Chris McMillan has always loved the drama of a hair transformation. "I used to hang out with this girl. We used to go roller skating," the celebrity hairstylist recounts with a laugh. "Her mom was a hairdresser, and she wore her hair like Farrah Fawcett—like all the girls did in high school. [After] Christmas vacation, she came back to school with a perm and had cut it into a bob. I was like, 'My God, she's hot. … Am I obsessed with her, or am I obsessed with the change?'" It was the first time he truly understood the power of hair and its connection to identity, self-expression, and even rebellion. The glamour of it all was satiating—and he was hungry. "Watching people get dramatic haircuts and having it be just as beautiful, if not more, I've always been drawn toward that," he adds.
It's perfectly fitting that, decades later, he'd be responsible for one of the most significant hair transformations in pop culture history: Jennifer Aniston's "the Rachel." Their meeting was organic and unexpected, orchestrated by talent manager Molly Madden, who saw McMillan's previous work on Patricia Arquette during the actress's True Romance press tour. "Molly was like, 'I've got this girl. She's on a pilot,' and it was Jennifer Aniston," he says. "She had just finished the [Friends] pilot, and they needed her hair tweaked."
There was no brief and no specific direction, he tells me—just an image of Amber Valletta for Gucci by Tom Ford that wouldn't leave his brain. "We cut it to clavicle-length. Then I gave her a blowout because there was that really smooth deep-side-part blowout on Amber, and it had hit the shoulder. … Then [Aniston's] bangs grew out really fast, [so she had] a good blowout with that layered cut with the bangs grown out. Hence came the Rachel," he says.
I likely don't need to tell you how fiercely the face-framing lob captured the '90s and remained relevant for years to come (McMillan says he frequently gives clients an updated version of the Rachel cut at his salon), beloved for its effortlessly tousled texture and ultra-flattering layers. But maintaining the Rachel? That's an entirely different ball game. "Jennifer will be the first one to tell you she couldn't style it herself," McMillan says. "It was good if I did it, but left to her own devices, she couldn't do it."
It turns out this was a common gripe with his clients, regardless of their celebrity status. "I love my hair. How can I do this myself?" became the most frequently asked question in his salon, leading him to finally introduce his own line of products—which you can officially grab at Sephora starting today. The collection features seven haircare staples specifically designed to achieve "chair hair" at home: a smoothing blow-dry spray, a shine-inducing hair spray, a dry texturizing spray, a multitasking styling balm, an air-whipped mousse, a buildable and brushable hair gel, and an on-the-go styling wand. Armed with these essentials, McMillan swears you can re-create "anything that [he's] done to your hair," whether you're sporting a modern Rachel or committing to the "c*nty little bob," the viral 'do he created for Leslie Bibb's character on season 3 of The White Lotus.
While those with different hair types may cocktail them differently, these stylers are meant to be forever classics, similar to how the Rachel will never fall out of favor despite the roller coaster of buzzy hair trends.
"I'm noticing a lot of people wanting layers," McMillan says regarding today's styling forecast. Whether they're short, long, or perfectly face-framing, he predicts people will opt for more shape and movement to help loosen up the hair, especially as bob loyalists start to graduate to collarbone-grazing lengths. "As the bob starts growing out, people layer their hair," he adds. "Cutting your hair to a Rachel-esque haircut is a great option. [You can] go from a c*nty bob to the Rachel effortlessly and easily."
No matter which cut you have—the Rachel, the c*nty little bob, or something in between—Chris McMillan haircare is there to ensure easy upkeep. Ahead, discover each of the soon-to-be staples with exclusive how-tos from the hair icon himself.
