One thing about Matilda Djerf is that she always has perfect hair. The content creator’s voluminous blonde locks and incredibly flowing curtain bangs have captivated her followers (she currently has 3.1 million on Instagram) for years, prompting countless questions about her favorite hair products. Unbeknownst to inquisitive fans, she says, “I’ve never really had a hair product that I loved so much that I wanted to use it all the time.” That was until she launched Djerf Avenue Beauty, an extension of her fashion and lifestyle brand.
“Making beauty products felt like a longer, more difficult process,” Gelf said over Zoom from the brand’s headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. But she felt the time was right to branch out into beauty. “I think our first meeting about starting a beauty line was three years ago,” she added. “I’d been preparing for a really long time.” On March 27th of this year, Gelf Avenue Beauty finally launched two multitasking styling products: a Breezy Styling Mist and an On-the-Go Styling Gel.
Courtesy of Djerf Avenue Beauty
A refreshing waitress collection.
Now, the brand is set to launch its first two haircare collections, Breezy Weightless and Essential Moisture. Both feature shampoos, conditioners, and hair masks, but the former focuses on adding volume, while the latter is designed to nourish dry hair. Djerf says the team went through at least 12 sampling rounds for each line over two years before arriving at the final formulas. All packaging is made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic.
Courtesy of Djerf Avenue Beauty
Essential Moisture Collection.
“Locking the formula was the biggest challenge because it’s about the look, feel and results. It’s not just about adding one ingredient or tweaking it; it’s about trying all the different combinations to get it perfect,” says Gelf. Breezy Weightless and Essential Moisture products range from $22 to $30 and will be available to purchase starting October 16th at djerfavenue.com. Below, Gelf talks about the process of launching a beauty line, her love for certain hair tools, and her best hair advice.
What made you decide to branch out into the beauty sector?
It all started with my passion and interest in hair. I love beauty in general, but hair is a different animal. I was always the girl in my friend group who did everyone’s hair. As I got older, I started to realize the impact ingredients could have on hair.
Why did you decide that Djerf Avenue Beauty should be an offshoot of Djerf Avenue and not its own entity?
It felt like a natural fit to try this out and see what would happen. The Djerf Avenue community we’ve built is very special, and we wanted them to trust us in beauty as well. There were logistical challenges, but we already have a warehouse and a website, so we just needed to expand rather than hire a whole new team. We’ve always said that Djerf Avenue is not just a clothing brand; we have home goods, loungewear, and clothing.
How involved were you in the product development?
We’re very grateful to work with really experienced chemists. We have a lot of trust in them. I’m working on this project with Johanna Axen, our head of beauty, who has been leading the project. The shampoo, conditioner and hair mask were really the first products that we tried and started developing. Since then, I’ve just been testing and testing, and it’s a lot of fun. With styling products, you see the results immediately. But with shampoo and conditioner, the formula when you put it in your hand, how it lathers, how it rinses off, how it feels in the shower and after the shower, and how it looks are very important. There are many different aspects that have to be taken into account. We didn’t want to settle for anything less than the best.
Courtesy of Djerf Avenue Beauty
Matilda Jelph
Where are the chemists and labs?
All our products are made in Sweden. For us, it was a given. Producing locally is very important to us and we have really great factories in Sweden. They’re in the south, close by, you can drive there (from Stockholm). It’s really special to produce in Sweden.
Why did you decide to launch styling products first?
The formula was decided earlier. We looked at the product line and it felt natural to launch the styling products first because we felt that two styling products were missing in the market. A lot of people wondered, why not launch a shampoo and a conditioner first? But we knew it was coming. And, frankly, the hair care products were delayed. They were supposed to launch earlier this year.
Do your hair care products have a scent?
This is the same core scent as our styling products. I’m really picky when it comes to scents. I don’t wear perfume because I can’t find one that suits me. I usually use hair care products and body lotion as perfume. When I created the scent for the beauty products, I wanted something versatile that wasn’t too feminine or too masculine. I was against creating a scent that was too soft, too floral, or too overwhelming. A lot of people say it smells like cardamom bun, which is fun, and it also smells like sandalwood. I think it’s a very universal scent, and the response has been really great.
Why launch two different hair care lines at once?
We want to create products for everyone, but with beauty, it’s even harder because it’s so specific to hair type and hair needs. We thought, “How can we create two product lines that serve as many people as possible?” We wanted to create one line that would anti-frizz, detangle, moisturize and soften. But in Scandinavia, a lot of people have very fine hair, so we wanted to create a line that would give it a fresh feel, fullness and volume.
What does hair mean to you?
A lot of my confidence comes from my hair, and I think a lot of women do too. I always cut my hair a lot at the end of summer because during this season I get in the sea a lot of times a day, and I’m not good at protecting my hair with a scarf.
