Diana, Princess of Wales used a custom-made hairspray to prevent her hair from being disheveled by helicopter wind. Concerned about maintaining her signature pixie cut, she enlisted the help of beauty expert Sheree Ladove Funsch and her hairstylist Sam McKnight to create a special hairspray designed to keep her hair in perfect shape, regardless of the circumstances.
Ladove Funsch, a cosmetic chemist, explained in a New York Post column PageSix: “I am actually a cosmetic chemist by trade … I developed this reputation for creating products that would address celebrities’ specific needs… I received a call… and Princess Diana had this particular requirement. I worked closely with her and her hairdresser, Sam McKnight, at the time… She had that beautiful pixie cut. When she would disembark from the helicopter, the blades would be spinning, and her well-coiffed, cute little cut would go wild.”
She further added: “She didn’t want a hairspray that would make her hair look stiff because she was so young and beautiful. She didn’t want to appear old or have a helmet-like look, so I had to create a hairspray… It earned the nickname ‘helicopter hairspray’ as it was her personal hairspray.”
Ladove Funsch revealed that Diana also had another custom hair product created because she couldn’t use the helicopter hairspray when wearing a tiara, as the chemicals could potentially damage the precious gemstones.
She clarified: “There were two versions. One for helicopter use and another for wearing jewels… We had to create something less potent than a traditional hairspray but that would still provide some hold without compromising the jewels.”
Ladove Funsch emphasized that Diana never had any intentions of commercializing her custom hairsprays. She added: “I’m not saying she wouldn’t have eventually launched it or wanted to do something like that, but that wasn’t the initial intention. It was solely to create something exceptional for her.”
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