Blow-Dry Know-How

A truly great hairstyle is one you can recreate at home. Many women, however, find the art of blow-drying fiendishly tricky – and very time-consuming. So—between salon appointments—they’re disappointed with their cut. But it is quite possible to achieve salon-perfect results at home, provided you have the right tools, the right product and the right brush for your hair.

 

Squeeze hair dry to remove excess water, wrap it in a towel to remove as much as you can and then stroke hair downwards with a small absorbent towel to get it as dry as possible.

 

If you’re using a styling product, get hair as dry as you can before applying, otherwise you’re just watering it down.

 

Talk to your stylist about what products to use if you’re unsure.

 

Spread a tiny amount of styling product, if used in the palms of your hands and massage it through hair from roots to ends.

 

Use a powerful hairdryer with a directional nozzle. When most people get anew hair dryer, they throw away the nozzle – but it’s the most important part of your dryer. The more powerful the hairdryer, the quicker the results. Look for 1600 watts minimum. More wattage is better. (From my personal experience, drug store hair dryers by Revlon, and Conair just to name a few, have 1800-1850 watts.)

 

If your hair is prone to frizz you may want to try a diffuser, although it takes long to dry hair because the flow is slowed.

 

Tip your head upside-down and ruffle hair while you blow-dry initially. It invigorates roots and builds body.

 

When hair is just beginning to feel dry, start using a brush to style. Before that, you’re wasting your time.

 

Style the front of the hair first: that’s the part everyone notices. If you’re in a real hurry, you can stop there. Otherwise, it’s generally front, sides and top, with back and underneath last (unless you have short upswept style, in which case you may want to go from the front to the nape then do sides and top).

Before you start styling, it may help to use clips to "section" off hair you’re not working on, particularly if it’s medium to long.

 

 Blow-dry down the grain of the hair, towards the ends. It makes the cuticle lie flat, so hair looks shiny and your style will keep its shape longer.

 

If you want extra body, put in large Velcro rollers – one or three in the crown is very effective and saves you getting arm cramps holding the drier above your head: leave rollers in while you do your makeup.

 

Give hair a final blast of cool air to fix the style. And quick ruffle with your fingers, because the last thing you want to look is "set".

 

Use a little bit of wax to separate hair and give a final gloss: or use a spritz of spray to shine. If you want shine plus hold, spray hair spray on a brush and brush through hair right at the end.

 

Total Beauty by Sarah Stacey & Josephine Fairley