Jamie stevens' x factor diary - disco week

We caught up with official hairdresser to the X Factor, Jamie Stevens, to find out what went on during the latest live shows - which just so happened to be the always-fabulous disco week. Here's what went on behind-the-scenes....

Disco week is one of my favourite weeks on the X Factor as we can have lots of fun with the contestants and really experiment with some great disco diva hair, especially on the girls such as Hannah, Tamera, Sam and Abi! Some of the younger contestants were quite taken aback with the hair, makeup and styling looks suggested, thinking that all of the glitter, sequins and colour a bit OTT. It’s easy to forget the disco era is way before their time and that most of them weren’t even born, so we show them references from that period and it’s also great to have an older contestant such as Sam Bailey explain to them this is how it reakky was, which makes them feel more comfortable and at ease to fully embrace the theme! On a Saturday we have a full two-hour dress rehearsal of the whole show around 3.30pm and this often informs last minute changes as things can look so different on camera. I always sit in the audience and watch the performances both on stage and through the monitors, then I go up to the production office and we decide then if anything needs changing. With Tamera, we wanted to go all out with voluminous disco curls and with a look like that, it's always a worry that Nicole or the production team might ask for a last minute change as it would have taken us a while to smooth it out! Luckily they loved it and Nicole even ended up doing her hair the same, which was a great affirmation of approval. Similarly with Abi this week, she initially had her hair pinned off her face in the dress rehearsal but when we saw it on screen her earpiece really showed up. As the camera was close up on her playing the piano, we decided to tong it back rather than pin it to cover the ear piece. It’s great to see someone like Abi coming out of her shell as the weeks go on. A bad experience means Abi has avoided having her hair cut until now. Having gained her trust, this week we trimmed her hair, taking the layers slightly shorter which has made it look thicker. This week we aso added some caramel flash lights for a softer colour while keeping it simple and straight with the floral wreath adding to the flower power vibe of the week. As much as it’s hard work, we also have a lot of fun with the contestants and with lots of wigs in our hair room for the dancers this week, they couldn’t resist dressing up - especially those Rough Copy boys! For now, it’s bye from me as I’m off to teach The Modern Man hairdressing course in Scotland.