How to get Dakota Johnson's cool-girl hair texture

Dakota Johnson will live on in the beauty hall of fame for her hair. 

From her effortless curtain fringe to the cool-girl texture she’s always touting, Dakota Johnson’s hair is just as impressive as her acting resume.

So when her hair stylist ​​Mark Townsend sat down with Vogue to reveal a few of his styling secrets for keeping Johnson’s strands looking ​​“touchable and never overdone—just young and fresh” – we were all ears.

In fact, looking too perfect is the last thing on the pair’s mind when Johnson hops into the styling chair. “We never want her hair to look like newscaster hair, where everything is in place—we’re not afraid of a little flyaway here and there,” explained Townsend. “If there’s a breeze, I want the hair to move with it!”

Dakota Johnson’s hair inspiration

Johnson’s look is often inspired by another historically ‘cool’ girl. “A lot of my inspiration for her hair comes from Jane Birkin,” Townsend confessed. “Dakota has seen an awful lot of her on my moodboards!”

Townsend loves to reference Birkin’s iconic ‘60s French cool-girl vibe because she “had beautiful hair but wasn’t owned by it.”

How to get Dakota Johnson’s cool-girl texture

According to Townsend, Johnson’s hair must be “touchable. I love hair that moves!”

However, the actress isn’t a fan of dirty strands and actually has “very clean hair.”  

“My challenge is always to make it look not-so-clean,” Townsend explained to the publication. “I want it to look like it’s the second day post-wash.” 

The solution? “It’s all about dry shampoo,” says Townsend.

Townsend keeps his kit stocked with a specific fave.  “Kevin Murphy’s Doo.Over Spray ($45.95 at Hairhouse Warehouse) is my absolute favorite product—it’s a powder-based hairspray,” he shared. “That’s all we ever really put in her bangs.”

“Then I use the Kevin Murphy Hair.Resort Spray ($42.95 at Adore Beauty) from the mid-lengths down to give it a little piecey-ness,” he went on to say. 

For final touches Townsend opts for spritzing a salt spray “into my hands, and then raking them through Dakota’s mid-lengths to ends.”

Need to get your hands on a salt spray stat? We don’t blame you…

We recommend:

OUAI Wave Spray ($43 at Sephora); IGK BEACH CLUB Texture Spray ($21 at Adore Beauty); and ELEVEN Australia Sea Salt Texture Spray ($24.95 at Adore Beauty).

Turns out Johnson’s good at looking out for all the hair on her head, not just that impressive fringe of hers. This is the mascara trick Dakota Johnson’s grandma taught her for long lashes. 

Main image credit: Getty