Dakota Johnson Wore Not One, But Three (!) Fall Hair Trends at the VMAs (Exclusive)

Surprise! Dakota Johnson took to the VMAs stage to award Taylor Swift with a historic win: the inaugural Artist Director Honor. They’re IRL besties, but she also just starred in the music video for Taylor’s latest single, “Patient Zero,” the video for which premiered just after Tay’s win.Of course, I wondered what led to Dakota’s ultra-shiny, smooth, healthy hair. She often opts for a similar hairstyle: Blown-out bangs and a soft wave. But it looked extra special tonight. Turns out, she prepped her hair with a Cosmo staple: K18.“K18 has completely changed the way I approach styling hair because I don’t have to worry about damaging my client's hair with high heat tools and overstyling,” Dakota’s hairstylist Mark Townsend tells Cosmo. “You want hair on a red carpet to reflect the light and only healthy hair will do that.” Everyone knows it, but no one wants to believe it: The key to good hair is healthy hair. And these days, that seems to be the biggest red carpet staple. A perfectly coiffed curl or a silky blowout won’t look nearly as nice if your ends are split and dry.CBS Photo Archive//Getty ImagesThe look itself was inspired by ’90s supermodels, Townsend says. And yes, Dakota did cut her bangs herself. “This is the shortest we’ve cut her hair in years, with lots of layers,” he adds. And with Taylor Swift in a clavi-cut and Paris Hilton in a crisp bob, it’s easy to see that many are choosing hair health over butt-length locks.“Healthy, shiny, bouncy hair is the ‘quiet luxury’ of the beauty world because it does take effort, care, and great products to look so effortlessly gorgeous,” Townsend tells us. He also anticipates we’ll see shorter bangs like this throughout fall and winter, but only on those who understand the commitment. “These aren’t like the curtain bangs you can just blend away,” he says.CBS Photo Archive//Getty ImagesBut the biggest beauty trend he’s obsessed with right now is peptides, which you can find in every single K18 product he prepped Dakota with. “These amino acids are small enough to penetrate the hair cuticle and get inside the inner cortex and rebuild the hair structure from the inside,” he explains.To prep Dakota’s hair, Townsend coated her damp hair with K18 AstroLift, a volumizing spray that not only makes her hair look fuller but also acts as a humidity shield (a must for a long night at the Peacock Theater). Then, he smoothed in the Molecular Repair Hair Oil to “help repair damage, reduce frizz, and add shine.” He leaves this on her hair for four minutes before styling, then dries it with a round brush and blow dryer for “loads of volume.”Before wrapping her hair with a 2-inch curling iron, Townsend drenches Dakota’s hair in the K18 HeatBounce Conditioning Heat Protectant. “Heat protection is so important to maintain healthy hair, and I love this one because it doesn’t make the hair heavy or greasy and keeps the hair from looking dry or dull,” he says. To give her hair a little extra volume, he actually sprayed a few sections around her crown with K18 AirWash Dry Shampoo. It helps soak up oils without leaving behind any residue, unlike some root lifters and powders.To finish the look, Townsend rakes a drop or so of K18 hair oil through her hair to “tame any flyaways and add more shine.”Rich Polk//Getty ImagesI mean, just look at her and Tay twinning with their bangs! I’d also smile that big if my hair looked this good.Meet the expertMark Townsend is a celebrity hairstylist based in Los Angeles. He’s worked with Dakota for years, from magazine covers to red carpets.Why trust Cosmopolitan? Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing hair, makeup, nail, and fragrance stories.Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.