The Product Dakota Johnson’s Hairstylist Uses For Her Undone Look Is A Game-Changer

“It is a trend that everyone can do”, explains Mark Townsend, the long-time hairstylist behind Dakota Johnson’s coveted “undone” aesthetic, on the popularity of the style. “I see so many of my clients doing their own hair. It’s an accessible trend. You can learn how to do it on your own and make it look beautiful”. But the right tools are essential.

The boho bombshell, as coined by Vogue’s own beauty & wellness editor, Morgan Fargo, has become something of a signature of Townsend, whose clients include the Olsen sisters and, this award season, Parker Posey. “I’m a lucky hairdresser because I think that Dakota and I share an aesthetic, and I totally understand how she wants to look, and it’s my dream hair too”, he tells me on Zoom.

Haircare is essential to recreating the late ’60s/early ’70s-inspired look that consists of effortless-seeming tousled lengths and a piece-y fringe. And to create it, the stylist swears by the Kevin Murphy DOO.OVER dry powder finishing hairspray – a well-kept secret among the pros for bringing texture and hold without leaving hair crunchy.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 19: Dakota Johnson attends the Los Angeles Premiere of “Splitsville” at AMC The Grove 14 on August 19, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

“I discovered this product because of Dakota; she introduced it to me. It is absolutely genius. I scream from the rooftops about how much I love it,” says Townsend. He explains the appeal: “Hair sprays are very wet, and if you put them on bangs, it can stick the hairs together. So we use the DOO.OVER because it’s a dry powder, so that’s the only thing we ever spray. Then I often spray it on top very quickly if she’s got any flyaways. I don’t like the look of hairspray. I don’t like hair that looks like you can’t run your hands through it, so that powder-based spray is incredible”.

With the belief that if it’s good enough for Dakota Johnston, it’s certainly good enough for me, I ripped open the packaging and sprayed the contents of the pink can onto my hair. The first thing that’s immediately apparent is the lovely light aroma. Townsend is a fan too, “It has such a beautiful fragrance that you can smell it in the room a little bit afterwards”. The texture is somewhat similar to that of dry shampoo and has a similar impact, revitalising the strands. But what’s impressive is the hold. Updos remain in place with flyaways tamed, but without impacting shine and with a far more pleasant feel than your ordinary dry shampoo.

I found it particularly useful in my developing extensions journey. New to this world, I have begun with some clips in. The Remi Cachet Wonderpiece, like all clip-ins, require hold on your existing strands. A spray of DOO.OVER with backcombing gives the right amount of texture to lock them in place. Townsend says, ”There’s been two or three times on photoshoots where I’ve added extensions to Dakota, but it’s just to give her really short face framing layers that she doesn’t want to commit to for her real life. I do the exact same thing. You want some powder at the root to hold on to that clip. It keeps it from slipping out throughout the night, or the last time I put them on Dakota, we also had a ton of wind going, so you don’t want one to slide out and go flying while you’re on set”.

Poppy Saunders, Remi Cachet’s Super Stylist, agrees, “This is my favourite product in the world, especially for hair extensions. I feel like it gives hair oomph, acting as a volume boost without being heavy in any way. If I’m curling hair, I’ll put it in, and it just fluffs it up. If I could only have three things in my kit, that would be one of them for sure”.