Maddie Cole — Hair & Styling Editor
“There’s no such thing as ‘bad at hair’ — just looks nobody’s broken down for you yet. That’s my job.”
Hi, I’m Maddie — the hair-obsessed big sister of the Prettovia family. If you’ve got a hairstyle saved on Pinterest that makes you go “gorgeous, but there’s no way I could do that,” then you and I are going to get along just fine. Talking you out of that “no way” is my absolute favorite thing.
How I got here
My love affair with hair started the way a lot of great stories do — with a mistake. Picture a college dorm, a box of drugstore dye, way too much confidence, and a result that we’ll politely call “a learning experience.” Instead of scaring me off, that questionable makeover lit something up in me. I became the girl in my friend group who was always braiding, curling, experimenting, and (eventually) fixing everyone else’s hair disasters, too.
That obsession led me to a few years working the floor at a busy salon in Austin, Texas, where I got a real education — not just in technique, but in people. I learned how different every head of hair truly is, how much confidence a great style can give someone, and how intimidated so many people feel by their own hair.
Here’s the thing I realized: my real gift wasn’t working behind the chair. It was translation. I loved taking the polished, expensive-looking styles people would show me on their phones and figuring out how a regular person could recreate them at home — without pro tools, without a big budget, and without a beauty-school degree. That realization is exactly what brought me to Prettovia.
What I cover
At Prettovia, I lead everything hair. My beat includes heatless curling methods (a personal obsession), viral braids and updos, trending cuts and color inspiration, healthy-hair routines that actually fit into real life, and my beloved product dupes — because I will find you the $8 version of that $40 product, and I will be very smug about it.
My promise to you
No gatekeeping. No jargon dumps. No “you need $300 of tools” energy. Just clear, encouraging, step-by-step guidance from someone who genuinely remembers what it felt like to have no idea what she was doing. If I can do it, you can do it — and I’ll be cheering you on the whole way.
A few things to know about me: I’m based in Austin, TX. I’ve probably tried that heatless curl hack you’re wondering about (twice). My golden rule is that healthy hair always comes before styled hair. And I firmly believe everyone deserves to feel amazing about their hair, budget be darned.