Jennifer Aniston on Why Her Hair’s Growing at an “Alarmingly Fast Rate” in Her 50s

Back in July, Jennifer Aniston was doused and drenched in ink black oil on the streets of New York City. You can’t have missed the paparazzi shots. But in case you did, here’s some context: While filming for the fourth season of The Morning Show, her character Alex Levy had someone hurl sludge at her during a protest scene.

“It was 98,000 degrees outside, and humidity was at an all-time high,” Aniston tells InStyle while driving up North in California on a decidedly cooler late summer’s day. “You’re with 400 extras, and you’re all sardines in the street. It was just, “Ah!” I scrubbed top to bottom that day!”

So, how exactly did Aniston remove all that greasy oil? And more specifically, how did she salvage her perpetually lush and sun-kissed waves? The answer is simple: Her hair-care brand LolaVie’s new Exfoliate & Detox Scalp shampoo, a 2-in-1 scalp scrub and clarifying shampoo supercharged with activated charcoal and AHAs to draw out impurities and build-up in one fell swoop. “You have no idea how much I detoxed my scalp after that,” says Aniston, letting out her instantly recognizable laugh.

Courtesy of LolaVie

As we know, Aniston’s hair has been a celebrity in its own right since her days as Rachel Green on Friends when she and longtime hairstylist Chris McMillan launched trend after trend (including The Rachel, of course) while keeping her hair in tip-top shape. But still, the fruits of a scalp scrub have opened up a whole new world of hair health—and unprecedented growth—for Aniston.

“I was going through a period that started in the forties-ish where my hair started to kind of not grow as thick as it used to,” she explains. “And then…all I can say is once I understood the purpose [of a scalp scrub], I was obsessed.” But with one non-negotiable, she stresses: “I was intent on making one that isn’t an additional step.” Obsessive multi-taskers, this one’s for us.

In an exclusive interview with InStyle, Aniston talks about making her dream scalp scrub, washing her hair in the sink as a teenager, and why her hair’s growing at an “alarmingly fast rate.”

InStyle: So, I’m absolutely obsessed with your Exfoliate & Detox scalp shampoo. What inspired you to make it?

Jennifer Aniston: For a long time, I didn’t understand what a scalp scrub was; I thought it was just this granule-y liquid and didn’t understand what the benefits were. It just felt like another step. But then, finally, someone explained it to me and said, think of it like skin care.

You do a scrub on your face once a week. You exfoliate your skin because, over the course of a week—with lotions, potions, and makeup—you build up a residue, and your pores get clogged. So think of that same exact thing happening on your scalp. Our follicles get clogged with all the shampoos, conditioners, leave-ins, sprays, and styling, especially for someone who works in my industry, where you’re being styled on a daily basis.

InStyle: Your desire to make it a two-in-one deeply resonates with me.

JA: That’s my thing, efficiency, right? I’m not a big let’s-hang-out-in-the shower-for-hours kind of person. I like to get in and get out. I’m one of those weird people. Even taking a bath for me sometimes feels like, “How long do I have to stay in here?” I used to love baths, but anyway, we go through phases. We figured out a way to put it all in a shampoo. So you are basically doing a once-a-week scrub for your scalp, and it’s an all-in-one, and it adds an incredible shine, an incredible bounce, and your hair just feels so squeaky clean for your next week of wear and tear. And we really perfected it. We really did–and with such incredible ingredients, like charcoal and AHAs.

InStyle: How did you land on the perfect balance of everything, from ingredients to texture?

My friends were wonderful guinea pigs for me throughout the testing period, during which we got different samples. Before it was all-in-one with the shampoo, it was just the scrub itself and my friends who I love and adore and trust with all different [hair types], from my curly, curly girlfriends’ hair to the straight hair to the medium wave, they’re obsessed with it. We just landed on such a perfect formula, and it’s been so nice to hear everybody make a point to tell me how incredible their hair looks. But that’s always my true test. They’re not easy, do not tread lightly, and they tell you the truth.

Courtesy of LolaVie

InStyle: What does your wash day look like?

JA: I usually do a little self-care-Sunday situation. I do the shampoo, meaning the scalp scrub, a conditioner, the leave-in treatment, and then I’ll put that up in a little bun while it’s settling in and doing its magic. And then I’ll do a facial scrub, a mask, and all of that stuff. Top to bottom!

InStyle: This is random, but do you ever wash your hair upside down to really get in there? That’s a trick I love for extra volume at the roots.

My God, it’s so funny you say that. I used to wash my hair upside down. But I didn’t do it for that purpose. I used to wash it upside down in the sink in my house in New York City when I was a teenager. And once in a while, yeah, if it’s like, I didn’t wash my hair today, and then you wash your body for the day and save your blowout. But then I’m like, “Oh God, I have to go out tonight!” Then I’ll definitely not redo the whole shower. I just throw it in the sink. And I do notice it looks a little different, doesn’t it? I wonder, I never put the two of that together, that it adds more bounce. I’ll pay attention to that next time.

InStyle: It was a game-changer for me!

JA: This is so good. I love learning new things every day!

InStyle: How do you make wash day feel more grounding and ritualistic? Do you put on music, light a candle, or do anything else like that?

JA: It’s usually a podcast! These days, I’ve been listening to Pod Save America and Pivot during self-care Sundays, which can be a little anxiety-provoking or really comforting. You don’t want to overconsume on any of it, of course.

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InStyle: You cut your hair short earlier this year, and it seems to have grown back so quickly! What are your top strategies for keeping your hair healthy and growing fast?

JA: Well, here’s my guilty secret. It’s extensions because I had to go back to shoot The Morning Show, and continuity-wise, I had to add a little length back in there. So that’s how fast that grew. [Laughs] The spiritual growth of that is called hair extensions. But I do have to say, my hair is growing at an alarmingly fast rate, and I really do owe it to the scalp scrub of just the overall use of all of the LolaVie line because it’s just changed my hair. I mean, even my hair colorist is like, "God, your face frame or whatever." If I do my color around my face, I think I’m usually a quarter of an inch or a half inch at four weeks. And now it’s like I’m averaging three-quarters of an inch. I mean, it’s growing fast!

InStyle: It’s a sacred truth: Colorist knows all!

JA: No, especially when those little wonderful, as I like to call them, the natural highlights start showing their colors sooner than they normally do. [Laughs]

InStyle: Fall is nearly here! How do you like to switch up your hair for the season?

For fall, I usually change my nail colors, going from sheer pinks to deeper Bordeaux colors. But there are no real haircut or color changes. I don’t usually love trends. Whatever looks best on you and however you feel is best is how you should wear your hair.