Lucy Liu's Hair History

Lucy Liu Hair History - Photo: Nino Muñoz/CBS©
2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Lucy Liu's hair history is full of interesting secrets and scoops. Just as the actress loves vintage stuff and being original, her hair has a lot of interesting aspects.

Born in Queens, New York (December 2, 1968) the gorgeous actress originally captured worldwide attention with her long ebony shiny hair and iconic growl as Ling Woo on TV's Ally McBeal.

Although she had already booked several guest spots in films and on TV long before her role as Woo, it was her McBeal appearances which thrust her into the International spotlight.

The actress wisely combined the sexy Woo growl with a withering stare, designed to intimidate female colleagues and entire males around the world.

As Ling Woo, she also used her long silky tresses to full advantage in her role as the man-eating attorney.

Joan Watson's Classic Hairstyles On Elementary

Now the beloved star of a long string of TV and movie roles has won the hearts of a whole new generation as Joan Watson on TV's Elementary co-starring Jonny Lee Miller and Aidan Quinn.

While her hair is still dark, shiny and silky, it's no longer a key component of her role as a physician, somber companion and budding detective.

While the actress still wears her famous hair down in her role as Dr. Watson, she's just as likely to wear her tresses pulled back in classic sleek ponytails or chignons.

When she's out investigating crimes with Holmes, her hair is often styled out of the way or covered with an array of accessories.

Lucy Liu With Ponytail On CBS TV's Elementary - CBS Television Network Photo: Jeffrey Neira /CBS©2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

From her success on Ally McBeal the beautiful Liu, named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful Women grabbed big screen fame as Alex Munday, one of Charlie's famous Angels.

The beautiful actress co-starred with Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz in 2002's Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels Full Throttle in 2003.

Liu told Allure Magazine in an interview for the November 2000 issue, where she graced the cover, she was destined to play Alex rather than any of the other Angels.  She noted "as kids, when we played Charlie's Angels, I always played Sabrina.  I would never play Farrah."

Why?  "I always played Sabrina, because I had straight hair.  It was always my role.  You identify with the way they (The Angels) look."

Liu's long ink black straight strands were immortalized in the form of her action figure doll which was created based on her role as Alex.

Revlon Celebrity Spokesmodel

Her stunning hair and overall beauty won her a spot as a celebrity spokes model for Revlon, an International hair and beauty company.

The actress proudly showcased Revlon's fiery chili reds (lipsticks) because as she told Allure "Red is a really good color for me."

After her amazing turn on Charlie's Angels she went on to captivate fans as O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill Volume 1 and Volume 2.  Liu used her iconic voice to portray Master Viper in Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2.

Lucy Liu Chignon - Photo: Jeff Neumann /CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

No Fuss Hair - No Hair Products

When the actress appeared on the cover of Allure Magazine she confessed to a simple beauty regime and no fuss hair.  She noted "I wear sunblock every day, mixed with moisturizer.  I do nothing to my hair.  I put absolutely no products in it."

Of course there are exceptions to every rule.  Liu confirmed she uses a variety of hair products "sometimes, if it's really curled and damaged, I put olive oil and lavender in it."

Chopping All Her Hair Off

Liu told Allure "I like my hair - it keeps me warm - but I'm not attached to it."  She would have no problem cutting all her hair off "if it were for a role, it would be great.  Oh yeah, in a second."

Secrets Of Liu's Beauty

Lucy Liu, by all standards, is not a classic beauty.  However, she is striking, very attractive and glows with health and vibrancy.  What's her secret?

The actress is a fan of Chinese medicine.  She told Allure she incorporated Chinese herbs and acupunture into her schedule "after I met some experts during Angels.  It has really changed my life."

Liu noted "I used to have cold hands and feet my whole life, but now I sleep with the windows open and everything."

Lucy Liu & Jonny Lee Miller - Elementary - Image from CBS - All Rights Reserved

She also exercises a lot.  Liu told Allure "I exercise as much as I can, at least half an hour a day, and drinks ton of water."

She noted "  Walking is the best thing for you."

Liu told Allure "When I'm at work, I walk on a treadmill for 40 minutes.  But I prefer to do everything outdoors.  I don't belong to a gym, because I don't like recycled air."

Celebrity Hairstylist Robert Hallowell

I've always been a huge fan of Lucy Liu.  I adored her as Ling Woo, but love her even more on Elementary.

In the past she's worked with celebrity hairstylist Robert Hallowell who always told me Lucy is "a lovely person."  If Robert speaks highly of a celebrity hair client I know they are solid gold.

She seems like the kind of person who would be fun to have a glass of wine with and chat about her life experiences.

Summary - Lucy Liu's Hair History

Famous for her long silky ink black strands, Lucy Liu has had a history of showcasing her tresses in a wide range of films and on TV.

She used her hair to full advantage as Ling Woo on Ally McBeal.  Her long straight hair also was showcased in her role as Alex on Charlie's Angles.

Now, as Dr. Joan Watson on Elementary, she wears her hair in more classic professional styles.  Even though her hair is often pulled back in a sleek pony of a simple chignon, it's still silky, shiny and as gorgeous as ever.