Beautiful blowdrys: understanding the process and how to maintain it

Blowdrys are a great treat: whether you go to the salon purely for a blowdry, or whether it is the end phase of your new colour or cut, it can put the finishing touches on your overall style. It’s an art that is hard to perfect for most people at home, but it can transform the way your hair sits, and the way it wears until your next wash. And, if that’s not enough to make you want to book in a blowdry at your favourite salon immediately, let’s not forget the little head massage you get to enjoy while your hair is being washed.

Below, we have some tips on how to get the most out of your blowdry, and keep it looking bouncy and fresh for as long as possible.

The blowdrying process

The process begins with a soothing hair wash and scalp massage, that will leave you feeling relaxed and ready to have your hair lifted, dried, and styled. A good hairdresser will use a shampoo and conditioner that suits your hair type, as well as the kind of blowdry, and finish, that you want. Are you wanting smooth, sleek strands, waves, or bouncy, voluminous curls? Your stylist will be able to tailor your blowdry to achieve your desired finish. Following the wash, a heat protectant will be applied to protect your freshly-washed locks from heat damage.

Your hairdresser will give the hair an all-over, quick dry first so that the hair is just damp, and not soaking wet. Once the hair is ready to be dried at close proximity, using a top quality hairdryer and brush, your hairdresser will lift the brush through the roots, pull down, and then back up, whilst the hairdryer nozzle hovers over the brush closely. This creates volume at the roots and is one of the reasons why getting your hair blow-dried professionally always seems to provide you with that soft volume that you might struggle to achieve at home.

Don’t forget, that blowdrying is an art, so don’t rush your hairdresser. By taking their time between hair sections and letting the hair cool after they’ve dried it, it will help the style set, and ensure you get a longer-lasting blowdry. Keep in mind that the way your hair looks straight after the hairdresser is done styling, will not necessarily be the way it will look in an hour’s time. Naturally, it will drop a little, so don’t panic if it’s looking a little more voluminous than planned. Given a bit of time, it’ll be looking as soft and subtle as you’d imagined.

Aftercare

Just as important as the blowdrying process itself, is how you take care of your styled hair afterwards, to ensure you get the most out of it before you need to wash it again. A few small changes to your daily routine will keep you looking salon fresh for a few days.

Your biggest challenge will be avoiding kinks and frizz, so investing in a few good tools will help prevent that from happening. Firstly, you’ll want butterfly clips if you need to pull your hair back, as an alternative to using kink-inducing hair bands. Gather and hold your hair as if putting it into a ponytail, twist it up, and clip. This will help maintain the bounce and natural shape of your waves, without any harsh kinks.

You may only need to do this when you’re popping into the shower, which is where you might come up against further issues. Shower caps, whilst a key shower accessory for many, can cause your newly blow-dried hair to frizz. Whilst helping you to avoid getting your hair completely wet, shower caps can trap humidity, so instead, wrap your butterfly-clipped hair in a towel. This will keep out the moisture, and reduce the chance of humidity affecting your sleek strands.

Lastly, never underestimate the power of a bit of dry shampoo. This will help maintain the volume, and also soak up any excess oil, to avoid greasiness and keep your hair looking fresh.

If you want to find out more, or just want to treat yourself to a blowdry, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.