Luca George has had a big year. The rising musical star not only released two singles in follow up to his 2021 single Lonely Tonight, but also played support for Harper Finn on his Newcomer Tour.
More people are paying attention to Luca's music and subsequently also to his luscious head of hair.
The 19-year-old recently swapped his Wellington locale for Tāmaki Makaurau and soon after, welcomed a pet fish called Blue into his life. Blue is a Betta fish, known for their long flowing fins, which seems a fitting choice given its owner's own healthy and distinctive tresses.
Other changes are underway too, with Luca recently saying haere ra to the Pepé Le Pew style streak of bleached hair that has been his signature in recent years.
Outside of music, Luca has a healthy interest in fashion and maintains what he describes as an "unhealthy addiction to indoor plants". As well as a lively presence on TikTok, he runs an Instagram account, The Indoor Forest, dedicated to chronicling the flora in his life.
As part of our semi-regular I Like Your Hair series, we begged Luca to regale us with the story behind his enviable head of hair.
Your hair looks like it has a lot of life in it, it's very full bodied. Is it naturally thick?
It has definitely always been that thick. I'm half Greek and half Italian so I think I get my wavy curls from my family.
I do add a tiny bit of product sometimes if I'm going out to a party or to dance. I find it flattens so I just put in some thickening clay, I'm not sure what brand it is.
Tell me about your hair 'journey' - what different looks have you rocked?
When I was younger my parents used to just cut my hair at home. I've had bobs, I've had like buzz cuts. I used to be a totally different kid, I was really into hunting and archery and I had to have really short hair for that.
In high school it was always just the basic short sides and long on top.
I've just gone fully brown, for my hair health. The bleaching was getting a bit too intense and I was getting some damage so I'm back to brunette, a nice dark chocolatey colour.
Right now where my blonde strip was, it's started to lighten and I do need to get that fixed.
How is your hair linked to your identity?
Oh it's literally everything. My hair is everything. If I'm not having a good hair day, I'm not feeling anywhere near the amount of confidence I usually have. My hair is everything to me.
What do you do if you're having a bad hair day then?
I'll just have a shower. I love showers. Normally I like my hair the most when I just wake up in the morning and it's just super curly and crazy.
Who 'does' your hair?
When I moved to Wellington, I met Kate Stacey, she owns Chop Hairdressing and she has like fully taken over with my hair. Health wise she makes sure I use the right products, like K18 on the blond strip.
My hairstylist is Josh Brown at Chop. They've really looked after my hair.
Your bleached streak was probably the most recognisable aspect of your hair. How did it come to be?
Aout two and a half years ago I did a photoshoot for a Weleda competition and they bleached it fully blond and afterwards they said "You can do whatever you want with your hair." So I just asked for a little blond strip at the front of my hair and the rest to go back to my natural brown and that's how the Luca George hair look kind of started.
How often do you wash your hair?
This is weird but I do not have oily hair at all so I wash my hair once a day with water but I'll go two to three months without washing my hair with shampoo or conditioner.
I know I have gorgeous hair and it fully just does not need any product. It's not oily, it's just thick and voluptuous and pretty most of the time.
Has that always been the case?
It's always been like that. We used to live in Italy and we used to be wild feral children in the woods for two years. I didn't own shoes and I just never washed my hair.
How else do you take care of it?
At night I'll really gentle comb it back and then I have a frog headband that I'll put over my hair just to keep it out of my face. I have that one while I'm getting ready for bed.
I know it's bad but I do sometimes fall asleep with it a little bit wet and I'll wake up with crazy curls.
In terms of products, which ones do you like and how do you use them?
Apart From the K18 and thickening clay, I hardly use any products. My hair just looks best when I don't put effort into it.
Does your onstage approach for your hair differ to what you do everyday?
Not really. I just make sure it's thick enough that it holds up. I'm obsessed with texture, especially on my sides. I like to have it a bit ruffly.
I know you're a plant lover. If your hair was a plant, what type of plant would it be?
Oh my god. That is such a fucking good question. Hold on, I need to think about this. Um. It would probably be a Ponytail Palm. Like the curly ones. Either that or just a crazy frizzy cactus or something.
Who else do you think has great hair?
Umm literally so many people. I'm going to look at my Instagram. Hmm... I want to say like, just say Dolly Parton or something. Even though it's not hers, she's just so iconic, and open about wearing wigs and stuff. That is so random.