My personal favorites
The Glassy Smooth Blowdry Spray
On paper, this is a prep spray that cuts your blow-dry time in half while smoothing frizz and infusing shine. In McMillan's words? It's like Kérastase's Oléo-Relax and Color Wow's Dream Coat had a baby. It's weightless, yet it deeply infuses strands with moisture and protects them from any hair-raising humidity. It also secretly detangles, McMillan tells me, so you could theoretically use it on its own without any source of heat. "You can't use too much of it," he shares. "It's kind of like the Flush Balm by Merit—you can't make a mistake."
The Dry Texture Spray
In the salon, McMillan would angle your head upside down post-blowout and give your tresses a generous spritz of texturizing spray to ensure the style isn't too polished. "I love messy, chunky, texturey hair," he notes. His at-home version is essentially a cheat code for day-old hair that looks just right. "It's a dry shampoo meets texture spray," he adds, noting how it takes the preciousness out of the hair. "[It's] like you just slept on it, [so] it has that good, chunky texture."
The Styling Balm
Here, we have arguably the most versatile styler of the bunch, and it's my favorite formula, FWIW. You can use it on the ends of dry hair post-blowout to define any textured layers and, again, take out the preciousness of the style, or you can comb it through damp hair to moisturize and define curls. "It's a before, during, and after product," McMillan shares. "You can use it on wet hair. You can use it while you're blow-drying your hair. You can use it as a prep before you [blow-dry]. It helps smooth it out. You can also take two pumps, split [your dry hair] down the middle, and pull it through your ends."
I love to use it for my slicked-back buns, as it smooths strands and eliminates frizz without making my hair feel too helmet-like. Plus, I always love a slicked-back styler that simultaneously nourishes strands. "The first product that I developed was The Balm. There's a lot of innovation in that recipe," McMillan adds.
The Major Hairspray
Consider this the Goldilocks of hair sprays: It's strong but not too stiff, and it's brushable yet provides enough hold. The shine? Oh, it's unmatched. "Hair spray can be intimidating," McMillan admits. "I didn't want [it to create] a wet spot on your hair. I wanted it to come out nice and soft but make sure that it worked once it hit your hair." Rest assured, you can apply this one very generously without worrying about crunchy strands, whether you're using it mid-blowout as a root lift, post-blowout to set Velcro rollers, or pre–curling iron to shield against heat. "It's a heat-protecting, finishing hair spray [that] adds high shine," McMillan adds.
The Mousse
McMillan says hair sprays are intimidating, but I see a mousse and immediately remember the crispy, overscrunched strands of my youth and run like the wind. "My mousse is super fluffy, foamy, and creamy. I think it's the new world of foams," McMillan reassures me. He recommends using it like you would a leave-in conditioner: Rake a dollop through your strands, scrunch to define curls (just not too much!), and let the natural spirals do their thing. With a truly stellar formula, there's no need for too much coddling. "I think that foams are having a moment. I think they're really fun," he says.
The Gel
"I always thought that gel had to dry really helmet-y and hard, and then when you brushed it out, it flaked. I was fine with that. I didn't know there was [another] option until I went into the lab and made that option," McMillan shares. Buildable and brushable, his gel results in mirror-like shine with zero lingering residue, and for my next slicked-back bun, he dares me to try a cocktail of gel and a bit of Styling Balm. (Spoiler: I did, and I won't ever look back.) "As professionals, that's [what] we do on set. We mix products. These products are super interchangeable and mixable," he adds.
The Wand
Finally, we have a smoothing wand perfect for details, flyaways, and on-the-go touch-ups. "I don't want to weigh down hair after I do this va-va-voom blowout, but sometimes, there's a rogue hair or 10 on the top of your head or around your hairline. So I came up with this mascara wand," he notes. "The actual apparatus of it is strong, so it's not bending around. It actually targets with purpose. You can pinpoint the one hair and smack it right into place."
Note, it's a slightly more concentrated formula than the aforementioned gel. "It's kind of like the hair spray and gel mixed together," McMillan explains. That doesn't mean it dries crunchy; you can use it all around your hairline (and even on your brows, if you'd like!) without any fear of flakes.
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