How to Resurrect The Matrix’s Liquid Hair, With Inspiration from Balenciaga and Pro-Approved Products

The first witnesses to the world’s most famous liquid-effect hairstyle recognized its immediate appeal. “Carrie-Anne [Moss] loved her look—it was sharp and sophisticated for the time, but also allowed her a softness without being too girly,” remembers Nikki Gooley, the hair designer for 1999’s The Matrix, speaking about the actor’s transformation into her character, Trinity. Gooley credits the film’s writers and directors, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, as visionaries. “The Wachowskis were so well prepared with details of looks. It was a great collaboration,” she says, underscoring how precise the styling needed to be to create an alternate reality. “It needed to look modern.”

At Saturday’s San Francisco premiere of The Matrix Resurrections, the franchise’s anticipated fourth installment, attendees like designer Marc Jacobs and actor Madelyn Kline wore slicked-back styles in true Y2K spirit, while Moss’s patent-finish hair was designed as a 2021 update, according to Los Angeles–based hairstylist Sunnie Brook. “We wanted to incorporate a nod to the original character,” says Brook of the decision to keep the look “feminine but also strong.” Meanwhile, futuristic spin-offs of the style have been seen on the recent runways, too, from Eckhaus Latta in New York to Balenciaga in Paris. “The Matrix is so iconic—combining technology, ideas on futurism, transcendence, and, most important, major fashion looks,” says hairstylist Tamara McNaughton, who created aerodynamic gelled hair for Eckhaus Latta’s block party-style presentation. “We all collectively feel a little sci-fi,” says McNaughton of life in 2021. “The ideas of personal strength, pushing boundaries, and forging new paths seem fitting.”

From left: Elliot Page at this fall’s Balenciaga show. A slicked-back look from the spring 2022 Eckhaus Latta runway. Carrie-Anne Moss at the premiere of The Matrix Resurrections.

Photographs from Getty Images.

Ahead of the new film’s December 22 premiere (in theaters and on HBO Max), here are 13 products and tools for resurrecting The Matrix’s liquid-hair moments—from the actual pomade used in 1999 to today’s runway-tested formulas.

American Crew Pomade

Bringing the Matrix characters to life in 1999 was a “long time ago,” Nikki Gooley says with a laugh. Still, she adds, the keys to those original wet looks are readily available two decades later. “I do remember using American Crew pomade and old-fashioned water,” says Gooley. “Water is a big product of mine.”

Biolage All-in-One Coconut Infusion Multi-Benefit Spray

At The Matrix Resurrections premiere, Sunnie Brook leaned on her Biolage ambassadorship for the product updates she used on Carrie-Anne Moss. After a precision-tapered cut, Brook ran the brand’s All-in-One treatment spray through the actor’s hair as a heat protectant for her natural waves and “a boost of added shine while still maintaining volume,” says Brook.

Kristen Ess Setting Clips

After smoothing the back and sides of Moss’s hair with Biolage Styling Gelée, Brook secured her work in between each step with crease-free clips. For sculpting, setting clips—like Kristen Ess’s tortoiseshell-inspired set—hold things seamlessly in place.

Dyson Supersonic Limited-Edition Hair Dryer

To set Moss’s hair and keep the sides and back “sleek and tucked tight all night long,” Brook blow-dried the lengths using a diffuser attachment. The intent was to hold the shape “but also [keep] the hair touchable and soft,” she adds. The Dyson Supersonic is a stylist favorite for its magnetic attachments; it was hairstylist Holli Smith’s choice for creating the gel-dipped looks for Balenciaga’s spring 2022 runway.

Baby Tress 3-in-1 Edge Styling Tool

Edge styling tools can create different levels of hair separation: a pointed tip for crisply drawn parts, a tiny brush for a dense slick. Brook used a small brush dipped in gel along Moss’s hairline, where she has more curls, “to keep the hair slicked-back and in place.”

Aveda Brilliant Universal Styling Cream

“Aerodynamic” is Tamara McNaughton’s description of the “pandemic-vibes” hair she slicked back for Eckhaus Latta’s outdoor Brooklyn runway in September. For a “greasy hand-through-the-hair” look, she used Aveda’s styling cream, while harder windswept looks required a stronghold gel.

Wella EIMI Ocean Spritz Salt Hairspray

“One thing to consider when working in The Matrix world, you want both sheen and movement,” says McNaughton. She likes to build up the hair with Wella salt spray or a modern mousse “to bulk up texture” before sealing the shape.

Bumble and Bumble Gel

“Gel is your friend. Don’t be scared,” says McNaughton, who favors Bumble and Bumble’s flexible formula. “Something with a sheen to it will lend to the futuristic vibe,” she notes, comparing the final finish to “sharp leather” outerwear.

L’Ange Le Styliste Luxury Salon Dryer

“Once the style is created, destroy it a little,” says McNaughton of an on-set trick she uses for aerodynamic hair. “Bring the feel of wind in by removing the nozzle from the blow dryer and directing hairspray at the airstream.” L’Ange’s bubblegum-colored Le Styler weighs under a pound to make multitasking easy.

Bleu by R+Co Cult Classic Flexible Hairspray

McNaughton imagines something “reminiscent of a cycling helmet” as a visual guide when misting the final shape with flexible hairspray, such as Bleu by R+Co’s Cult Classic. (It comes in its own forward-looking wardrobe of 100% recycled packaging.) Where the hair would go naturally when running is the logic, adds McNaughton, and the result “freezes bits of hair in the air and makes it feel more cinematic.”

Oribe Curl Gelée

Latex-like bangs and slicked hair on the notable personalities (Elliot Page, Ella Emhoff) who walked Balenciaga’s faux red-carpet runway in October brought Y2K sci-fi to Paris. To create the high-shine effect, artist Holli Smith used Oribe’s silicone-free curl gelée “for firm hold, but still soft as well.”

Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk

For Balenciaga and beyond, Smith notes that Carol’s Daughter hair treatments—from the always-sold-out Healthy Hair Butter to the leave-in hair milk—can help extend the style. Applied to the ends of hair, it “maintains the wet look for hours.”

Eleven Australia Frizz Control Shaping Cream

Now, after watching The Matrix with her teenage children who “thought it was the coolest movie,” Gooley has a new set of favorite products. “I would use Eleven hair pastes now,” she says, calling out the Aussie brand’s shaping cream as the frizz-smoother of the immediate future.

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