Hairstyling Tips For A Perfect Blow Out
It’s challenging to look fab day in and day out when a simple blowout at home can feel like it takes forever.
How do the pros do it, and what products do they use to make the process easier? Celebrity hairstylist Billy Lowe says all you need to do is:
1. Shampoo and condition, as usual, using professionally prescribed products for your hair type.
2. Towel dry hair to remove excess water and apply your preferred styling products. I LOVE using styling creams for a great blow-out and often, a little goes a long way.
3. Begin blow-drying hair with your fingers to remove excess water. Remove 80-90% of the water in your hair BEFORE you use your brushes. Using a brush on wet hair accomplishes nothing, and you’re just pulling and tugging at the hair.
4. I prefer to use a metal or ceramic round brush when drying, rather than boar bristle. They save drying time, are open in the center to allow air to pass through on both sides, and give a beautiful silky smooth polished look. My favorite brushes are by Olivia Garden, and I love the large barrels.
5. Finish with a shaping wax, hair spray, or other product to give the final touch to your style.
Additional tip: If you have wavy hair, apply a styling cream to the back and scrunch through. Allow the back to air-dry on its own (leaving it curly) and smooth through the front to polish and straighten the face-framing area. The result is a beautiful dimensional effect that has lots of bodies, movement, and style.
Thanks to Billy Lowe – celebrity stylist and founder of Gloss & Toss – www.glossandtoss.net
I use a mist spray hairspray, it’s not as drying, and my hair is more natural looking and bouncy.
I love Fabulous After 40…:) My tip: to straighten bangs-use a round brush and dry hair in both directions (from left to right and right to left)with fur around the bush (sideways). Remember to hold the dryer close to your hair. Holding meeting in a vertical position, wrap bangs, and smooth with dryer. Works great!
Ladies, I’m blown away by all your fabulous hair tips. I can’t wait to try a few me. Great work!
BLOT!!! Be gentle with your hair!
Use the attachment to direct the heat for better control instead of using the blow dryer without an extension.
One of the best hair tips I ever received was to blow dry my hair in the opposite direction to its growth. If it is growing, blow dry it up (putting the blow dryer underneath the hair and pointing it up). This creates natural volume.
The excellent shot was the best invention for holding curls from big round brushes.
I will try this tip: Begin blow-drying hair with your fingers to remove excess water. Remove 80-90% of the water in your hair BEFORE you use your brushes.
Allow hair to air dry a bit before using a blow dryer, then spray with a product of choice and scrunch the hair with fingers as you dry using a diffuser to create natural waves.
I have chemically relaxed hair. Add a dab of Chi Silk Infusion to the ends of your hair before blow drying. This will help keep the ends from looking fly away and dried out.
I’ve found that my hair stays healthier & retains more shine if I don’t wash it daily.
My hair has changed since going through menopause in my 30s–and finding a good hairstylist is my best tip! I, too, flip my head upside down to dry it most of the way, then use a flat brush to straighten it and help lift it. Thanks, Andrea–you’re the most fantastic stylist ever!
Because I have fine hair, I apply a “Big Sexy” product at the roots after letting my hair air-dry until it’s barely damp. Then I blow dry, lifting using a medium round brush near the sources and a smaller one to curve the ends and bangs.
My stylist will blow dry my hair, finger drying first, then following with round brushes. He will hold my hair in place by leaving the meeting in holding the curl. I once had three round brushes in my hair as he was drying. I have above chin-length wavy hair. I skip the brushes at home, but I love finger drying my hair. Maybe I could try the stylist brush technique with an Infinity Pro Blowdryer from Conair!
Apply gel to why hair is wet, turn the head upside down, and blow dry the hair.
Towel dry, then let hair air dry until it’s just damp. Then you can use the tremendous new blow dryer!
I blow dry from back to front & start with hot air, and finish with cold on every section. The complex air locks in the set! My short hair is very straight, so I set it with hot rollers. It looks curly when I first take the rollers out, but the curl settles, and I have the voluminous, flippy style that I want!!
