Hj meets a strictly come dancing hairstylist

We caught up with Strictly Come Dancing hairstylist, Luca Jones, who has been creating impressive looks on the show for eight years. Working on the hair team, headed up by Lisa Davey, Luca gives us the inside scoop on what it takes to be a Strictly Come Dancing hairstylist...

Which cast members are your 'Strictly Stars' this year?

This year I am looking after Jayde & Karen and Will & Nancy https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci4eDrxj3Eq/

How do you go about planning your looks for each week?

Lisa Davey is head of the hair department and she has a meeting with other departments including makeup, wardrobe and production to decide on the weeks look to go with the concept and to ensure everyone looks different

What does a typical schedule look like before a show day?

We start early so we can get everyone ready for the dress run. It's also a chance for us to see what tweaks we can make to improve or even change the look completely. The most important thing is that they can dance with the hair, it does not affect their choreography and that it fits the theme https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci8VYLSjXs4/

What are your favourite hairstyles to create?

I love any type of hair up, as well as styling and working with texture and shapes. The great thing about Strictly is how varied the looks are each week, we have boxes of accessories, hair, wire - you name it we will use it in styles to create some of the crazy ideas on the show. One week will be a classic Hollywood wave then the next they could be a lobster so your brain is always challenged!

Are there any themed weeks that you're most looking forward to creating hairstyles for?

Halloween is always a great show, where we can really let loose. It's also my favourite holiday so I really get into the themes and put a little strictly twist into it. The looks on the halloween special are always fun to create

How do you make sure the hair stays in place?

The security of the hair is so important especially on live TV. Good structure and foundation will give the hairstyle strength; especially on softer styles to ensure it lasts the whole dance. I have learnt that a dancer's 'not moving' and celebrity's 'not moving' are very different. On one of the first shows I worked on, the dancer said they didn’t move much, then on the dress run I saw that they did a cartwheel through someone's legs! So ever since then I sew any ponytails and elastic band wefts for peace of mind, knowing they will not budge even if the hair gets caught.