Ted Gibson’s Newest Hair Brand Is Launching With a Single Product — and He Designed It For All Hair Types

The next act for mane maestro Ted Gibson was inspired by the big screen and a desire to shake up the crowded haircare industry — and it is sure to take center stage. His new line, Starring, took Gibson two years to create and comes out of the gate with a single product. The collection’s texture booster, called Ted Gibson^® Shooting Star Texture Meringue ($52), is the first hair product to launch exclusively on Amazon.com.

“We are in a time when people do not want to be slaves to trends,” says Gibson. “They should be able to create their own trend. What that means is that everyone is a star,” says the stylist. With Starring, Gibson hopes to give both pro hair stylists and consumers exactly what they need to, well, feel like a star. Thanks to a lengthy line-up of celebrity clients under his belt and a resume that span back a couple decades, the stylist knows exactly what it takes to (at the very least!) look like one.

The goal for Starring was to stand out. That’s why Gibson formulated a styler that he felt didn’t already exist on the market. “You think it’s a mousse — it’s not a mousse. You think that it’s a foam — it’s not a foam,” Gibson explains. “It’s a meringue, because it’s right in between.”

To refresh, a mousse is typically only used on wet hair and with many of them, you run the risk of strands drying with a not-so-nice, ‘80s-like crunch. While we’re all for a throwback every once in a while, crunchy hair isn’t something we’d like to repeat. Mousse has come a long way, but if you’re looking for a bit more movement in your hair, you likely won’t get it from this type of styling product.

A styling foam seems like it may be the next best option. But having coiffed many different textures throughout his styling tenure, Gibson explains that a foam doesn’t give hair the level of control that many women (especially those with curly hair!) want without any stiffness or stickiness. Shooting Star’s fig-, coconut- and amber-scented whipped formula can be applied to damp hair before a blowout or rubbed through dry strands — no matter how wavy or curly they may be — to give it definition and texture.

When conceptualizing Shooting Star, that versatility was key. Gibson tested the product on some of his celebrity clients (all with very different hair textures), including Tessa Thompson, Debra Messing, Melissa McCarthy, Kate Walsh, and Lupita Nyong’o. “For me, it’s always been about the texture and not about the color of your skin,” he says. “I needed a product that I could use on all different ethnicities [and] different hair types.”

He also notes that the same versatility rules apply to age, too — Shooting Star was truly developed for everyone. “When I look at my Instagram, it tells me who my demographic is,” he explains, sharing that he has followers ranging from their teens to their fifties and sixties. “I know that this product will address the needs of all those women, which I’m really excited about.” Hot tip: No matter what your hair texture or age, Gibson recommends doing a strand shakeup at least twice a year. “Whether that’s color or a cut, bangs, you should always change it up.”

The idea of launching with a single product was also strategic. Gibson recognized that in the recent evolution of the beauty industry, consumers aren’t shopping for full ranges from any one brand. “There used to be a time where women would go to Gucci and buy everything at Gucci, go to Prada and buy everything at Prada,” he notes. “Now she buys Gucci, she buys Prada, Gap, H&M she puts it all together. What is really great about that concept is being able to have a voice for yourself,” he adds.