5 Blow-Dry Steps You Should Never Skip
Salon-level results at home
You probably blow-dry your hair twice a week but, be honest, how often do the results fall flat (pun intended)? Blow-drying your hair is like trying a crème brûlée – too much heat too fast and you end up with a burnt mess. So we tapped hairstylists Nick Latham and Sean Nother — aka Wall Bros – who can be found at Harsheson’s Knightsbridge outpost in Harvey Nichols for their simple techniques to make fine hair beautiful and save you from other hot tools. (Yes, even the best hair straighteners can’t do the job of a great hair dryer.) Your hair will thank you…
First step – prepare
Brush wet hair with a mason brush.
Harsheson Mixed Bristle Oval Bristle Brush, £24
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Using the right product before blow-drying will also protect your ends from breakage and make the volume last longer. Always remember to use heat protection.
Harsheson Almost Everything Cream, £10
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And choose root-boosting sprays because they’re mild and won’t leave behind a sticky residue.
Kerastase Resistance Volumizing Spray, £23.80
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Philip Kingsley Maximizer Root Boosting Spray, £18, John Lewis
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The second step – rough-dry hair
A with rough-dry wires hair dryer until it is 90% dry. Then you can start sectioning and styling it. This will cut down on your blow-dry time and means you only need to go over each section once or twice with the brush. Another bonus? You use less heat on each section so the hair doesn’t fall flat or have annoying flyaways.
Step Three – Blow-dry in sections
Always blow-dry your hair from the front to the back, starting at the hairline and crown as they are the most visible. Do it the other way around and by the time you get to the front, it will be dry and hard to smooth.
Step Four – Blow-dry in the opposite direction
Sweep your hair forward, brushing down the hair shaft to smooth the cuticles. Bend the wires around a large round brush while moving the heat through the ends. Repeat in the bottom layers then comb your hair back. By blow-drying your roots in the opposite direction you give them extra volume.
Harsheson Ceramic Ion Brush Large, £30
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Step 5: Use your ears to make waves
Finally, part your hair as usual and tuck it behind your ears. Better yet, do it while your hair is still warm. Your ears are the perfect height to give you the same face-framing kinks you see on the red carpet.
