We hear from Tobias Bell, someone to keep an eye on with an ever-budding career as a stylist. Tobias comes from a family of Hairdressing pros as the son of Robert Bell, owner of Robert Bell Salon, and Kim Bell, an award-winning hairdresser.
If you watched Daisy Jones & The Six and are just as obsessed with the looks as we are, you’ll love this! Tobias runs through how to re-create some of our favourite hairstyles in the show. Perfect for use in the salon and to share with clients for fun, 70’s inspired looks.
About Tobias
It’s no surprise Tobias Bell is a great hairdresser. He’s the fifth generation of the Bell family, who started way back in 1890 with a salon on Berwick Street, Soho. Fast forward 130 years or so, Tobias has mastered the family art, building a strong following at Robert Bell salon, Woodford Green, London – he’s one to watch.
Despite being just 25 years old, Tobias has a wealth of knowledge and experience at his fingertips, bearing in mind the Bell heritage. Although he didn’t coiffure through the 50, 60s, 70s, 80s and so on, Tobias doesn’t have to go far to consult with a family member who did, to tap into their creative wisdom.
Family background
It’s an understatement that creativity runs throughout the family… Hairdresser & businessman dad Robert has travelled the world as a platform artist and educator and is still working wonders on the salon floor. So is mum Kim, an award-winning hairdresser with a penchant for colour work. Grandmother Val (84), a shampoo & set and hair up genius could teach us all a thing or two about styling and still inspires the team with in-salon demos, younger brother George is a talented barber (another one to keep an eye on for the future), elder brother Robert Jr is a designer for none less than luxury fashion house LOEWE. And then there’s the music – the Bells have it running through their veins, and always have done (think glamourous hair shows accompanied by a live band in the 50s & 60s, live music bars in the 80s, and live gigs still a go-go in 2023) whether their talent is vocal or instrumental, it’s there!
But Tobias isn’t resting on his family laurels. Despite the family expertise available, and a strong educational programme at Robert Bell salons, Tobias is his own man with his sights set firmly into the future. With a thirst for knowledge and passion for cutting, he enrolled on a 6-month Sassoon cutting course (the last to be held at Sassoon’s Brook Street academy) to extend his technique and loves to experiment with all types of cutting. His social accounts, especially TikTok are gaining momentum at a huge pace due to his real-life video work, and he’s just starting into session and backstage projects. Loving his salon work, followers are traveling from as far away as America for a haircut with Tobias. He has a vision which combines the experience of generations while carving a fresh path.
Part of the Bell charm is the genuine welcome you get at the salon, the warmth of inclusiveness, the lengths they will go to in making sure you’re delighted with your hair. The business has been built on a foundation of great hairdressing and hospitality ethics, which are obvious when you meet Tobias; he has a way of instantly putting clients at ease with his relaxed style, attentive nature and unmistakable skill. Qualities that are true to his style outside of work, where music, fitness and travel feature heavily.
Tobias loves visiting West Hollywood, the former home of his parents during the late 70s and 80s when they were young aspiring hairdressers, and we can see how it suits his real rock ‘n’ roll (without the excesses of course!) lifestyle. If you’ve been following his Insta @tobias_bell and TikTok tobiasbellhair you’ll know his current love of 70s inspired hair. So, we thought he’d be the best person to speak to about recreating some of the styles we’re obsessed with in Daisy Jones & The Six, currently trending on Amazon Prime.
Did the 70’s looks from Daisy Jones and The Six resonate with your clients?
Tobias Bell: Yeah, definitely regarding the actual program. It’s great seeing styles from the 70s and late 60s coming back into fashion. It is certainly something I am interested in and enjoy discussing with my clients who seem very keen to experiment having these haircuts themselves.
Daisy Jones’ hair is very soft and natural which is what the 70s was all about versus the 60s which were more geometrical cuts. The 70s were all about softness; soft bangs, grown out bangs, and embracing your natural texture.
Throughout the series Daisy was seen with many different looks. I preferred her hair looking natural and ‘lived in’. Daisy’s hair was naturally wavy, whether the hairdressers did that or she was actually naturally wavy, I liked it looking soft.
To style hair like Daisy Jones would depend on the person. If they had naturally straight hair I would prep with Unite BEACH Day salt spray or Unite BLOW&SET. I would divide the hair into plaits and leave it, so you get a natural loose wave when you brush it out. And with regards to the cut, her hair is not overly layered but it’s got nice soft bangs which bevel towards the edge and accentuate her cheekbones and natural features. I would also use Unite EXPANDA Dust, to get a ‘lived in’ style, and maybe a touch of Unite SECOND Day Finishing Cream but not too much. You want a good product that will embrace the natural curls.
There are other ways of styling it, you could probably curl someone’s hair with hot rollers for Daisy’s look. Someone with straight, natural hair needs a curl for a 70s theme. You could use a hot roller, spray with Le:Play Hairspray, leave overnight and let it do its thing.
Karen’s style was more 70’s glam and definitely one of my favourite looks. It was different, it was layered and a bit choppy, I really like that style. It’s something my clients ask for a lot, even without seeing the Netflix series, it’s a typical 70’s haircut and my clients love that.
I would probably use the same products to create Karen’s style that I would use on Daisy, I tend to use more ‘lived in’ products, products that embrace movement like Unite EXPANDA Dust, which is my absolute favourite, also Unite BOOSTA Volumising Spray. Once you’ve got texture you can build something, but you can’t do anything on flat hair. I would say Unite SECOND Day Finishing Cream is a big favourite of mine, obviously that’s creating the ‘second day’ effect. I would layer the product and maybe use a touch of BEACH Day spray at the end. The 70’s was ‘lived in’ hair, it wasn’t perfect. That’s my take on the 70s.
Let’s talk about Billy, the main character with Daisy. He’s got great ‘rock-n-roll’ hair, it’s not unlike your own.
It’s quite similar I must say. I would have had his hair a bit longer, if I was doing the hair for the show, but other than that it was a great style. It was nice to see them embracing the natural texture of the hair, just going with it. I like to think he just got up, washed it and left it. Maybe he had actually done something but I think they created the vibe that he hadn’t. He just had naturally curly hair and he lived in it and it was ‘rock-n-roll’.
To create Billy’s style I would start off with a great shampoo from Unite. My dad says he was around in that era and wishes he had Unite back then but they didn’t have anything like it, products were very limited. These days it’s so much easier to create looks on people who don’t have curly hair. So I would use, like I use on myself, Unite BEACH Day, BOING Moisture Curl Cream, because you create a soft finish rather than a crunchy finish. You can run your hands through it easily, it has natural movement.
Billy’s hair is layered, it’s a bit short at the front, so it opens his face up better. You can see the movement in his hair. When he’s on stage it moves around, it’s not fixed. There is nothing hard about it, it’s not hair-sprayed up, it’s very loose. It’s very late California Laurel Canyon era; You’ve got all these bands that had the same hair because they lived by the sea and were constantly around Malibu and Venice beach. There was such a big scene of these late rock-n-roll stars. They were just getting in and out of the sea, leaving their hair and creating such a nice, natural texture.
When I use a hairspray on clients, I use Unite Le:Play Hairspray. It’s soft, the hair isn’t fixed and can move. Contrary to that you’ve still got a hard spray which definitely serves a purpose for certain looks. Everything has a purpose and with the Unite range there is something for everyone which you don’t often find.
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