I love all the great comments! I’ll add fav products, Sebastian Drench and Fekkai Salon Glaze, to the list. And I make my bangs first – with the nozzle on. I always take the nozzle off to do the all-over quick dry, though. Nozzle back on to the finish. I’ve also learned to ensure every hair is dry (no leftover dampers) to mimic a salon blow-out!
Instead of reaching for a clarifying shampoo, add about a teaspoon of baking soda with your regular amount of shampoo when you wash your hair; it does clean well and helps if your hair is a little oily.
I blow dry my headful of wavy hair with my fingers after applying the product on wet hair ( smoothing creme and frame), then clip my hair in sections and blow dry with a round blowdry brush till smooth! Apply some styling wax, and most of the time, TA-DA!
I would love to have this blowdryer. I can never seem to get a perfect one because it can be expensive. I have super curly red hair and use the low cool to dry my hair curly and hot heat when I want to straighten it, which usually takes at least an hour and a half. It’s pretty too!
Dry hair upside down for volume.
Buy a good shower cap, and give your hair a day’s rest. I like to straighten my hair but don’t want to use all that heat daily.
When you blow dry, allow your hair to cool in the shape/direction you want so that it sets. For example, if you use rollers, let the hair cool down before removing them.
I live in the Nevada desert, and it is scorched.. and with my hypothyroidism, my hair and skin tend to dry out to the point of almost complete hopelessness. I have tried so many conditioners, oils, masks, etc., but nothing seemed to work, and it was expensive. I began using just a bit of coconut oil on the ends of my hair, and the difference was striking. Best of all, it is inexpensive! Now I do a weekly coconut oil “mask,” leaving it in overnight, and I use the oil sparingly throughout my hair before blow drying and as a skin moisturizer.. the stuff is fantastic!!!
I have to blow dry my hair before cutting it, and it always helps to use the same shampoo and conditioner.
I like to rinse my hair with 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 cup of water. Pour this over your hair the last thing before you get out of the shower or bath, and do not rinse it out. Style it as usual. Your hair will be so shiny! I do this once a week.
Make sure to apply gel or mousse to the roots first for lift, then add a bit to the ends of your hair to help hold your set. You may be droopy if you use gels only to the outer lengths of your hair.
If your hair is dull, lifeless looking, or has a build-up of product, mix a teaspoon or two of baking soda with your shampoo (this makes a paste) and wash your hair as usual. This is so gentle. You could do this every day, but it’s only needed once a week to once a month or as needed. :-)
I know this may be an old remedy, but it works wonders. Add just a little baking soda to your shampoo when washing your hair. It gets all the gunk and styling product out of your hair and doesn’t cost but 50 cents a box!
To keep frizz down and put a curl in, use a touch of your favorite hair conditioner and a bit of styling mouse. Grab your hair up from the bottom with your hands and squeeze the strands with your fist off and on while blow drying. Push upward to help add lift. This will make your hair look like you have curled it, and you will be good to go with just a bit of fluffing to add volume. Say goodbye to bad hair days.
One of my hairdresser’s tips for volume is to use a few velcro rollers at the top of the head for the book; I use three, just rolling three sections on top and leaving in while I’m doing other things to get ready.
Rinse hair with vinegar for a great shine. And your hair does NOT stink after it dries! :-)
I was with conditioner only every other wash. Less drying to my colored hair. When drying, section off your hair with clips and dry section by section. More control and shortens the drying time.
A good haircut makes all the difference in the world! You get what you pay for stands actual for haricots too!
I would love to win this for my soon-to-be 45-year-old hair! :)
I have thick curly hair. I use a microfiber towel to remove most of the water from my hair. I also use a spray gel when my hair is damp and finger comb the gel through my hair.
The best conditioner I’ve found comes in my box of hair colors. I manage to make it last between coloring, generally every four weeks. My hair is chin length, so a little bit of conditioner is all I need.