The first few days after you cut your hair, you feel like you’re not yourself. You don’t feel like yourself. Bad hair days just make you feel generally down. Hair, like clothing, is a way of expressing yourself. When I have a really important meeting, I’ll do my hair like this. When I want to be more casual, I’ll do my hair in a different way. I’ve also tried different hair colors. It was fun. It felt strange. I’ve done black, red, pink and ombré hair.
Have you always had a good relationship with your hair?
Yes and no. In my early teens, I was fine with my hair. But in my teens, I really hated my hair. My hair is really thick. Here in Scandinavia, there are so many people with beautiful, silky, smooth, shiny, smooth, straight hair. I always had big, fluffy hair, especially when it was humid. As I grew up, I wanted to straighten it or put it up. I was never happy with my hair, never proud of it. But as I got older, I started to like it. I style my hair a lot, and to be honest, styling it makes life easier.
What’s the best hair advice you’ve ever received?
Beauty comes from the inside out, so drinking lots of water is really important. One of the questions I get asked a lot is how to give a good blow dry. I gave a friend a blow dry the other day, and her hair didn’t have any layers. If your hair doesn’t have layers, it doesn’t have any volume. Adding layers to your hair makes a huge difference. It makes your hair look fuller and bouncier. But aside from that, you should always protect it from heat.
What is your daily hair care routine?
I wash my hair once or twice a week. I use a hair mask once a week. I alternate between the Breezy Weightless series and the Essential Moisture series. When I wash my hair, like yesterday, I was planning to blow dry it, so I wanted it to feel light and refreshing, so I used the Breezy Weightless series. But when I know it’s humid outside, my hair needs hydration and smoothness, so I always use the Essential Moisture series.
Jelph Avenue Beauty Breezy Styling Mist
When it comes to styling, I always use a Breezy Styling Mist before applying heat to protect my hair and add volume. I always use a bit of dry shampoo in between washes. I’ve also been growing my bangs for years, but I always wear my hair up because I hate having hair in my face. If I want to put my hair in a sleeker bun, I always use a hair mask.
What is your favorite hair styling tool?
Definitely the Dyson Airwrap. I absolutely love it. The large round volumizing brush attachment works great. It dries my hair in 10 minutes instead of the 20 it should take.
Dyson Large Round Volume Brush
What’s your biggest makeup essential right now?
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel is a staple for me. The Tower 28 eyelash curler is a real game changer. I don’t know if an eyelash curler is good or bad, but the Tower 28 eyelash curler is the best. Charlotte Tilbury Iconic Nude Lip Pencil is something I always have with me. It’s always in my bag.
I love Rhode Pocket Blush because it can be worn without any makeup underneath. For a bronze look, I love Toasted Teddy. I use it when I want to feel like I have a tan. Sleepy Girl also works really well for a bronze look. I’m a skin tint girl. I don’t like foundation. The skin tints that Kylie Cosmetics recently launched are really great. The brush is really good too. I’ve also been using Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint for a while now.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel Tower 28 Make Wave Lash Curler Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Iconic Nude Kylie Cosmetics Skin Tint Blurring Elixir Foundation Kylie Cosmetics Skin Tint Brush Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Ease Drop Blurring Skin Tint
The next question was, “What is your favorite perfume?” But you don’t wear perfume.
Glossy Glossy You
The only perfume I’ve actually used is Glossier You, but other than that, I love the scent of Djerf Avenue Beauty so much that I sometimes spritz my styling mist and walk in it to scent my clothes.
Maybe you should launch a hair perfume?
I know, I love scents so much that I have the urge to actually release a perfume.
What’s next for Djerf Avenue Beauty?
I’m leaving the makeup and skincare to other brands. I don’t have any plans to launch any makeup or skincare products for at least the next two years. But right now, I have a lot of products that I’m sampling and that I already love. There are a lot of really good products coming out, and they’re things that I use every day. The hard part is, I’ve already used everything and I want to share it so other people can enjoy it, but I have to wait.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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Carol Lee is an Associate Beauty E-Commerce Writer at ELLE.com, covering all things beauty and personal care. Prior to joining the team, she was an editor at Food Network Magazine and HGTV Magazine, where she was responsible for the beauty section of The Pioneer Woman. Carol earned her BA in Journalism from New York University and was one of the first customers to visit Glossier’s flagship store in New York’s SoHo district. Over the years, she has tried countless makeup, haircare, and skincare products and written hundreds of articles covering the beauty sphere, from the latest in trends to rounding up the best products on the market. As a Korean-American, she grew up in a sea of Korean makeup and skincare products, making her a bonafide expert on the ever-expanding world of K-beauty, leading our coverage. Plus, she’s always on the hunt for the perfect lipstick and finds herself watching the same comforting sitcoms (Frasier, Cheers, Seinfeld, New Girl, etc.) over and over again.
