Denise Antonacci | real hairstyles

Forget the rumors that Bachelorette Emily Maynard is already cheating on fiancé Jef. Ignore the related gossip about Emily sexting with Oakland Raiders Quarterback Matt Leinart.

The mane thing to remember is how much you like Emily’s hair. During the season news about her looks were a frequent topic of conversation. Some called her a diva, who was overly stressed about her hair. Others, such as her personal hairstylist Denise Antonacci, say Em is as sweet as she seemed on air.

Denise is a stylist/colorist at the Jon Ric Hair Spa in Charlotte, NC. In between Emily’s stint on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Denise suggested that Em change her hair to fit her age flatter her features. Emily agreed, so Ms. Antonacci used a balayage technique and foil highlighting to create a sandy blond color. Denise likes to leave the roots darker for a realistic, imperfect look popular with women today. The haircut changes were minimal—just a trim of the ends and the long layers.

According to Denise, Emily didn’t wear extensions during The Bachelorette because she was concerned they would be obvious when swimming or in her close-up kissing scenes. Ms. Antonacci says Em put in extensions after filming and before the flurry of promotions that followed. (We’re not sure we believe she didn’t wear extensions during the show. See the photo at right of mother and daughter, Ricki, which appeared on Huffington Post with this caption: “Sorry but that hair cannot all be real.”)

As for conditioning, Denise told Allure.com that Emily had some damage on her ends from blow-drying. “So we used the Kérastase Nutri-Thermique Masque and some express in-salon treatments. She also uses the Kérastase Bain Satin 1 Shampoo, the Kérastase Nutritive Nectar Thermique Leave-In Conditioner, and Leonor Greyl Serum de Soie Sublimateur to prevent frizz.”

Although Emily had lots of help from Denise and the show’s stylist, she’s experienced doing her own hair at home. In a Reader’s Poll we did, your fave look of Em’s is the large spiral curls (featured on top). In a Twitterview, InStyle asked Emily, “What do you use to curl your hair?” She answered, “I use a Sultra Beauty Bombshell Curling Wand. It’s impossible to mess up!”

More often than not, the former Bachelorette wears her hair smooth with a little curl on the ends. To get that look, Emily blow-dries her hair with a Supersolano blow-dryer and an Ibiza medium-size round brush. (Denise also uses the Solano dryer to make her client’s hair shiny and smooth).

When the reality star’s hair is completely dry, she curls it on jumbo-sized Velcro® curlers, working with small sections, rolling hair away from the face and vertically on the sides. She leaves the rollers in until she’s ready to go out and then spritzes on hairspray. Emily is a firm believer of Velcro® rollers. When she was on The Bachelor, her roomies liked them so much they wanted to know everything about them!

If you need extra help to hold the curl, apply a styling product before inserting the Velcros and use a blow-dryer on each roller for about 20 to 30 seconds. After that, leave the rollers in for 10 to 15 minutes more to “set” the curl.

For a sleeker style, Emily does the same thing but skips the Velcros. You don’t even have to curl all your hair; simply give the ends a little twist with the iron. Soften the curl immediately after releasing it from the iron.

And no story about The Bachelorette would be complete without the casual coifs she wore on the show. Her ponytail (above) was a big hit with the boys and fans of the show. For one beach scene the blonde had a carefree look polished off with a braid in front.

Here are a few more of Emily’s favorite things for her hair: WEN® Cleansing Conditioner; Neutrogena’s Anti-Residue Shampoo (once a week); TRESemme 24 Hour Body Hair Spray; Aveda hair spray, and Iso Beauty Hair Straightener Flat Iron.