Abbott Elementary's Lead Hairstylist Had Over 100 Wigs Ready on Set at All Times

Apr 29, 2023

By Annie Blay

Watching the sitcom Abbott Elementary feels like you’re getting an inside look into the lives of a group of everyday Philadelphia teachers — so much so that you almost forget you’re watching a full production complete with actors, cameras, lights, and plenty of wigs. "We had more than 100 wigs ready at all times for Abbott Elementary," the show's lead hairstylist, Moira Frazier, tells Allure. One of her main goals on set was making sure each character's hair looked as natural as possible while reflecting their personalities and stories — and she nailed it on both fronts for the series's second season.

Abbott's female characters carry the show (no offense, Gregory, Jacob, and Mr. Johnson), especially when it comes to hair. If you’re unfamiliar, the ladies of Willard R. Abbott Elementary School consist of Janine Teagues, an overly enthusiastic young teacher; Barbara Howard, Abbott's resident sage and seasoned voice; Melissa Schemmenti, a tough yet loving teacher who always tells it like it is, and Ava Coleman, a self-proclaimed fabulous diva who's technically Abbott's principal but is doing anything but her job in most episodes.

Frazier, who joined the team for the show's second season, worked with each actor to refine their characters’ looks and weave them into their respective narratives. Below, she shares how each hairstyle is indicative of the characters’ personalities and her go-to on-set hair tricks and products.

Janine Teagues is everyone's favorite bubbly (and at times, overzealous) teacher, and her hair fully reflects that. Frazier explains that Quinta Brunson, the show's creator who also plays Jeanine, wanted the character's hair to be an unspoken part of her identity as a young teacher whose main motive is her students’ wellbeing. "’ I don't really care what I look like,’" is how Frazier describes Janine's point of view in the first season before Jeanine had really settled into her role at the school. "‘I'm here to teach these kids. My hair is not important, my clothes are not important.’"

At the start of the second season, however, Janine has just broken up with her boyfriend of more than 10 years and is figuring out how to navigate that. As part of the process, she starts making ever-so-slight changes to her hair. "[Brunson] wanted to still be Janine but be more aware of her hair and taking care of it this season," Frazier says "So she started by changing her part because after any breakup, what's the first thing we do? Try to do more things to get ourselves together, do a little pick-me-up, that kind of thing." The hairstylist adds that she and Brunson wanted to put more emphasis on Janine's curls and make them "pop" in season two to show that the character is putting more effort into her appearance post-breakup.

Janine's curls, as natural as they look, actually come courtesy of full lace wigs. "She has two full lace wigs that I hand-made and constructed," Frazier says.

For all the actors who wear wigs, Frazier pre-styles the wigs a day before installation to maximize the amount of time she has to perfect the details while on set. "At the end of a workday, I wet Janine's wig and brush it through after applying some Nairobi mousse to define the curls," says the stylist. The next day on set, Frazier braids Brunson's hair into cornrows to prioritize hair health. She also applies her hair-care brand's Moisture Lock cream between Brunson's roots.

Oftentimes Brunson and the show's other actors will keep the cornrows in for the duration of filming, so all there's left to do each day is put on the wig. "I put a wig cap on her that matches her skin tone, then I spray my Lace Lock melting spray on [the perimeter of her hairline], and I do maybe one or two coats of the Lace Lock [over the entire cap] and let that dry," Frazier explains. "I spray on a third coat and put the wig on while the Lace Lock is a bit tacky and let it dry while the wig is on to keep it secure throughout the day." Frazier uses water to dissolve the glue to remove the wig once filming is complete.

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Sheryl Lee Ralph's character, Barbara Howard, represents the backbone of the American educational system. Barbara has dedicated her life not only to nurturing young minds but serving as a guide and example for future generations of teachers. Her traditional and at times strict demeanor is reflected in her neat and functional pixie haircut. "We all know a teacher who got the haircut like that," Fraizer says. "When I worked in a salon, I used to style teachers often, and a few of my teachers had that same haircut,"

The classic pixie look emanates confidence, according to the stylist, who custom-made the wig for Barbara as well. "It screams a strong Black woman who says ‘don't mess with me and I'm going to pray for you and throw this holy oil on you,’" Frazier says.

Every school has at least one teacher who is a little rough around the edges but gets the job done. At Abbott Elementary, that's Melissa Schemmenti. Lisa Ann Walter has been on screen for years as a blonde and brunette but is now a redhead in her role as Melissa. "That fiery red hairstyle matches the spicy Italian personality of her character on the show," says Fraizer. "The volume and curls just scream Philly."

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Melissa's signature color and perpetual old-school waves come courtesy of colorist Dustin Osborne. He uses the Redken Chromatics color line with a balayage technique to achieve this vibrant color on both Walter's real hair and some extensions. To achieve her bouncy style, he uses a round brush and a curling iron with a one-inch barrel and the ColorWow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray Anti-Frizz Treatment to keep the hair defined, sleek, and shiny.

Ava Coleman, played by Janelle James, is the only Abbott lady that frequently changes her hair, and that says a lot about her character. "Ava is that boujetto hood chick from around the way," Frazier says "She's been around a couple blocks, but she's a teacher now. And this season we wanted to embrace that hood-classy vibe for her." The stylist had in mind how cultural it is for Black women to switch up their hair often and wanted Ava to reflect that. "You know us Black women; we can wear our hair anyway we want it. The only thing Ava won't do is short hair," Fraizer says. A short cut is simply not fabulous enough for Abbott's HBIC.

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As the principal (and as someone with numerous side hustles) Ava presumedly makes the most money of all the Abbott faculty. "She's not going to come in wearing the same thing every single day. She wants you to know she got money, even if it came from the school," the hairstylist says. As for who decides what Ava's hair will look like for any given episode, Brunson, Frazier, and James all get to have a bit of input.

The hilarious punch lines and genuine chemistry between the actors make it clear that Abbott is a fun set to work on. "I love being able to have the freedom to create and be with people that I love working with," Frazier says. "It's just a great show to work on and a great thing to do to be able to get up every day and love what you do."

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