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Image / Beauty

How To Get The Best Out Of Your Blow-Dry


By IMAGE
17th May 2017
How To Get The Best Out Of Your Blow-Dry

We all know that wonderful feeling of having freshly blown-out hair. If there are ever moments in our lives when we are overcome with the temptation to strut, it’s then! In an effort to?improve our home blow-dry efforts and prolong our salon-served perfection, we caught up with some of the Bloody Brilliant Blow-Dry nominees for the IMAGE Business of Beauty Awards 2017, to discover what?products and methods we should?take note of.

Is there a trick/tip for getting volume into fine hair through a blow-dry?

My tips for very fine hair would be to use a light volumising product that’s not going to leave the hair sticky or with any build-up, so I love using the K?rastase Volumifique. It’s an amazing product for fine hair and volume, whilst also setting the look with cool air and giving plenty of lift at the root area.

Damien Mitchell, Wilde

Blow-drying in the opposite direction of the hair growth is going to give you volume. Turning your head upside down whilst blow-drying isn’t a bad idea either. Just remember to smooth over your locks when you’ve flipped your head back up.

Jamie Corrigan, The Hive

My personal Lain Ashley trade secret for fine hair is to spray a mist of medium hold hair spray into the hair, post blow-dry. Layer this up 4 to 5 times, building into and onto the hair, brush through then finish with one last blast of hairspray to hold the desired shape. Of course, use a great complimentary volume enhancing product pre-blow-dry also. I suggest ANTI.GRAVITY by Kevin Murphy.

Lain Woodman, Roller

Are there any products that improve gorgeous blown-out hair?

A blow-dry is never gorgeous without hydration. Hair needs to be hydrated to look shiny and healthy. The products that I use the most are serums. A serum is the key to make the hair shiny and smooth and to take the Frizz away! I use a serum before and after every service! My favourite is the MoroccanOil Treatment, it’s a few drops of heaven. The product is really intense, perfect for dry hair, and the amazing thing is that you can use it on your skin… I use it on my skin too, I love it!

Vincenzo Viticchi?, Hot Air

I LOVE Texture Dust! I feel a lot of clients are afraid to use it because of the texture it gives the hair, but I find it brilliant for hold and if you want really big hair.

Shannon Mulligan, Brown Sugar, Blackrock

Versace SS17

Photo: Jason Lloyd Evans

 

Could you give us any tips on achieving a curly blow-dry at home?

It is probably easier to create this look at home using a curling wand or tong. Prep your hair and rough dry it throughout. Section your hair and, starting at the nape of your neck, heat each section of hair to create your curls. If you want to achieve tighter curls, take smaller sections of hair. For loose waves take bigger sections and run your fingers through them at the end. Spray each curl or set in velcro rollers as you work through your hair for maximum hold.

Anita O’Donnell, Marbles Hair & Beauty

The best way to get a beautiful curly blow-dry at home may be the use of a wand? that’s normally the easiest tool to use on yourself. But, my suggestion is to try this once? when your hair is wet, add a little bit of mousse, then twist it all into a bun onto the top of your head and leave it to dry overnight. The next day you are going to have a fierce and full, curly, natural look!

Vincenzo Viticchi?, Hot Air

A cheat is to simply whack a load of curls into your hair using any preferred method (tongs, straighteners, etc.), then finally brush out and wind velcro rollers into your hair. Add a mist of hairspray and a blast of heat, then leave to set for about 15 to 20 minutes, then take out and shake your new (cheat) curly blow-dry. I suggest teaming up Kevin.Murphy ANTI.GRAVITY spray and YOUNG.AGAIN oil for that salon look.

Lain Woodman, Roller

 

For curly locks, what products or tools would you recommend for doing a blow-dry?

