Almond milk. Cacao nibs. Churro waves. This is not a grocery list but a mere sampling of Dimitris Giannetos’s celebrity hair transformations that have sparked social media mayhem, each expertly coiffed style incomplete without a moniker to bring it to life. “I need to write a book with all my names,” the lauded hairstylist and colorist tells Who What Wear with a laugh. His bob labels alone could make up a good chunk of chapters; the Prada bob, Valentine bob, flip-flop bob, cowgirl bob, and Jackie-O bob all deserve to be forever immortalized on glossy pages. For now, you can find them cataloged on his Instagram, scattered among hair trend roundups and, most likely, living in your mind rent-free.
“My mom always wanted to hear a name,” he recalls from his years at beauty school. “I would give her a layered bob at the time, and she would be like, ‘What’s the name of this haircut?'” That question—”What are we naming this one?”—has remained in the corner of his mind throughout his career, from working with Demi Moore at the Oscars to Khloé Kardashian in Venice to Gigi Hadid at the Met Gala. (The answers? Studio 54 hair, the glazed bun, and boudoir curls, respectively.)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Dimitris Giannetos)
We recently caught up with Giannetos to learn more about his creative process, how he comes up with each name, his go-to inspirations, and his all-time-favorite celebrity hair look (a surprising one!). Below, get to know the tress-whisperer behind virtually every buzzy trend.
On Breaking Into the Industry
“I’ve been a hairstylist for 26 years. I started my career in Greece; when I was 16, I went to beauty school, and I was there for 12 years, working with big magazines—Vogue, Bazaar, Elle—and being an ambassador for L’Oréal Paris. My sign is a Sagittarius, so I’m always dreaming big—set goals and pursue your dreams! So at 29, I was at the peak of my career in Greece, and I was like, ‘Okay, what’s next? I’m gonna move to America.’
“It was a really, really difficult decision because I didn’t know anyone, and I didn’t speak the language. I was so [naïve]; that’s why I did it. The first person I met was Maria Menounos. She’s Greek American. I met her in Greece. I had already moved to New York, and she was like, ‘If you come to L.A., I would like to work with you.’ So I went and started working with Maria, and then I found my first agent, [Opus Beauty founder] Charly Shahin. I owe him the beginning of my career. He introduced me to everyone and put me out there.
“I always felt very confident with my craft, with what I was doing, but it was hard because I wasn’t speaking the language in the beginning. The work [involves] communicating with your clients and making them feel confident and secure. That was the big challenge for me, but I always believe in the phrase Hard work pays off. I worked really, really hard—I still do. Charlie introduced me to so many people from Opus Beauty, and one person brought another… I remember my first clients were Camila Cabello, who at the time was with Fifth Harmony; Joey King; and Britney Spears.
“Then I joined the team of Guido Palau. He’s a visionary. He’s the best hairstylist we have in our era in the fashion world. I joined his team for a few years, and I did all the fashion weeks in Milan, Paris, New York… It was such a big opportunity. I wanted to be the best at my craft. I also wanted to be a visionary in my world—to bring something new to my celebrity clients, something based on editorial and fashion.
“Sometimes doing celebrity hair, you can feel stuck. Like, ‘Oh, the trend this season is a ponytail, a snatched bun, and straight hair.’ I wanted to think out of the box. In Greece, we kinda don’t follow the rules. Yes, you go to beauty school, you have the foundation, [but] I always like to be creative and approach every client in a different way. Doing all those fashion shows helped me explore [that] more.”
On When He Knew He Wanted to Work in Hair
“I remember as a young boy always playing with my mom’s and my sister’s hair. They would sit at the table, and I would [sit next to them] and play with their hair. It was a natural feeling, touching the hair. But growing up in a small town in Greece—Thessaloniki—especially almost 30 years ago, it was a little taboo for a boy from such a small community to want to be in hairstyling. It was hard to express to my dad that I want to pursue this path. I started therapy at a young age, and it’s the best thing I could have ever done in my life. My therapist at the time helped me make the decision. She was like, ‘What are you gonna do? It’s going to be your life. You don’t have to think about the community.’ It was the best thing.
