Jill Scott attended the BET Honors event wearing a twisted updo, which Leatherwood says was Scott’s own creation. “Jill is excellent at helping the creative process,” says Leatherwood. “She started wearing the shaved sides when her hair was straight. After she wore it straight for a while, she wanted to transition back into her natural look.”
Scott also rocked her updo at the Vh1 Divas Live event. Get the look by following just three easy steps. First, decide if you want just one side, the back, or both areas of your hair shaven and ask your stylist to do the shaving. “To smooth the edges, I use a clipper brush,” says Leatherwood. “It looks like a big toothbrush, but it’s great for getting those hard-to-reach hairs to really lay down.”
The second step is to use extensions to create the twists. “I attach the extensions by starting as a braid. I might do two or three notches of a braid before going into a twist,” says Leatherwood. “This is very important because it protects your edges from breaking.” Leatherwood uses Janet Collection brand synthetic extensions. “It’s very lightweight so it doesn’t pull on Jill’s hair.”
After you’ve created 50 to 80 individual, chin-length twists, the final step to Scott’s updo is to pin or tie the hair up. “Once you get the twisting process done, then you can play with it,” says Leatherwood. “You can pull it to one side or do a fold and tuck. After a few days, you can even untwist it and wear it loose at the top. You can do so many various styles with it.”
Scott’s twisted updo isn’t the first of Leatherwood’s creations that we fell in love with. This half-braided/half-loose style stole our hearts when Scott arrived at the premiere of Why Did I Get Married, Too?
Get the look by shampooing the hair with Shea Moisture’s Curl Control Shampoo, which Leatherwood says is one of Jill’s faves. After washing, apply Koils By Nature Shealoe Leave-in Conditioner to make the hair super soft before you begin the cornrows.
Scott also wore a half-braided/half-loose style at the NAACP Image Awards. “The extensions that I use on Jill are by Bohyme Hair and it’s called the Brazilian Wave,” reveals Leatherwood. “It’s great hair and it lasts forever. You can take it out, condition it and reapply it later, if you choose to.”
Jill also wore a half-braided/half-loose style at the NAACP Image Awards. “The extensions that I use on Jill are by Bohyme Hair and it’s called the Brazilian Wave,” reveals Leatherwood. “It’s great hair and it lasts forever. You can take it out, condition it and reapply it later, if you choose to.”
If you order the Brazilian Wave hair, Leatherwood advises not to be alarmed by its straight appearance. “When you purchase this hair, it looks straight, but as soon as you put some water on it, it will curl right up.” Leatherwood also likes to moisten the extensions with Jane Carter Solution’s Revitalizing Leave-In Conditioning Spray.
Despite having an expert stylist at her fingertips, Leatherwood shares that the real reason Scott’s hair always looks hot is because of who she is. “She makes the look, the look doesn’t make her,” proclaims Leatherwood about her client. “I’ve been working with Jill for 10 years, and whether she’s straight or natural, she’s still beautiful. It’s her inner essence that makes her beautiful.”