If the client wanted to keep their natural curl, I’d use Ol?o-Curl by K?rastase and then defuse on a medium heat and medium speed until dry. Then, depending on the hair, I’d go in with a skinny wand to define the curl and finish with a serum or spray.
Shannon Mulligan, Brown Sugar, Blackrock

So this is the tricky question. A lot of clients tell me they have a hard time doing a curly blow-dry at home, which is understandable, with having to hold the hairdryer at awkward angles. The best advice I could give is to take a lot of the heavy excess water from the hair. I would dry the root area -using fingers to give some volume- by taking medium-sized sections and smoothing the hair by drying with a medium-sized round brush and ?rolling the ends of hair around the brush. Using cool air will set the hair into a curl, or roll each section around fingers up towards the root area and set with silver clips into barrel style curls. After hair has cooled down, take out the clips and tussle the hair to shake out the barrel curl look, leaving the hair with lovely bouncy curls. The smaller the sections pinned, the tighter the curls will be, so for bouncy waves bigger sections are best.

Damien Mitchell, Wilde

Depending on what you want to do with the hair (straighten or enhance the curl) I would approach it differently. To straighten, I would definitely use a?light serum. Curly hair is a lot drier than straight and when straightening, it can become like straw. Serum will help to keep it looking healthy and shiny. To enhance the curl I would probably use a product by Sebastian called Potion 9. Apply it to the mid-lengths and ends, then whip out the defuser.

Jamie Corrigan, The Hive

Louis Vuitton SS17

Photo: Jason Lloyd Evans

 

Are there any great tools you would recommend to us?

I love using a curling/waving wand to achieve nice beachy waves or curls and this takes less time than blowdrying and it’s easy for clients to use themselves at home. A Parlux Hair Dryer is definitely on my list of great styling tools, as they have a very long-lasting durability. Silver pins for setting hair are?great to have a home and they are cheap and very efficient. They also add a lot of volume to the hair when left in for short or long periods of time.

Damien Mitchell, Wilde

I love using a large wand! I just feel that a lot of clients are leaning towards wavy hair and they find it too difficult to curl their own hair and I think it’s purely because they’re using the wrong tool. Generally, people never want really tight curls and I feel like when using a bigger wand, you never get that ‘ringlet’ affect. I always say the skinnier the wand, the tighter the curl and the fatter the wand, the looser the curl (depending on length).

Shannon Mulligan, Brown Sugar, Blackrock

 

What is the best way to sustain your blow-dry throughout the day?

Many people think that hairspray is the best way of maintaining a blow-dry throughout the day, but I don’t agree at all. Anything that makes the hair sticky isn’t good for making a blow-dry last. Let’s take, for example, hair that is full of hairspray? during the night, sleeping on the pillow, what is going to happen with that hair? A mess! That’s why I like to use soft products to keep a blow-dry, Serum is always the best product – a great blow-dry needs to be hydrated to last! My favourite serum to make a blow-dry last longer is Kevin Murphy Young Again Serum. A few drops gives amazing shine and hold. You can use it before, during and after a blow-dry.

Vincenzo Viticchi?, Hot Air

Resist the temptation to run your fingers through your hair! Just don’t touch it! Try to leave it alone. You could always use some Moroccan Oil Dry Shampoo to freshen up, if needed.

Anita O’Donnell, Marbles Hair & Beauty?

KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM IT.

Jamie Corrigan, The Hive

Stella McCartney SS17

Photo: Jason Lloyd Evans

 

Have you seen any fabulous hair trends this year?

I love Emma Willis’s haircut at the moment. That style of short hair allows for so much flexibility, as it can be worn and dressed in numerous different ways to change up the look.

Anita O’Donnell, Marbles Hair & Beauty

Due to Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez’s sleek long hair, I think sleek hair is definitely going to make a comeback.

Shannon Mulligan, Brown Sugar, Blackrock

Yes, personally I’m in love with the whole tribal/festival/boho look. For instance, a central scalp braid down the head (finishing at the crown), to then be’distressed by pulling out the braid to soften and add texture. Team up with to-die-for curls, waves and texture. You could use DOO.OVER by Kevin Murphy to achieve that effortlessly distressed, textured?look we all crave for. Spray it onto your hair and once dry, scrunch in and run fingers through your hair. It’s great for holding the look in place (the trick to these styles/looks is to be organically creative with braids of any amount and any placement teamed with mixtures of waves and curls).

Lain Woodman, Roller

Featured image: Acne SS17, Jason Lloyd Evans