Regarding hair styling, embrace your natural hair when you wake up in the morning! I have naturally curly hair, although it seems to have a mind of its own most of the time. I’ve found in the past that the days I feel terrible about my hair are the days I get the most compliments! So embrace that wave you’d rather hide under a hat; it’s well worth it, not to worry!
I have fine hair, so what works best for me is to let my hair air-dry until it’s damp. Then I blow dry using a round brush near the roots to give it a little lift.
My hair isn’t as thick as it was in my twenties. I find two tips that help: 1. I clean my brushes and combs regularly, so I never put old products onto my hair when I style it. 2. I use a root lifting spray to give me that younger hair “bounce” I used to have. It’s surprising how those two tips make for better-looking hair!
I always try and let my hair air dry a bit before I use the blow dryer to finish drying. I also use daily conditioner on the ends of my hair.
My favorite tip is regular trims and conditioning! I have crazy hair over processed backcombed hair, but my hairdresser says I have healthier hair than the majority of her clients because I’m a regular :) I love this hairdryer! Awesome color!
I don’t squeeze the water from my hair after washing. I gently pat dry with a towel.
I’m enjoying these styling tips! And this morning when I washed and dried my hair…I looked at my Supermax hair dryer by Conair and thought I would return to share some memories! I bought my first Conair ‘blow dryer’ back in the early ’70s. My hair was long and straight…down to my waist! How nice it was to dry it…and not have to WAIT all day for it to dry. Conair is the only brand I’ve ever bought…they are reliable! And now, if someone asks me what I like most about myself, I would have to say my hair! ♥
I like to have my hair trimmed every six weeks. This keeps the layers at the right length and not too heavy, so the styling takes less time, and the hair has lots of movement.
I quit using gel and use a leave-in conditioner from my salon. The site stylist told me that my former products were drying my hair and contributing to the breakage problem I had been having.
I flip my head over and blow dry my roots for more lift. Also, try not to apply heat to the ends of hair, as they are the most vulnerable. Aveda Brillance works excellent as a serum and adds shine.
I like using duck clips right at the roots of my hair to give it some lift while I scrunch and dry.
My hairdresser shared two tips: First, use only sulfate-free shampoo- Kenra and Pureology make good ones that are widely available. This is especially critical if you color your hair. Second: Rinse your hair at least three times after shampooing–an excellent long rinse removes residue that can dull hair. I hope these tips help!
I don’t wash my hair daily, but I dampen it every morning and turn it under using a round brush and the hair dryer. It gives it some bounce and lifts…and style! Thanks! ♥
I’ve always followed the tip to wash your hair in calm, not warm, water to help shine.
I find I can go cheap on shampoo as long as i use a good conditioner after.I also wash every other day and just use a straightener on my fringe in between.
I have naturally thick curly hair, but love the straight look too. So when I go for straight, I roll my hair up in those HUGE fat velcro curlers and blow dry my hair while it’s in the curlers….much easier and faster (and gentle on the hair) for when I go for that straight iron. Just a few touch ups with the straight iron and I am good to go for the days I like to wear the hair straight. A trick I learned from my hairdresser years ago. ; D
I have naturally curly hair and live in a very humid climate. My two tips are:
1. Don’t wash your hair every day! Day one: wash. Day two: finger style with Frizz Eaze curl rejuvination products. Day three: conditioner only. Back to day one.
2. To avoid major frizz, make sure hair is completely dry before leaving the house and set with Frizz-Eaze Moisture Barrier hair spray.
Love your website! Thanks for the great articles and tips. If you’re ever in Hong Kong, please let me know – would love to give you the grand tour!
mb
I have been using Bumble and bumble thickening conditioner. It really makes a difference.
I recently discovered Moroccan oil. I small dab before drying does amazing things…moisturizes dry hair, tames the frizzies, and on and on. Seriously, this stuff is the best product of any kind that I have tried in a long time. Highly recommended!!
Never wash your hair with hot water. Instead, wash your hair about every two to three days and then rinse with cool water.
For curly hair, apply product to wet hair and let air dry!
1. Clip up hair before blow drying.
2. Let hair air dry a bit before blow drying