We know what it’s like – no matter how many times you watch your stylist blow your hair in the salon, you can never seem to master it yourself at home. It doesn’t take much for your home blow dry to go horribly wrong which is why we have put together a list of tips to master the perfect at-home blow-dry. We sat down with two of our Creative Stylists – Andrew, who loves a good glamour blow dry and Jess, who understands key ways to get desired results. Here’s what they had to say:
1. Invest in a great blow-dryer
Let us start from the beginning – to get that salon quality blow-dry at home, investing in a good quality blow dryer is imperative, even more so if you are one to blow-dry your hair on the daily. Poor qualities blow-dryers are known to cause excessive damage and frizzyness to the hair as a result of poor heat circulation, cheap materials and uneven power. Jess, a Master Stylist at Luxe, swears by the new ghd Helios range. Used in our salon, this ultra-amazing tool comes with hair-saving smart features like high power, multiple heat settings, a cool shot, and ionic air technology with help with frizz, creates shine, and minimizes blow-dry time. The technology in ionic hair dryers helps break down water molecules faster, which makes the hair dry faster,” she says. The less time your hair is under heat and the more control you have over the temperature, the healthier it will be.”
2. Don’t pretend your blow dryer is a wind machine
The first step in the perfect blow dry is getting your form together – never just grab the dryer and go for it. Blow drying is basically an art and a science. “Never blow dry like your Beyonce with a wind machine” says Andrew. For a soft and shiny finish, you always need control. Always start by drying your roots (including the hair where your hair meets your neck) and then try using a paddle brush or round brush with the air of your blow dryer going in a downward motion for mid-lengths and ends. It is always important to section your hair when blow-drying to ensure maximum smoothness and shine. Sections should be no wider than the barrel of the brush, unless you have curly hair. For curly hair, sections should be smaller (about half as wide as the barrel). For the perfect blow-dry, you need to make sure your hair is about 50% dry before you start styling with your nozzle and brush.
3. Arm yourself with the best possible tools and products for your hair type
While we spend hours (and hard earned cash) researching and investing in skin care products, sometimes we tend to think we can grab anything for the hair from your local super market or pharmacy, but this can be seriously affecting the result of your at-home blow-dry. Finding a shampoo, conditioner and styling products to suit your hair type means you’ll be able to give your hair what it really needs, whether it is moisture, frizz control or volume.
Always, and we mean always, apply heat protection before beginning your blow-dry to damp towel-dried hair. Kerastase Keratin Thermique is one of our favourite’s due to it’s ability to drown out frizz, humidity proof the hair and assist in creating that smoothness that a salon blow-dry gives. Management Stylist Andrew also recommends the following products for certain hair types:
For hair seeking volume and thickness – Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray: This thermal-protective body-builder helps you expand to your absolute fullest with enduring lift and hold.
For hair seeking smoothness and sleek – Oribe Straight Away Smoothing Blowout Creme: This powerful perfecting cream protects against heat and humidity for super sleek strands that still have body and movement. Blowouts become quicker, more manageable and alluringly enduring.
4. Va Va Volume
Lifting from the roots is key if you want more volume. If you don’t have a lot of time or you’re not a professional and you want volume, a great tip is to flip the hair upside down and brush it so that your roots are going the opposite direction. Do this while adding a final blast of heat with the blow-dryer. Still feeling like you need that higher love with your hair? Use a dry volumising product through the roots, we can’t get enough of Oribe Thick Dry Finishing Spray, and use a low heat setting to active the volumising polymers in the product
5. Finished and Fabulous
Alright, so your hair’s dry, styled and your feeling like you could step onto a red carpet, but you can never seem to make the blow-dry last like your favourite stylist does? This is a common feeling when trying to master the perfect home blow-dry. Finishing a blow-dry is just as important as all previous steps:
-Try and avoid constantly running your fingers through your newly smooth hair as this will cause friction and frizziness. Using a oil serum such as OI Oil upon finishing will keep unruliness at bay.
-Position your hair around your shoulders to frame your face and use a light hold hair spray to set the blow-dry
