In this tutorial we explore Lily Collins hair when it was short, similar to how hairstylist Gregory Russell Cut her hair for the Calvin Klein campaign. While we are more familiar with the Emily in Paris stars’ long hair with curtain bangs, her short blunt bob is a testament to her more mature and sophisticated side. We demonstrate Lily Collins’ beauty and style with this red carpet timeless haircut.

Follow along with the video tutorial and transcript below.

Lily Collins Hair Tutorial:

Welcome back to Jatai Academy. I’m Russell Mayes, Director of Content. Today we’re going to be doing a one-length bob. But we’re not going to do an old-fashioned grandma one length bob. We’re going to do something young and cool.

We’re going to use celebrity Lily Collins as our inspiration. She has this cool one length bob that still maintains the essence of the shape but because it’s done with the razor it keeps it modern and fresh and softer and a little bit easier to live with. So let’s get started.

Alright. So we’re going to start by taking a center part or a natural part. Hers is slightly off center, but it’s pretty much very very close down the middle.

We’re going to go to the occipital bone to the mastoid and then I’m going to split that flat section in half so that I have enough hair that I can start to develop my shape but not so much that it starts to clog up my razor.

The Limited Edition Wood-Look Feather Styling Razor

I’m going to use my Limited Edition Wood-Look Feather Styling Razor. Now this is in celebration of Jatai’s 75th Anniversary and there’s only a limited number of these being made. While the handle is not wood, every handle is going to be individual because the wood grains are going to be different, the color variations are going to change from handle to handle.

And so once they’re gone they’re gone. They’re not going to make it again and you can buy this individually with just one blade or you can buy it in a kit with a pack of blades and the other accessories that go along with it. And also don’t use alcohol-based disinfectants because it can affect the wood look finish.

Creating a Solid Blunt Shape

Now we’re going to go through and start with our razor bob and the thing that I want to pay attention to that makes this bob modern that Lily’s wearing is that the texture is just in the tips. There’s not a whole lot of texture that’s going to modify the shape and make it piecey. So we want to keep this as solid as possible.

So I’m going to hold everything, comb clean straight down. I’m going to find where I want my length at and then I’ll put the razor in and I will very gently move this up and down just about a sixteenth of an inch so I can still keep that a very solid blunt shape. We’re going to take our next section. Whatever my line is that I parted is going to be the line that I cut in it because I want this to be a little longer in the front.

Cutting that down and through. Following my parting on the opposite side, there’s my line. We’re going to go through.

Gently cut that off. Now you want a sharp blade. If you don’t have a sharp blade you’re going to start trying to saw the hair off. And the more that you’re trying to saw the hair off, the more texture that you’re going to put in it.

Remember I want to keep as little texture in this razor bob as possible and that’s what keeps it looking really modern and very very chic. There’s my line underneath. I’ll lay the razor right on top of it and just about a 16th of an inch razor stroke and cut that straight across. That way I concentrate the texturizing just in the very tips.

If I’m working on a model that has very very thick hair and I still want to go through and do this shape, I may run into a situation where I start to build up too much weight and then it starts to look broom-like.

So if that happens, then what I’ll do is every other section I’ll take a broader stroke to remove more weight. But then on every other section I will go through and cut very very blunt like this as much and as blunt as possible to make sure I have that solid line.

Now I’ll go through. Check this out. We’re shorter in the middle, a little bit longer towards the front. So once we got our baseline in, we’re going to continue on following the same pattern.

Now as my first section was the occipital mastoid, now I’m going to go two flat sections where the head is flat, where the head is flat, right to the top of the ear and that should give me exactly the same angle (the same line) that I was doing underneath. So this line should match that line and then I will take this and split it in half and there’s my next section. Pin that out of the way.

Moving Up the Head

Now as I start to move up the head, if I feel that the hair is starting to lack a little moisture, I’m going to use my Jatai Blade Glide just to give me a consistency with the dampness.

Also, it’s going to constrict the cuticle and make my razor cut easier and cleaner. We’re going to move on to the next section. I want to maintain zero elevation with my fingers being the only graduation that I get. The only elevation is from this middle finger, but everything else wants to be as flat to the head as possible and I want to keep my razor at a 45° angle.

I’m not laying it perpendicular to the hair. I want to keep a 45° angle as I’m cutting. So I’ll put the blade in, angle it at 45 right through there on top of my previously cut guide and cut that down and through. Keep everything T to my parting. There’s my line. Cut that through. Check and see how the length is. I think that length is going to be just fine. Continue that through.

Now by me laying the blade flat against the hair and cutting everything one length I’m not introducing any kind of movement to this cut or this shape at all. Everything is going to be solid and blunt.

I’m trying to apply as much precision to this as I possibly can even though I’m using a soft cut tool where it’s not giving me a precision cut like a scissor would. I still want to use the technique and the methodology to make this as precise as possible.

So when I’m combing I’m working on flat sections of head. I’m combing from the root clean all the way down and through creating just enough tension to hold the section tight but not so much that I’m stretching it. Laying the razor against that parting right there, cutting that straight across.

There’s my line. Cut that down and through.

Next section, keep everything combed as clean from the parting all the way through to my fingers as possible cutting that straight across. I think with it being a little longer in the front, we have shunned that shape for so long that now when we see it being a little longer in the front it looks fresh again.

Follow us on your favorite social media @jataifeather

Now when I come over the ear, since I have to maintain tension on the hair, I’m just going to comb everything into my hand using the comb as the maximum amount of tension that I’ll use. I’ll plant my fingers. There’s my guide from the back and then continue that down and through.

I can’t go through and do any sort of little tricks as far as making sure I don’t cut a hole in it over the ear other than using the least amount of tension as possible.

And we have a nice little line that’s building up a little length there in the front. And we’re going to do the same thing on the other side. Taking my time and making sure everything is combed as clean as possible all the way down.

Cut that through. There’s my line. Cut that through.

Perfect. Looking good. Alright. Let’s check our lengths out. I think we’re looking pretty good through there. So we’ve got our basic shape in.

Now remember, if the hair was overly thick I could razor in between sections to remove that kind of broom effect that I may get. Let’s blow it dry, take a look and see what we got.

Give us a thumbs up, click subscribe and the notification bell to be notified of future Jatai Academy content.

The End Result of this Lily Collins Hair Tutorial

So here’s our end result and I think we’re looking pretty good. I mean this is more of a less uptight kind of bob you know and that’s what makes it modern is that we still have this solid bob shape, but it’s got that little pieciness on the ends that make it look like it’s grown out a little bit and keeps it from looking really stuffy and too perfect.

And I think that because it has that kind of softness and that kind of tattered edge to it it gives it something really interesting to look at and it catches your eye more than just a real blunt cut bob.

Please check out the Jatai Academy. There’s all kinds of fantastic information on there that will make you a better hair stylist and barber.

Also let us know what you’d like to see in the future and once again thank you so much for watching. We’ll see you next time.

Lily Collins hair bob is classic and sophisticated. The timeless look defies hair trends and is perfect for any lifestyle. No matter the season, the one length bob will never lose popularity.