t seen since Viola Davis showed off her TWA on the Oscars red carpet in 2012. Related: Golden Globes Beauty Prep With Lupita Nyong&amp;#039;o Over the course of awards season, Lupita wore her TWA cropped close, parted down the middle, as a high top fade, in a pompadour, with a widow&amp;#039;s peak, in a faux hawk and with headbands and barrettes on top. And she&amp;#039;s only getting started. We sat down with her hairstylist, Ted Gibson, to find out how Lupita dreams up her varied hairstyles, what products he recommends, and what&amp;#039;s next for her famous &amp;#039;fro. Related: Lupita Nyong&amp;#039;o Looks Bangin&amp;#039; in Blue We&amp;#039;re impressed with the variety of beautiful styles you&amp;#039;ve created for Lupita&amp;#039;s TWA. What&amp;#039;s the process of working with Lupita like? Where do you pull inspiration from? Lupita inspired me to help create the most trendsetting, beautiful looks of this generation! We first draw inspiration from a combination of things \u2014 the event, the dress, the shoe, the makeup. Those things dictate the collaboration between her and I. How do you achieve styles like Lupita&amp;#039;s famous widow&amp;#039;s peak? Can you take us through the steps used to create it? I gave Lupita the widow&amp;#039;s peak for the Critic&amp;#039;s Choice Awards. She was inspired by mine so we decided to go for it! To achieve this look, I started off using two shine lotions mixed with a sting hold wax. Next, using a fiber filling agent, I exaggerated her widow&amp;#039;s peak by filling in her hairline. I waited for that to dry then applied hairspray to hold it all in place.  You sometimes add extensions to Lupita&amp;#039;s hair, which is pretty groundbreaking for TWAs. How do you apply them? What type of extensions do you recommend for women with short natural hair? Strong hold hairspray works to hold her extensions in place. For women with short, natural hair, I recommend using human, kinky loose extension hair. One technique that fascinated us was applying hot towels to Lupita&amp;#039;s hair. Can you explain the thinking behind it? I use the hot towels for relaxation and comfort before a big red carpet event! The plus is that it calms flyaways and helps to seal in moisture. Lupita&amp;#039;s hair always looks healthy, moisturized, shiny, and frizz-free. Which products do you rely on to create texture and shine in short natural hair? I love using oil and a shine cream on her. Those products give her hair amazing sleekness and shine. Shine and moisturizing products are key! Also, [I] use spray gels for control. What are your tips for people who are inspired by your work with Lupita&amp;#039;s TWA and want to experiment? I think it&amp;#039;s important to take risks with your hair and beauty identity, regardless of your hair type. Hair dictates certain periods in a woman&amp;#039;s life. Making changes with your hair can change people&amp;#039;s perception of you. As I always say, &amp;quot;Hair changes everything!&amp;quot; What can we expect from you and Lupita in the future? You&amp;#039;ll just have to wait and see \u2014 we love to surprise you! Photo credit: Getty Images Via ELLE "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a22194/lupita-nyongo-hairstylist-interview/?click=rel>