Ellin LaVar Is Still The Queen Of Weaves, Extensions, Braids And Naturally Textured Hair

    

Although I somehow fell through the Oprah cracks as one of her ultimate viewers, I have actually been watching the show since the beginning.  I will admit that many of the shows I focused on were related to hair and beauty topics because afterall, that’s been my focus for a long time.

(Image courtesy of Ellin LaVar – All Rights Reserved)

Recently I found a huge three ring binder stuffed to the brim with clippings and notes I had squirreled away over the past 25 years with all kinds of hair and beauty tips, notes and obscure goodies.  One one of the pages I found a note to myself about New York’s fabulous weave and hair extensionexpert, Ellin La Var, who has appeared on Oprah.

I popped over to Ellin’s website and sure enough, she has a video clip from one of her visits on Oprah where they discussed the fact Ellin had coiffed Oprah’s hair with a weave.   Yes, we all know that Oprah has Andre Walker as her long time show hairdresser but she obviously worked with Ellin at various points in her career and admitted to wearing weaves.

Is Oprah’s Hair A Weave Or Not A Weave?

When Oprah first joined Twitter she tweeted that her hair was not a weave.  At least at that point it wasn’t and for her trip to Australia she was spotted wearing her hair in a series of perky little ponytails.  Again, definitely not a weave.

At some point though Oprah worked with the famous Ellin LaVar and had her on her show to discuss Oprah’s hair provided by Ellin.  Which is obviously why I made a note about it in my gigantic hair and beauty notebook.

(Image courtesy of Ellin LaVar – All Rights Reserved)

Besides working with Oprah, Ellin LaVar has worked with Whitney Houston, Naomi Campbell, Missy Elliot, Iman, Mary J. Blige, Venus and Serena Williams.  She also has a long list of other male and female celebrities who wish to remain anonymous.

Ellin’s Hair Artistry Beginnings

When she was nine years old, Ellin started braiding her sister’s hair, and soon all of the girls in her Mount Vernon, New York, neighborhood were lining up at Ellin’s door. By age 14 she had her own chair at a local salon. At 16 she met Susan L. Taylor, then Essence Magazine’s fashion and beauty editor. She created Taylor’s trademark hairstyle and has been braiding the editorial director’s hair for the last 20 years.

While still in her teens, LaVar helped develop a new method for hair weaving that revolutionized the art. She created “Invisible Braids,” a technique that, for the first time, made weaves look completely natural. In 1979 Essence magazine featured the new look, bringing Ellin LaVar instant international recognition and acclaim.

Ellin LaVar At The Movies

Her creativity, discerning eye and quick hands have been in full demand to enhance the appearances of Sanaa Lathan in “Out Of Time”, Predator 1 and 2; Julia Roberts in Knotting Hill, Stepmom, and Runaway Bride; Whitney Houston in The Body Guard, Waiting to Exhale and A Preacher’s Wife; and Kevin Bacon in Sleepers.

She also created a natural-looking wig for Forrest Whittaker for his leading role in Ghost Dog. LaVar was key hairstylist for the film The Best Man, and the amazing wig created for Whitney Houston in Cinderella won her a coveted Emmy nomination for Outstanding Stylist in a Miniseries.

Music Video Wigs

In addition, Ellin is a favorite of music video producers, and she’s created trend setting wigs for the videos of some of the industry’s brightest stars: Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliot, Chaka Khan and others.

Hair is Ellin’s passion. For all of her life, it seems, she has loved designing new hairstyles and creating natural looking hairpieces and wigs, which she has often made herself. In addition to the dozens of magazines and newspapers that have profiled her work, she has been prominently featured on MTV, Current Affair, and of course on Oprah.

When not flying around the world to work on films and with clients, LaVar works in her welcoming and intimate salon, LaVar Hair Designs, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Fashion-forward women from around the world flock to the West 72nd Street salon for LaVar’s artistry in hair design, which many say is the best in the world.