“[When I told] my dad, I tricked him at first—I’m not gonna lie. I told him, ‘I think I want to pursue barbering,’ because being a barber sounds lighter. [Laughs] I went to beauty school, and then of course [into] hairstyling.”
On Naming Each Style
“Everybody wants to hear a name. This started from when I was a young hairstylist at beauty school. I remember I would do my mom’s hair, and my mom always wanted to hear a name. I would give her a layered bob at the time, and she would be like, ‘What’s the name of this haircut?’ I was like, ‘The name?’ It was just a layered bob. And then I realized, I was trying to be a creative, and people liked that. [When] I gave Amal Clooney English toffee highlights, people want to go to the salon and be like, ‘I want the English coffee highlights Amal Clooney has.’ I gave Joey the Prada bob; people want to have the Prada bob.”
(Image credit: Courtesy of Dimitris Giannetos)
“That’s how the idea started. It came very, very naturally. I’m just trying to be creative. I always do the hair, and then I’m like, ‘Hmm, what does this look [like]?’ I did Lindsay Lohan’s cover for Vogue, and I was like, ‘Hmm, this color really looks like almond milk.’
“People love a fairytale. These days with social media, we are very visual people. When you hear something, you want to have the image in your head. So when you hear ‘almond milk hair color,’ you’re going to be creative. The Prada bob is another chin-length bob. If I told you I gave Joey King a chin-length bob haircut—beautiful. But if I gave her the Prada bob, you’re going to be like, ‘Hmm, that sounds interesting.’
“[For Joey King], I was actually inspired by the fashion shows with Guido. We used to do this severe, side-part bob. So it’s an actual inspiration. It’s not just something [random].”
(Image credit: Courtesy of Dimitris Giannetos)
On Coming Up With Each Name
“As an artist, I want to be in the moment. It’s the energy for me. To me, hair is not technical. Obviously, I’m very glad to have the foundation and to know all the techniques. But to me, it’s [about] reading the room, being in the room the day-of with the person. See what you feel for the day. I even had this conversation with Gigi Hadid. Some people like to do [hair] trials, but I feel you have to [see] the day-of. [When] we did the Met Gala, we sat down, we talked [about] our ideas. What’s the outfit? What do we feel today at the moment?
“The hair always acts differently. If you try to re-create [a look on] your own hair, it’s never going to look the same no matter what. It’s going to look close enough, but never the same. It’s hair! It’s not like making a table from wood. So in the moment we’re going to decide what we’re going to do, and then I’ll be like, ‘Oh, this looks like this,’ and I’m going to come up with an idea. There are so many I even forget my own names. I need to write a book with all my names.”
On What Inspires Him Most
“Usually, all my inspiration comes from fashion and runways. A fashion designer is not only creating the outfit; it’s the whole image, [including] the hair with the help of experts. And then I’m always trying to combine [old-school] hair from all decades—the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s—because it keeps the look timeless. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of doing very trendy hair, and then you see a picture of yourself, like, 10 years after, being like, ‘Oh my gosh, what I was thinking?’ I always try to follow the trends but keep something classic, more timeless.
“And always at the end, I try to give it my own twist. I try to make [the look] feel more alive. If I’m going to do ‘perfect’ hair, I’m going to do something to kind of mess it up. It gives more life to the look. When the hair is so perfect, so beautiful, it can be very boring. [When I did] Dove Cameron for Nylon magazine, the idea was just a middle-part, slick bun, but I was like, ‘I’m missing something. I want to give it a twist.’ So I just dropped a small strand of hair in the middle of her head, and it just made the look alive. I feel that created the look.”
