Beauty / IN THE BAG

Looking back with Frankie Endersbee

Frankie Endersbee works pure hair magic from her Double Bay outpost, ADILLA colab. Here she reflects on the moments of hard work and success, the people that shaped her career and why we should all be sleeping on a silk pillowcase.

My breakthrough career moment was …
It’s hard to pin point a moment specifically. I worked so much my first eight years hairdressing. I remember my boss Joey sitting me down and trying to explain to me that I was actually getting somewhere and all my hard work was paying off. I had entered a pretty big award and wasn’t going to go for personal reasons, but he told me I had to go and I’d probably win and encouraged me to go so I did, and I did win, which was a great feeling. It was amazing to have a boss that saw all the hard work and was so encouraging when he could tell I was going to break or give up. I owe so much to him for that. I think after that moment I was like, 'OK, I’m getting somewhere, I can do this’. But I still have moments to this day where I feel like 'OK it’s paying off’. It’s a constant hustle!

The top 5 most useful products backstage / on set are …
Elnett hairspray: It’s re-workable, brushable and builds an amazing texture in the hair that is impossible to gain any other way.
Mason Pearson Brush from Alan White Anthology: I have the junior and the mini.
Y.S Park brushes from Alan White anthology: With the right brush, half the work can be done for you. These brushes smooth the hair and create shine. They take a few go’s to get used to but they are amazing when you get the hang of it.
Imperial Blow Out Spray from Oribe: It can literally change the texture of hair. Sometimes models can have frizzy hair that really needs to be washed and blow dried from wet. Imperial gives it that feel of a softened out cuticle and allows you to manipulate the hair and create the finish and texture that you want.
Oribe Maximista: I literally don’t do hair without this product. Because we use Oribe, Olaplex and Revlon treatments at our shampoo station, the hair is always softened and needs a bit of extra grit. Salt sprays can often be a little oily, so Oribe Maximista is perfect to create either a little grit, or huge amount of hold. It can be layered multiple times or used just once for a little grit.

The products most worth the investment are …
A salon grade shampoo and conditioner. There is literally nothing better. Using Oribe has literally changed the lives of my clients. It’s important though to make sure you're using the correct one for your hair type, as they are very concentrated so if using the wrong one the desired result might not be achieved.

My biggest beauty trick / tip is …
Sleep! On a silk pillow. Sounds so simple, but sleeping on a silk pillowcase reduces friction on your hair and skin, When hair knots, its damaged and cotton causes friction on the hair, whereas silk is slippery and doesn’t cause friction. Also sleep, because the only way to look fresh is to be fresh! But on the days I haven’t I use Applebox 5am cream. Gets rid of my bags instantly!

My favourite career memory/ highlight is …
Probably the moment it sort of hit me - I was in the lift at the standard in NYC and Streeters Agency emailed me about doing the Zac Posen show at NYFW. I was only 24 at the time and I just thought 'Oh my god how did this happen?'. As many amazing moments as I’ve had in my career, that really changed my trajectory and how I felt about where I was and where I was going. The most rewarding though would have to be having staff, and seeing them grow and achieve.

My advice to people getting started in the industry is …
Do your research on who you are working for. Have a look at their career and training programs. Also working for hairdressers is always good.