We can all agree the best part of a salon visit is the blowout. Fresh highlights and covered greys are lovely, but the blowout at the end is what finishes the service and puts a little bounce in your step.
The blowout I love most feels a little special but never overdone, with just enough bend that your hair looks great without looking like you tried too hard. It's soft, it moves, and the best part is you can absolutely recreate it at home, in whatever version your day calls for.
If I had a dollar for every time a client asked "How do you make it look so easy?", I'd have a very nice handbag collection by now. The truth is, it's far simpler than you'd think.
Whether it's a quick everyday version or something a little more set for a night out, the technique is the same. Here's how I'd walk you through it if you were in my chair.
1. Start with your prep
A blowout is only as good as what goes in first. Towel-dry gently, squeezing rather than rubbing, then work your product through while the hair is still damp. I like a cream like IGK Beach Club Blow Out Cream for smoothness, or a light mousse like R+Co Chiffon if your hair is fine and needs body.
For an everyday blowout, a light-hold product is all you need. Heading out for the night or to an event? Reach for something with a little more hold so the shape lasts until the end of the evening.
Always finish your prep with a heat protectant. It's the one step I'd never skip.
My pick is the Olaplex No.9 Bond Protector serum. You get full heat protection and a featherlight smoother in one, so it lays the cuticle flat and leaves your hair glossy and soft. We love a product that does double duty.
2. Rough-dry to about 80%
This is where most of the time goes, and it's where you save the most of it. Skip the brush for now and dry with your fingers, lifting at the root and moving the hair around. When it feels mostly dry but still a little cool to the touch, you're ready.
It's the step clients are always surprised by. Your hair is most willing to take a shape when it's nearly dry, so that's when the brush comes in.
That 80% is perfect for everyday. If you're setting it for an event or a night out, bring the brush in a little earlier, around 60 to 70% dry. It really is the difference in making it last, because you're blow drying the shape in so much sooner.
3. Section it out
Start by gathering a rounded section at the top of your head, as if you were making a ponytail, leaving about two to three inches out all the way around your hairline. Twist it up into a little bun. Then divide what's left around the edges into five: the front and fringe, one on each side and two at the nape. It feels fussy for about a minute, but it makes the whole blowout so much easier and gets so much more shape in. Dry the front first, clip it out of the way, then move on to the nape and work your way up.
Section size changes the finish, too. For an everyday version, take bigger sections with a larger barrel and you can be done in about ten minutes. For an event, work in smaller sections with a slightly smaller barrel for a stronger set that holds all night.
Studio note: there's a reason we call it the money piece. If the front air-dries before you get to it, you'll never get it to sit the way you want. You can always go back over it at the end, but get that shape in first.
4. Brush, heat, then cool
Take a section about the width of your brush and place the brush under it at the root. Pull it forward rather than straight up, with the dryer nozzle pointed down the hair shaft so the cuticle lies flat. Keep a little tension and work in small moves: glide forward a little, roll back, glide forward a little more, roll back again. That rhythm builds a soft, rounded shape through the whole section, where pulling straight to the ends just leaves a curl at the bottom.
When you get to the end, hold the heat for a few seconds, then hit the cool shot before you let go. That cool moment is what sets the shape. Not sure which barrel to use? The round brush guide will help you find yours.
Studio note: keep your elbows down and pull every section a little forward of where it naturally falls. It's so much easier and more manageable than holding a brush and dryer straight up with your arms stretched over your head, and your shoulders will thank you.
5. Give the crown and front some love
For the top sections, skip lifting straight up. Pull each section forward instead, so your brush lands right on top of the section you're drying. That's what builds the most volume. For the front, direct the hair away from your face so it frames you rather than falls flat.
6. Let it cool before you touch it
This part takes patience. Once you're done, let your hair cool completely before you run your fingers through it. Then break it up gently, add a touch of serum to the ends if you like, and mist a little R+Co Balloon at the root if you want more lift.
The best part
A blowout gets easier every time you do it. The first one might take a while. By the fourth, you'll have a rhythm, and you'll start knowing exactly where your hair wants to go.
And when you want it done for you, with a little extra polish and someone else holding the dryer, we'd love to see you in the studio.