On His Favorite Look of All Time
“Oh, so many. I love my girls, but I feel like it was such a big highlight in my career when I did Brad Pitt and George Clooney for the cover of GQ magazine. They are the most iconic people on the planet and have inspired me throughout my career. Just being around them, the energy, the confidence, it’s just incredible. Of course, one of my other favorite looks is [from the 2024] Venice Film Festival with Amal Clooney. The whole energy was electric. Gigi Hadid for [the 2025] Met Gala—what an honor. I did the victory rolls. That’s an iconic and amazing look. I think those are the top three on my list.”
(Image credit: Courtesy of Dimitris Giannetos)
On His Hair Trend Predictions
“I see a lot of bangs—I love bangs—and it can be a different variation of bangs. Usually, people are afraid of bangs because they’re like, ‘How are they going to grow back?’ We always think about the after instead of living in the moment. I always say, ‘It’s hair—it’s going to grow. You’re not cutting an organ.’
“You have to live in the moment, and there’s so many different ways to do bangs. You can do severe bangs, you can do curtain bangs… Every face shape can rock some bangs. If you put your hair up and have some face-framing pieces, it’s just so beautiful. It makes the look more interesting.
“Also, bobs are strong. They’re always ‘back’ because it’s a look that’s always so timeless. The icon herself, Anna Wintour, has had a bob haircut her whole life, and it’s just so chic, elegant, and sophisticated. No matter when you see yourself in a picture, you’re going to be like, ‘It’s so cool.’ [I’m also seeing] a more lived-in bob with some layers. I really like it.”
On His Hairstyling Starter Pack
“My all-time favorite, Elnett Hairspray by L’Oréal Paris. It’s classic, a must. It smells amazing. It has the perfect hold, takes out all the flyaways. Also, if you want to give some life to the hair at home between salon appointments, [use] the Color Gloss toner. If you want to give a little zhuzh and extra shine to your hair, it’s the perfect toner you can do at home.
“We definitely live in an era of extensions, and my favorites [are] the Great Lengths extensions. Best quality. You have to go to the salon [to do them], which is what makes them special. You can add some volume. People [think you only] have extensions for length. No, if you have layers and you want to make your hair even, or you need a little body, you can [get extensions] in your length. If you don’t want to dye your hair [but] want some kind of highlights, just put in some extensions, and it’s going to look amazing.
“I like my Dyson Supersonic. It’s amazing. It’s very fast. Everybody’s in a rush, so just grab your Dyson and have the perfect blowout. It’s so lightweight. Doing hair all day long, and even when someone does their hair themselves, it’s a good shoulder workout. I like my Bio Ionic curler if I want to do some bends. [I also like] the flat iron; it protects the hair so much from heat.
“I always like the [L’Oréal] Elvive Extraordinary Oil because it always protects the hair before a blow-dry. [And] to style your hair you can just put in some drops. It’s amazing. And my [favorite product] I use everywhere I go is root touch-up spray. [Not just for] gray hair, but if you have extensions, you can cover the extensions. It has many shades, it’s so easy to use, and it saves you so much money from having to go to the salon every three weeks to do your roots.
“I like the Wet Brush because it’s so easy. It’s amazing. When your hair gets tangled, take it in the shower, and it’s going to untangle your hair like that.“
On His Must-Haves for Red Carpet Touch-Ups
“My Elnett. Always a tail comb and some pins if something’s out of place. And my Celsius. [Laughs] I love an energy drink. People are like, ‘How do you find all this energy? Celsius. Peach Vibe is my favorite flavor. So good. And Eternal Water to stay hydrated.”
Shop Giannetos’s Haircare Staples
L’Oréal Paris
Elnett Satin Hairspray
L’Oréal Paris
Le Color Gloss
Dyson
Supersonic Hair Dryer
BIO IONIC
Long Barrel Styler 1″ Curling Iron
BIO IONIC
10x Styling Iron 1″ Hair Straightener
L’Oréal Paris
Elvive Extraordinary Hair Oil
L’Oréal Paris
Root Cover Up (Pack of 2)
Wet Brush
Original Detangler Hair Brush
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