Bobs have been dominating the red carpet recently, with stars such as Pamela Anderson, Oti Mabuse and Zoe Ball all sporting short cuts. However, Alex Jones has taken a different direction, waving goodbye to her signature lob and debuting long, glossy locks at last night’s BAFTAs.
The presenter gave fans a sneak peek of her new look from the chair at Mayfive Salon before walking the red carpet. She took to Instagram Stories to show off her flowing hair, writing: ‘The transformation for #baftas starts.’
Katie Allan, founder of Mayfive Salon, was behind Alex’s transformation and talked exclusively to GH about how she did it. ‘We wanted to go for a bohemian look,’ she explains. Alex’s new flowing hair, paired perfectly with curtain bangs, certainly channeled the likes of Stevie Nicks.
Alex was also treated to a mini colour makeover at Mayfive. ‘Colour-wise, we did this a couple of days before,’ says Katie. ‘We simply colour-matched her usual colour, just giving it a refresh.’ (And personally, the rich brunette paired with soft caramel highlights is giving us major hair envy!)
In her latest Instagram post, Alex shared the final glam result, writing: 'It takes a village to get ready for a night like this though and even then the thought of the red carpet still makes me feel sick! It was fun to grow my hair long for one night only 😂'
So yes, don't get used to this look. While the transformation took place over a few days, Alex’s new, longer style itself is a Cinderella moment, created with temporary extensions – a practical, low-maintenance option for the mum of three, as they’re simply removed once the night is over.
‘To transform Alex’s hair, I used clip-in wefts from Milk and Blush,’ Katie tells us. ‘To install the extensions, I sectioned off clean, smooth dried hair and started at the nape in horizontal sections. I backcombed each row and used a styling dust to create a good base for the clips to sit in.’
‘Her natural hair is really thick, so we took weight out of her hair prior to the installation to help with blending,’ she explains. ‘My top tip is to ensure your base line is hidden. If you don’t want to take out too much weight, you can instead use a small hair band through the nape of the hair and “bun it away” so it’s not visible.’
Now, the real question is: will you be chopping your hair or adding in extensions at your next salon visit?
