Just a few weeks after moving to L.A. in January, hair stylist Monty Porter found himself on a porn set oiling up a gorgeous, tattooed male model.
Despite his nine years of experience as a hairdresser in Utah, slicking down the body hair of a hot guy on a JOI (jerk-off instruction) solo shoot was new territory for Porter. “They told me I’d be doing hair and makeup, but this guy had barely any hair,” they laugh. (Porter uses he and they pronouns.) “I kind of became the oil boy, so I’d just be oiling down his body hair in places I thought needed to be framed, or that needed a little more sheen. When it came time for him to go on set, I put on some basic makeup and made sure he wasn’t shiny. I was standing on the sidelines with lube in one hand and chapstick in the other.”
These behind-the-scenes moments are integral when it comes to porn. It’s an industry rooted in fantasy, but we all know the realities of being fucked for hours on end are much less glamorous.
“I wish there were porn secrets for keeping your hair in place,” jokes Ryan Keely, a MILF porn performer who proudly claims the title of America’s Favorite Stepmom. “There’s quite the contrast between my face and hair before the scene and afterwards. Sometimes, they don’t even bother to fix your hair before they take the cum-shot photos. A ‘fan’ will send you a Photoshopped image that will forever remind you that you’re a hideous monster, and it’s a miracle you make a living getting banged!”
It would, of course, take a miracle to get porn-banged without a hair out of place, but Porter does have a few tips up their sleeve. Another of their jobs involved a threesome on a field, meaning there wasn’t just sweat and semen for their clients’ hair to contend with, but the elements as well.
“The shoot was supposed to be very pretty, almost like a perfume commercial,” he recalls. “The key was to make sure their hair didn’t look matted, knotted or messy in the wind; we wanted soft and sensual.” It’s a hard look to nail when you’re being railed in the great outdoors, but Porter’s key tips are to “make sure you don’t put too much product in your hair — the less, the better — and keep the hair clean, brushed and separated.”
If you can style it out of your face, that’s ideal; there’s nothing quite like the drip of a sweat-soaked bang to sully the mood. “When you’re having sex, you’re pretty hot and sweaty so it’s easy for everything to just bunch together,” he continues. This is where the absence of product is a bonus — “if you use too much hairspray or too many oils, the hair will just get really heavy and sticky.”
Porter also recalls the meticulous attention to detail when it came to body hair during his first shoot. “Because it was a solo scene, there were so many close-ups that we had to take photos between shots to make sure the hair was in the right place.” After demanding viewers to get on their knees and grab their cock, the model would pause to have his shoulder hair carefully combed back into place — seemingly, nothing ruins a boner quite like a lack of continuity.
Independent creators have to learn these tips and tricks, too. Elaina St. James has only been on OnlyFans for a few months, but she’s already nailed a formula for photo shoots and filming sessions that keep her looking fresh no matter how hardcore she gets. “Even if it’s cool in the room, lighting and posing can really make you sweat,” she explains. “My tips are to start with a cool room and take the most important or close-up photos first. Be conscious of how your hair is laying as it can really wreck a photo, and if you do have a fan on, make sure it’s not going to blow your hair around.”
It’s not just the hair on your head you need to think about, either — when it comes to pubes in porn, Porter says he’s largely seen “a tamed, natural look — not so much a full bush, just groomed.”
No matter how careful you are, money shots are bound to be messy. “Cum in stars’ hair does happen,” Porter continues. “The only time I’ve helped get cum out of hair, I used a spray bottle of water to wet it and then brush it out.” As for unexpected secrets, “the biggest one is ORS — it looks like cooking spray and it does say it has olive oil in it, which doesn’t help!” Porter had some in their kit to use as a soothing, pre-shave spray, but this pharmacy bargain is the key to getting porn stars shiny on a budget.
From “oil boys” to cum mishaps, there’s seemingly never a dull day on a porn set, least of all for performers’ hair. “Put it this way,” jokes St. James. “When it comes to my appearance, where I start is never where I end up!”
Jake Hall
Jake Hall is a freelance journalist, fashion features editor and author. Their debut book 'The Art of Drag' is scheduled for release in May 2020.
