Drea de Matteo: Hair Secrets

Introduction

Drea de Matteo (Andrea Donna de Matteo) won an Emmy, a Golden Globe nomination and the hearts and loyalty of fans around the world with her portrayal of Mafia babe Adriana le Cerva on HBO's The Sopranos.

Although she was originally signed for one episode, the producers were so blown away by her acting, they created an ongoing role for her as the finance of Christopher Moltisanti (played by Michael Imperioli).

Ultimately, she got whacked which ended her run with the Mafia gang.

Drea (pronounced "Dray") is a Capricorn born January 19, 1972 in Queens, New York. The sassy but shy, multi-tattooed actress was ranked as one of the sexiest women by Stuff magazine.

After her untimely HBO death on Sopranos, the gorgeous honey blonde reincarnated on NBC as Joey's strong and sexy hairdresser sister Gina on the Friends spin-off. She also got busy working in films which included Assault on Precinct 13, a remake of John Carpenter's 1976 thriller and a Waylon Jennings tribute which puts her behind the director and producer's chairs.

Drea was most recently seen on the big screen co-starring with Gina Gershon in “Prey for Rock n’ Roll” directed by Alex Steyermark. Her other feature films include Warner Bros.’ “Swordfish” (as the bitchy ex-wife) and Abel Ferrara’s “R’Xmas.”

During her downtime, the multi-talented actress always returns to HB Studios where her mother has taught playwriting for over 25 years. She and her partner Robin Whitehouse devote a lot of time to the studio and their company, Great Dane Productions. Drea and Robin focus on finding new writers and projects and working on their own material. In fact, right after “Joey” wrapped production last season, Drea headed back to New York to star in a play her mother scripted titled "The Heart Transplant."

Steal Her Style

Drea, who is a classic Italian-American princess, loves to teeter on the edge between soft sensuality and hard core rock and roll chic. She adores wearing her tresses very long and coiffed into soft, feminine, waves and curls. The blonde bombshell shows off her lush strands with an always gorgeous array of earrings that complement her stunning fashion selections.

The sizzling hot actress has a prominent chin and wide cheekbones giving her a heart shaped face. She also has notable sexy eyebrows, big eyes and dimples.

Drea generally prefers to wear one side of her strands pulled back behind one ear with the other side nestled into her cheekbones. This serves to balance her facial shape, play up her mesmerizing eyes and lips and provide a stellar image.

Sometimes the actress will pull both sides behind her ears but will dramatically drape the bulk of her hair over one shoulder, worn to the front. She softens the angles of her forehead and chin with an array of soft free-flowing tendrils.

Although Drea's hair color tends to fluctuate, it remains in the blonde zone. Her preferences for hair hues run the gamet from light honey blonde to dark honey. Usually the strands on the top of her head near the crown and around her face are much lighter and gradually deepen throughout the lengths.

This color strategy infuses Drea's hair with a very "natural" sun kissed look. With the lighter top sections and the darker ends, her hair appears lush and full of natural light and dark tones.

To steal Drea's style follow the steps below:

Step 1: Start before you step into the shower. Detangle hair carefully starting at the ends and working up towards the roots. Use a 100% boar's head brush like a Mason Pearson or similar, to smooth strands completely.

Step 2: Prepare a shampoo mix that will work for your hair type, texture and length maximizing the potential to get super straight strands. Consider using a moisturizing shampoo like Phytojoba if your tresses are chemically treated or naturally dry. Phytocitrus shampoo also works well on hair that is colored.

Step 3: Step into a shower with lukewarm, not hot water and get hair soaking wet. Drizzle shampoo formula over the top of your head letting the suds gently cascade down the length of your strands. Use fingers to pat shampoo mixture into strands. Avoid rubbing wet strands. Not only will this prevent breakage, it will help keep strands as straight as possible.

Step 4: Rinse well until hair is completely clear of suds.

Step 5: Apply favorite rinse-out conditioner for type, length and condition of hair, if one is normally used. Phytosesame is excellent for providing moisture. Phytocitrus Conditioner will help to soften and condition dry or chemically treated strands. Use fingers or a wide tooth pick to distribute onto strands from the top of the ears down to the ends. Allow to remain on strands for up to 10 minutes and then rinse well.

Step 6: When possible, finish with a cool/cold rinse which closes the cuticle and add shine.

Step 7: Apply desired leave-in conditioner like Phyto 7, Phyto 9 or similar to help keep strands soft and detangled. Add a heat protectant spray on top of the detangling/leave in product.

Step 8: Starting at the ends, use a smooth high quality comb like a Kent or a wide tooth comb or pick and detangle strands.

Step 9: After strands are completely tangle free, apply a large ball of mousse to the palms of your hands. Distribute well and then apply to still damp strands. Work the mousse completely through the hair from roots to ends.

Step 10: Working in a circular pattern, separate hair into 6-8 equally sized sections and clip into place. Using a flat, boar bristle brush like the Mason Pearson (favorite of many of the celebrity hairdressers), unclip the first section of hair. Using the brush to anchor and smooth, direct the air flow from a blow dryer from the roots down towards the ends of the strand. This will help to keep the cuticle smooth and help to add natural shine.

Note: The Mason Pearson Handy boar's head brush (available at HairBoutique.com) is a favorite of hairdressers and beauty editors alike because of his superb quality and ability to create fabulous styles.

Step 11: After all of the sections have been carefully dried apply a very light amount of anti-frizz product to the middle to the bottom ends of the strands. Avoid getting any frizz product near the scalp or root area which can cause oiliness.

Step 12: Divide hair into small 1 to 1 1/2" sections. Roll each section of hair in either a spiral or upwards direction onto a medium or large hot roller or Velcro roller.

(Pictured: Drea de Matteo as Gina - - NBC Universal Photo: Richard Cartright - all rights reserved). Starting at the very ends of each stand roll the hair so that the roller only captures the bottom two-thirds of the strand. Leave the hair from the crown to the top one third of the strand unrolled.

Note: If your hair is stick straight or resists forming curls or waves, spray with a good holding spray while curlers are in the hair. Direct the air flow of your blow dryer over each curler.

Let the rollers completely cool. Let the curlers remain in the hair for up to 30 minutes. Remember that the longer you leave in the rollers, the tighter the curl. If you want to guarantee longer lasting curls, unroll each curler and then pin the newly formed curl against your scalp. Spritz again lightly with hairspray or setting spray.

Step 13: Lightly tousle and arrange curls with fingers. Do not use a comb or brush which can flatten newly formed ringlets.

Step 14: Use your fingers to carefully separate out a section of hair from either side. Twist lightly and pin up against the side of the head. Pin the section in place with a small hair clip, jeweled bobby pin or barrette. Optionally you could use a jeweled hair comb to hold the strand in place and provide an elegant look.

Step 15: Direct the bulk of the curls up and over the shoulder. Arrange with your fingers and spray one last time with hairspray.

Summary

Besides having a sizzling acting career, Drea has other ambitions. She told the New York Post, in the February 2, 2005 edition that "My friends used to say better to be type-cast than not cast at all. But all I get now are scripts for girls with big hair and New York accents. I'm not looking for that anymore. Now I'm looking for a chance to direct".

No doubt, this multi-talented woman will rock in the director's chair, or anywhere else she decides to be.

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Drea de Matteo: Hair Secrets

Introduction

Steal Her Style

Summary

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