The Perfect Hair Blow Dry

Hairstylists are kinda like superheroes. Not only can they transform your look with a few scissor snips, but they know how to do something far harder -- hold a hairdryer and a brush at the same time ... and not drop them! (As you can tell, this is a skill I don't have.) And with those two tools, they can take wet, bleh hair and turn it into a shiny, straight showstopper, aka the perfect hair blow out.

Of course, I don't have the cash to get a blow out every time I wash my hair (they run £25 and up per appointment and I wash my hair a couple times a week). So I really only have one option: I need to learn how to blow out my hair on my own. It seems like a daunting task, so I decided to reach out to people who knows everything about blow outs, my hairdresser at Essensuals.

Not only did I get an amazing tutorial with step-by-step pics, but my stylist was able to answer a lot of my blow out questions, from how to section the hair when it's wet to how to achieve amazing volume just by the position of the hair dyer. But before I get started with all that, you have to have the right tools for the perfect hair blow out: a hair dryer and a brush.

According to my stylist, the best type of hairdryer is an ionic one. An ionic hairdryer is a high-tech, newer type of hairdryer that doesn't get as hot as the traditional dryers, but still dries the hair quicker. These dryers also cause less damage to the hair because they aren't so hot. However, this doesn't mean you have to ditch your old-fashioned dryer. Since older model dryers do get so hot, these work best for those with really curly hair that need the extra heat to get their hair super straight.

As for the right brush, my stylist recommends a natural boar bristle brush because it is "soft on the hair." He also says to steer clear of a metal brush since "the heat from the blow dryer also makes the metal on the brush extremely hot, which can further damage the hair."

Now that you've got your tools ready, it's time to get started on your perfect hair blow out. Scroll down for the step-by-step blow out tutorial.

Prep the hair

To get the perfect blow out, you have to prep your hair. This means using the right shampoo and conditioner for your type of hair.

• Most "normal" hair types: Use moisturizing products, says my stylist, and that goes double if you have curly or frizzy hair.
• Fine hair: Stay away from moisturizing shampoos. "These types of shampoos have a lot of oil in them, and oil weighs down the hair," he explains.
• Colour-treated hair: Look for sulfate-free shampoos because sulfates can strip out hair color.

Once you've washed and towel dried your hair, begin to brush out the tangles. My stylist says to start at the bottom of the hair and work your way up as you comb through each section. This causes less hair breakage -- and pain.

Get protected

Heat tools damage hair. BUT, if you use the right products before you blow dry, you can minimize that damage. Before a blow out, my stylist uses his specially pH balanced water, which opens the hair shaft, allowing product to reach the core of the hair. Then, heapplies a heat protection spray. He recommends KMS Free Shape Hot Flex Spray, £2.50.

Finally, after adding the product to your hair, "be sure to comb your hair out thoroughly," he says, since you don't want the product in just a few places on the hair.

Start sectioning

Now that you've prepped your hair, it's time to section it before you blow dry. First, part your hair. Next, my stylist recommends sectioning the hair into four pieces -- two sections in the front, two sections in the back. The front sections should contain all the hair from your temple to the back of your ear. Use a clip to gather each section of hair.

To section the back, continue your part down the back of your head. Gather the hair from behind the ear to the part and clip. Do the same to the other side.

The reason for this type of sectioning: your brush. The width of your brush should match the width of the section of hair. If your hair is wider than the brush, then each section of hair won't have the same amount of tension when you pull the brush, he says. Some pieces will loosely hang off the brush or won't even be caught in the bristles. (If you don't use equal tension throughout your hair, you'll see bumps and ridges in your finished blow out.)

Rough dry

According to my stylist, you don't want to start your blow out with sopping wet hair. (If so, the whole blow out process will take much longer than it needs to be.) Instead, rough dry the section of hair you're about to begin working on. He says you should aim for the hair to be 60 percent dry before you start the blow out process.

Get the right hold

It's time to officially begin the blow out. Start with the first section around your face. Take the bottom half of the section, and clip the top half back up on your head. Next, brush out the hair, rolling the brush up and under the hair. In your other hand, hold the blow dryer about 2 inches away from the hair.

If you want your hair super straight, you can use a hair dryer with a nozzle for a more concentrated stream of air. But if you're looking for overall volume, forget the nozzle. Without a nozzle, "the heat will move throughout all of your hair, not just stay on one spot," he says.

Direct the air

As you blow dry, make sure to aim the dryer down hair shaft. If you blow dry against the hair shaft (pointing up), you'll cause your hair to frizz.

For added volume or a slight end curl, roll the brush under your hair, and blow dry from underneath your hair. "Rolling creates volume throughout hair. Usually this technique is best used around the crown or at the sides of the hair -- not so much in the back," says my stylist.

Continue to pull the brush through the hair and roll it under as you blow dry, keeping a consistent tension with the brush. When hair is fully dry, you should move across to the next section, concentrating on the bottom half again. "Try to dry the sections evenly across the head, from right to left (or vice versa). It's about working through your hair at the same level," he says. Only when you have finished the bottom half of each section, should you move onto the top half of each section.

At the front

After you have finished most of the blow out, take a piece of hair from each of the front sections, and gather them together. (This would be the place where your fringe would normally fall if you don't have them.) Treat this section the same as the other sections, rolling the brush up and under, while blow drying from underneath.

Before the front section is completely dry, roll the entire piece of hair up to your scalp and clip the roll in place. As the section cools and dries further, your front piece will hold the volume and curl better. (And for a few minutes, you'll look like Bettie Page, so there's that.)

Continue blowing out the rest of your hair.

Brush back

Once you have finished the blow out (and your hair is completely dry), remove the clip from your bang area. Uncurl it, and pull that piece toward the back of your head, brushing the section back. Once you've brushed it a few times, release your hair, and it should fall naturally, dividing along your part. And since it was clipped, there should be added volume along the edges of your hair and at the root of your hair.

Final look

Your blow out is complete! Well, almost. Before you run off with your amazing hair, make sure to apply a post-blow dry product, like a shine serum or flyaway spray. If you're looking to eliminate flyaways, my stylist recommends silicone-based products instead of oil-based ones. "This gives hair more shine and makes hair light and flexible," he says.

Also, don't use too much product -- it'll make your hair look greasy. One or two pumps should be enough. And remember: "The more you touch your hair, the greasier it gets as well," he says.

Now, you're officially done!






Now that I've had a masterclass in 'blow dry's' I'm going to try my best to do this on a regular basis. 

For all those going back to work after the 'long-weekend' of Golden Jubilee celebrations -- I hope you have a lovely day that doesn't drag on too much.  I know we are all probably feeling a bit worse for wear this morning.

Enjoy your day ;)

xoxo,
Angelique