Maybe she’s born with it, or maybe it’s Jones Road’s multi-tasking hero…
No spoilers, but if you’ve seen My Oxford Year, or at the very least some teasers of it on Netflix, you’ll know two things: just how devastating the plot it, and just how incredible Sofia Carson looks. Playing the American post-grad student Anna De La Vega, Sofia, 32, has quickly shot up to style icon status thanks to the looks her character served.
But away from her preppy knits and expansive winter jacket wardrobe, the actress shone in one other department that had nothing to do with her wardrobe: her hair. We spent the whole 1h53 minutes desperately Googling to find out exactly what was used on Sofia’s hair on the set to give her that mirror-like shine, and we finally have the intel.
Hair pro Rebekah Forecast, who did the make-up for My Oxford Year, quietly dropped a full list of everything she used on Sofia’s hair, and we’ve pinpointed Jones Road’s Everywhere Balm Hippie Stick, £36, as the product behind her shiny tresses. Think of it less as a secret weapon and more as a Swiss army knife.
This slip-on-the-go multi-use balm can literally be used from forehead to heels (and yes, hair too). Initially formulated as a barrier-rich hydrator for dry skin, it’s a frequent styling fallback for taming flyaways or hydrating ends. With a dab on each finger, the buttery blend smoothes frizz while adding a subtle sheen. Thanks to its rich combo of sunflower seed oil, coconut oil and shea butter, it locks in moisture and softens dry strands without a greasy finish or residue.
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The formula reads like a nourishing smoothie: sunflower oil to calm and hydrate, beeswax to shield, castor oil and cocoa butter to condition, and a hint of lavender, orange peel and spearmint oils for a botanical kick. These natural emollients smooth over irritation while creating a protective barrier, not just for skin but for fragile hair ends suffering from sun and styling damage.
If you’re interested in the other product Rebekah used on Sofia, the line-up also included Oribe’s Hair Spray, £43. This seriously luxe mist is like gold dust, and sets the hair without making it feel product-heavy or sticky. There’s a reason it has a cult celebrity and hair stylist following. As for Sofia’s volume, R&Co Rodeo Star Thickening Style Foam, £15.50, was used to raise her roots.
For fine to medium hair that could use serious lift and body, this isn’t your standard mousse: it adds instant density without stickiness, thanks to a blend of vitamin E for shine, aloe vera to soften and moisturise and kiwi extract to help balance moisture and protect strands. Another product that is definitely premium, but also gives premium results.
The fact that Rebekah uses a range of fine sprays and volume-boosting products tells us that Sofia might actually have quite fine hair, which makes the styles she boasted for the Netflix movie all the more impressive. If even fine-haired girls can get shine and volume like that, without strands looking greasy, they’re products we want for ourselves.