Session stylist and hair artist Kim Garduno has taken to the streets of New York, capturing everyday hair as worn by passing strangers. Between styling glamorous hair for household name publications and brands, she also finds herself captivated by the beauty of the ordinary; charmed by the messy bun of a commuter rushing to work as much as by the immaculate updo of a woman who could very well have worn the same hairstyle since the 50s. On her Instagram account @her.hair, the Mexican-American creative has been sharing snapshots of passerby’s heads since 2014, both at home and while visiting various countries like Vietnam, France, and India, just to name a few. Once she returned to New York after quarantine, Garduno picked up her Polaroid camera and challenged herself to expand her @her.hair photography collection by shooting 100 hairstyles in the span of 24 hours.

Why did you challenge yourself to shoot 100 people in just 24 hours? I was quarantining in Tulum and finally came back to NY after almost 5 months. I wanted to reconnect with the city and see how much the people and the city changed during this time, since New York has a particular energy and when I left it felt nothing like its usual self.

Where in NYC did you find the highest concentration of polaroid-worthy hair? Soho & Williamsburg 

What are the requirements for a head of hair to be photographed by you? It’s hard to explain with words but I feel that the hair speaks to me from the way it’s brushed, twisted, or even put together in a quick pony or bun. I love the movement when people walk or when they’re waiting to cross the street and a gust of wind lifts their hair… My art teacher says that my love for hair is more like a fetish lol.

Could you tell us more about @her.hair? Since I was little I travelled to many places and had the opportunity to experience different cultures, and I always loved to experiment with my own hair. But the moment I moved to NYC in 2011 I had this newfound visual stimulation and couldn’t stop looking at people’s hair in the streets, subway, supermarket etc. it was all the textures, colours and styles in one place. I started taking photos and it wasn’t until 2014 when I travelled to different parts of Asia (Vietnam,Thailand, India) that I launched HER.HAIR on instagram and did a book. 

Have you found that there are any obvious differences in how people wear / style their hair depending on location? And do you approach your subjects at all? I found a lot of differences across the cities and countries; it’s crazy how from one neighbourhood to another everything changes; hair accessories, hairstyles, how many products they used, if they wash their hair everyday or use dry shampoo, etc.

98% of the time I don’t approach them since that’s part of the candid appreciation of their hair moment. The other 2% I may approach because I’m about to lose the chance to capture their hair or I LOVE the hair so much that I want to chat with them about it haha.