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Inside Paramount Beauty

Elasticizer and Audrey Hepburn: A Match Made in Heaven

07.24.2015

Philip Kingsley originally designed Elasticizer for Audrey Hepburn.
Philip Kingsley originally designed Elasticizer for Audrey Hepburn.
By Erin Gignac

Everyone knows about Elasticizer—the multi-award winning hair care treatment touted by many celebrities and beauty editors as a must-have. However, not everyone knows that Audrey Hepburn herself spurred the creation of this wonder product.

Philip Kingsley created Elasticizer for Audrey Hepburn when she was filming in London in 1974. When they met, she told Kingsley she didn’t like the way her hair looked in certain shots in the film. The film crew’s styling methods left her hair limp.

The film required her hair to look the exact same in each shot, which meant they were piling on a whole host of shampoos and conditioners to achieve the uniformity. However, the conditioner they used made her hair flat. She said she wanted her hair to look fuller, with more body.

To solve the problem, Kingsley whipped up an innovative pre-shampoo deep conditioner for Mrs. Dotti—the name she used to arrange the appointment with Kinglsey (she was married to Dr. Andre Dotti at the time).

She loved it.

Six years later, he named the product Elasticizer for its ability to improve stretchability and elasticity in the hair. The product melded perfectly with Audrey Hepburn’s fine hair and kept it bouncy. For those with extremely course hair, we recommend Philip Kingley’s newest product, Elasticizer Extreme.

In one use, you will see visible results from this pre-shampoo treatment for dry, damaged, and porous hair. Simply soak your hair, dip your fingertips into Elasticizer Extreme, rub together in your hands and rake the product from front to back until your hair is completely softened. Leave on for 20-30 minutes, rinse out and apply shampoo and conditioner as normal. Feeling like Audrey Hepburn is optional, but looking like her? Well, that just comes naturally with the product.

Erin Gignac covers stories for Paramount Beauty. Follow her on Twitter and view more of her work here