HAIR

The Rockettes are all required to wear a French twist, which is not exactly a style for hair rookies. But they can do it in four minutes flat in some cases. And in the case of Brigid, the Radio City newbie, she had to rely on hair mentors. “I watched the other girls and pulled tips from what they were doing,” she told us. There are also quite a few short-haired ladies, who do a side part and slick the rest back.

Their biggest challenge is keeping their hair sleek and neat during the show, when they are alternating between wearing huge headpieces, to having bare heads. They all had their favorite products.

While hair spray was popular–they use copious amounts of Infusium between numbers during the show–each lady has her own routine. Conditioner, Sebastian Potion No. 9, Paul Mitchell Firm and Hold Gel, and plain old water were also named.

A season of tightly pulled hair topped by huge antler-adorned bowler hats means that there are, unfortunately, some hair fatalites. “My first year I had to cut off 6 inches because I was using bad cheap hair spray,” Lindsay told us. “I figured out what I need to use and we chat about how to keep it healthy.”

But the biggest hair hurter? Bobby pins. They go through about 540 pins per girl each season. The pins pull hair at the scalp and can cut if the protective soft end is missing (a common Rockette complaint). But all agreed a little hair breakage is well worth it.

Rockette tip: Day-old “dirty” hair is easier for getting an up-style to hold. Add hair putty if your hair is squeaky clean.