My name is Beth Shanefelter, and I am an editorial hairstylist based in Paris.

I began my hair journey as a teenager, cutting and dying my own hair, as well as my friends. When I left art school, I found my way to a local hairdressing academy and after many years, I still love this career.

Growing up in the suburbs of Baltimore, I found huge inspiration in the worlds of John Waters and the local art and music scene. These days, I find my inspirations in museums, books, the people around me, and the beauty of nature.

With a strong salon foundation established, I transitioned into fashion hairdressing when I moved to New York City in 2014. After years of soaking up inspiration in New York, I made the move to Paris to live and work in the fashion capital of the world. I feel fortunate to have the influence of so many distinct cities and mentors behind my hairdressing.

In my work, I love expressive beauty. Hair that somehow defies reality. Small details make a huge impact. I seek to create something playful to the eye through the use of texture and shape. This can be expressed through enhancing a model’s natural hair texture, but I also employ wigs, hairpieces, and other elements to make each hairstyle and character tailored to the shoot. My goal is to showcase beauty in a way that relieves it of convention and strictness.

Working with slow-fashion clothing companies, as well as sustainable hair and beauty brands, is something I am passionate about and would like to do more of. 

In 2023, I co-founded The Fundamentals with my colleague Gabriel de Fries. The Fundamentals is an in-person hair education course focused on giving our students the foundational hairstyling techniques they need to begin building their backstage or celebrity beauty career. The techniques we teach in this course are the result of years working internationally on Fashion Week teams and on luxury fashion and beauty campaigns.

To find out more, check out The Hair Fundamentals website or Instagram

Client List:

Annabelle, Amomento, Barbara Bui, Behind the Blinds, Blanc, Celine, Chromat, DITA Eyewear, Elle, Jill Platner, Low Classic, LustrLabs, Perfect Man, Petrie Inventory, Russh, Schön, System Beauty, Tatler, Wallpaper* and more

Photographers:

Atarah Atkinson, Anastasia Garcia, Albertine Hadj, Hristo Hristov, Jeanne Lucas, Yves Mourtada, Noemi Ottilia Szabo, Hedi Slimane, Sophie Tajan, Tawfick, Helene Tchen, Juergen Teller, Michelle Watt and more