Christina Applegate's Stylist Used This Volumizing Hair Primer to Boost Her Strands

The Emmys are usually in September, but they were slotted into this year’s award show season after being postponed because of the now-settled SAG-AFTRA strike. There’s always so much to take in, but I especially loved seeing The Bear and Succession win so many awards. My favorite moment, however, was when Christina Applegate received a standing ovation when she appeared on stage to present the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award. 

She got teary-eyed (rightfully so) in a beautiful crimson red velvet dress and chic cane with the most vivid, thick, and lustrous blonde locks. The artist behind the craft was Virtue’s creative director and Jennifer Garner’s hairstylist Adir Abergel. He (of course) used Virtue products on the star, including the Volumizing Primer and the Jennifer Garner-loved Healing Oil.  

I have never heard of a hair primer, so I was particularly intrigued by the product. Ten seconds of research later, I learned to think of it the same way I think of makeup primer. In a nutshell, it makes all proceeding haircare and styling products work better while protecting and strengthening strands. Virtue’s hair primer prioritizes volume, health, and vibrancy.

The key to the Volumizing Primer’s (and all Virtue products’) formula is Alpha Keratin 60ku. It’s a patented ingredient that Abergel previously told InStyle “is like a GPS system where it goes directly where the damage is and gives you the best hair you could possibly have.” In supporting roles, you’ll find panthenol, a moisture and softness-boosting form of vitamin B, and soy and wheat proteins that improve health, shine, frizz, and styling malleability. Using the spray alone or before other styling products should reportedly encourage volume, hold, and protect strands against heat and environmental stressors. 

It’s a big lift, but Virtue’s Volumizing Primer seems to do the job if Applegate’s hair — or the hundreds of five-star ratings — are of any indication. A middle-aged shopper said that their thin post-chemotherapy hair “definitely feels a little thicker” after using this for a month. Another shopper said this Virtue primer “gives you so much volume [that] stays a second day, too.” 

Head to Virtue and Amazon to shop the Volumizing Primer for $40, and shop the Healing Oil while you’re at it.