How Mark Townsend Created The Olsens' Iconic “Jesus” Hair

From our episodes with the stylist himself.

Jun 25, 2025

We love how many people have gravitated towards Mark Townsend, the man behind some of the most iconic hairstyles in popular culture, after listening to both of his episodes. His career history is nothing short of legendary, having shared stories like an iconic Sally Hershberger shoot, his most regrettable look (it involves a Penelope Cruz red carpet), the product The Olsens basically helped create and how their hair differs; how working with Jennifer Lawrence got him dropped by his other clientele at the time. Oh, and how Jesus himself was once the inspiration for Ashley’s Met Gala hair. Hallelujah! (And yes, it’s The Olsens, not “The Olsen Twins.” You’ll also hear that Mark calls them “Ashley and Mary-Kate” versus “Mary-Kate and Ashley,” as only a true confidant would!)

Mark also works closely with Dakota “Best Bangs in the Business” Johnson (aka Kirbie’s personal hair hero) and shared his personal tips for styling a good bang with an unlikely product.

Keep reading below to watch a clip from one of his appearances as well as a full breakdown of all his product recommendations.

@glossangelespod The Olsens longtime hairstylist (and icon) Mark Townsend shares details about their hair. #theolsens #marykateandashley

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What’s in Your Kit?

His Go-To Styling Product is… Dry Shampoo

… and it was originally Dove’s, whom he was a longtime partner of. However, Dove has since reformulated that product, so it’s no longer the OG he used on The Olsens in the early aughts. “I use a dry shampoo as more of a texturizer,” he says.

His current favorites include hOURS On-Time Dry Shampoo for an aerosol and Crown Affair. “[Crown Affair] has saved so many bangs on long shoot days, even Dakota’s,” he says, mentioning that with dry shampoos of any kind, you typically want them on the hairline, which means ultimately spraying them on the face. Crown Affair’s brush applicator makes it so he can easily hit the scalp and hairline without disturbing makeup.

His tip to keep you from “feeling” your dry shampoo when using an aerosol? Don’t apply it directly to your hair. Instead, spray on a brush and then sweep it through your strands to evenly distribute it.

For the Perfect Olsen Lived-In Wave

“I’m always using products to give second or third day hair,” Mark says. “Because I hate clean hair.” He loves Days of Dirt by California Born, a styling lotion that pieces out the hair and gives it “really good shine.” He recommends warming it up in your hands before raking it through the ends of your hair.

To Get Rid of Frizz

On wet hair, Mark applies Briogeo’s Farewell Frizz to soften, protect and smooth the hair cuticle. Then, on a comb, he sprays Living Proof’s Instant Defrizzer to minimize flyaways, whether it’s on waves or straight hair. “This is in my pocket on photoshoots all the time.”