09.06.16
Legendary hair care expert Philip Kingsley died on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. He was 86.
Dubbed the ‘Hair Guru’ by the New York Times, the ‘Hair Wizard’ by Vogue and the ‘Hair Doctor’ by the Sunday Times, Kinglsey was the man who coined the phrase “bad hair day.” He treated countless celebrity clients including Sir Laurence Olivier, Cate Blanchett, Eva Herzigova, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller, Jane Fonda, Victoria Beckham, and many members of the royal family. He wrote four books on hair care, and for ten years, he penned an immensely popular hair advice column in London’s Sunday Times Style magazine.
Kingsley was also known for creating the world’s first pre-shampoo hair masque—a product called Elasticizer—in 1976, which he formulated personally for Audrey Hepburn. The product is an international best-seller, with one being sold every two minutes, according to his brand.
Kingsley—among the first to link hair health with nutrition and well-being—believed that the traditional classifications of hair as normal, oily and dry were inaccurate; he introduced the concept of hair textures instead (fine, medium, coarse and African-Caribbean).
Kingsley opened his flagship Trichological Clinic on Green Street, Mayfair in 1968, and then on New York’s Fifth Avenue in 1977. His hair care range started with a mere five basic products, and has grown to over fifty bespoke formulations.
Kinglsey also worked tirelessly to research female hair loss at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, developing products to suit the needs of people undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He also set up regular donations to the breast cancer charity Look Good Feel Better, as well as the Royal Marsden Hospital for Cancer Research.
He is survived by his wife Joan and their daughters Anabel, a fellow trichologist and his company's director of communications; Kate, a novelist; Sue, a pharmaceutical consultant, and Helen, a curator and archaeologist.
Dubbed the ‘Hair Guru’ by the New York Times, the ‘Hair Wizard’ by Vogue and the ‘Hair Doctor’ by the Sunday Times, Kinglsey was the man who coined the phrase “bad hair day.” He treated countless celebrity clients including Sir Laurence Olivier, Cate Blanchett, Eva Herzigova, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller, Jane Fonda, Victoria Beckham, and many members of the royal family. He wrote four books on hair care, and for ten years, he penned an immensely popular hair advice column in London’s Sunday Times Style magazine.
Kingsley was also known for creating the world’s first pre-shampoo hair masque—a product called Elasticizer—in 1976, which he formulated personally for Audrey Hepburn. The product is an international best-seller, with one being sold every two minutes, according to his brand.
Kingsley—among the first to link hair health with nutrition and well-being—believed that the traditional classifications of hair as normal, oily and dry were inaccurate; he introduced the concept of hair textures instead (fine, medium, coarse and African-Caribbean).
Kingsley opened his flagship Trichological Clinic on Green Street, Mayfair in 1968, and then on New York’s Fifth Avenue in 1977. His hair care range started with a mere five basic products, and has grown to over fifty bespoke formulations.
Kinglsey also worked tirelessly to research female hair loss at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, developing products to suit the needs of people undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He also set up regular donations to the breast cancer charity Look Good Feel Better, as well as the Royal Marsden Hospital for Cancer Research.
He is survived by his wife Joan and their daughters Anabel, a fellow trichologist and his company's director of communications; Kate, a novelist; Sue, a pharmaceutical consultant, and Helen, a curator and archaeologist.