Who is Orange County's Best Hairstylist?

Hairstylists from around Orange County are being invited by Cristophe Salon Newport Beach to test their skills in a live hair show as judges determine whose work is a cut above the rest.

Beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 2 Cristophe Salon will be accepting entries for its first live hair show in April 2013 to find who deserves the title of Orange County's Best Hairstylist. The Fashion Island-based salon will accept nominations from professional Orange County stylists of all experience levels.

“The Cristophe Salon Newport Beach Live Hair Show is our opportunity to highlight the great talent in this community,” Scott Fontana, the salon's owner, said. “We encourage all hairstylists to enter the competition to raise their own personal visibility, while also helping to raise money for a great cause.”

Stylists may submit their entries via the Cristophe Salon Newport Beach website through Jan. 31. The submission will give stylists the chance to present their best three looks and will include a question and answer section about why they’re qualified to compete in the hair show.

The panel of judges will select the top 10 semi-finalists who will move onto the second round of the selection process and submit videos of themselves explaining their signature styles to the judges. The panel will narrow the stylist pool down to the top four finalists. The remaining six applicants’ videos will be posted on the salon's Facebook page for a fans’ choice finalist.  The video with the highest number of public “likes” will secure the fifth and final spot in the show.

At the live hair show, the top five stylists will display their best looks on four models. The stylists are allowed to bring three pre-styled models to the show and will have 45 minutes to cut and style the fourth model live on stage. The stylists will also put on a runway show for the judges. 

The hair show is open to the public and a portion of the $5 entry fee will be donated to an Orange County charity. 

For more information about the salon or hair show, visit CristopheNB.com.