The Perfect Blowout

When I first met my hair stylist, Dave, he was working at Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Salon and I had come in in a panic over a very bad cut…we’re talking lopsided, way too short and all around disastrous.  He took one look at my hair and told me he wasn’t going to touch it until it grew out some more.  He instructed me to wait another month and then return, at which point, he could then begin to address all the issues (and trust me, there were a lot…note to self: never impulsively decide to go dramatically shorter).   It was then that I knew I had found the one…that stylist who had my best interests at heart, was incredibly professional and most importantly, was seriously talented (Dave has worked at both Frederic Fekkai and Red Door).  It’s been a few years now and Dave has gone off on his own and now works out of his charming and chic studio (getting my hair done is now getting to spend the afternoon laughing and catching up with a good friend) but honestly, I think I would follow him to another state because his cut and color is that good.  One of the best things about getting my hair done is the amazing blowout I walk away with…something I’ve been trying to achieve at home but never quite attain the same results as Dave.  So, the other weekend, when I was there, I asked Dave to share his tips and tricks for obtaining the perfect blowout and he was more than happy to oblige.

1. What are the best tools to invest in to achieve the perfect blowout?

If you really want your style to pop, you’re going to need a few fancy tools. Let’s face it: the better the equipment, the cleaner the work. Whether the goal is shine, volume, or just taming frizz – a powerful, professional grade dryer is key. There are lots of brands out there, but I recommend for my clients the “twin turbo 2800”. This is my favorite because it’s  lightweight, has a pretty good lifespan, and is really powerful (1700 watts). Some dryers get very hot, but aren’t so powerful – so it’s easy to burn hair.  Like most powerful dryers, it comes with a concentrator nozzle – which is key in achieving any style. Without it, it’s like having a broom and no dust pan… You’ve contained the mess – but it’s still on the floor. It retails for a little over $120 and is well worth the money.

Aside from a good dryer, I would say having the right brush and a few clips are a huge help. This will take some personal exploration to get the right fit, but here are a few pointers. First: size does matter! A big brush doesn’t mean big hair – actually, the opposite. A large round brush, depending on the length of the hair, will make it straight and most likely – pretty flat. A smaller brush can give you more bend, and at the roots – this means more volume. You might even need two different brushes, one for shorter layers, or just your fringe, and one for longer layers.  Maybe one for volume at the roots, and one for  smooth bouncy ends. Everyone has different hair and a unique style – so I would recommend taking to your stylist about the best brush for you. Remember – personal exploration: if the brush isn’t working for you, just move on!

Lastly: clips. They are so cheap and ridiculously accessible – yet few women have them at home. It’s impossible to beautifully dry every hair on your head in one shot. You’re going to have to work in sections, why not make it easy for yourself? My only rule: they are not, I repeat NOT a fashion accessory. These generic clips should never be used to achieve a “bump” of volume on the top of your head. Nor should they be used to contain a 3 day old blowout, in some mess of a twist on the back of your head. #notcute If you need to rock any kind of up-styling, for goodness sakes: buy some bob pins!!!

2. What are your favorite save and splurge hair products?

I’m a big proponent of a luxury product. I believe you pay for what you get – so with that being said, skip the grocery store or even the convenience store when buying your products. If they have a luxury product, not high end, but luxury – it’s usually old stock and maybe even discontinued. Stock up at the salon when you see your stylist. The best way to recreate the look they give you is to use their products. If you use a stylist privately – I would go to Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, or even Zitomer. Stick to brands that are tried and true: Fekkai, Kerastase, Shu Eumura, and Oribe. Everyone has different needs, but these brands do a excellent job across the board.

3. Walk us through the steps that you take to give your clients smooth, shiny hair?

The key to any good blowout is patience. Again, every texture is different and style is unique. There are four tips I could say are universal no matter what your style goals are.

One: always start in the front. Women tend to start in the back of the head, and work really hard. The trouble is, by the time you get around to the front, you are out of energy and the hair has dried. So now, what’s first and forefront looks the worst, but that layer underneath in the back is silky and smooth.

Two: work in sections. Depending on whether or not you need to pre-dry your hair, you still need to work in sections. Not only will working in sections keep you organized, but it will keep what you’ve already done in tact, and keep what’s not done wet enough to style. At the beginning of your blow dry, clip your hair up in sections small enough to work with (no bigger than the diameter of your brush). As you go along, all you need to do is remove one clip at a time and work with that piece of hair, it will still be wet enough to style, which brings me to…

Three: work from root to ends. Ever dry your hair and it looks like spaghetti? Thick, matte and unable to hold a shape? We’ve all been there. The way to achieve that shine and body is by smoothing the cuticle of the hair. This is also how you get the desired shape you want. If you dry the roots first, you can decide how much volume will be in that area, then by smoothing the ends, you achieve shine and silkiness. This is why it’s important to work in sections – if you take a section down and the ends are dry, just re-wet them before you begin styling.  This takes lots of practice, but mastering this concept will make all the difference.

Four: Cool it, sister!! Another cardinal rule in blow drying is to always cool the style off. It’s easy, as soon as you are done styling, switch the blow dryer to cold and get up in there! Don’t worry about messing it up, it will fall right back into place. If you don’t, the hot hair isn’t set, and your scalp begins to perspire. It’s basically making a hot humid day inside your hair – there is no combating that disaster. Do yourself a favor and cool it off.

4. How long should a good blow out last?

This is a tricky question. If you get a good blow dry – it could last up to a week. It really depends on what you do with the blow dry and how fine the hair is. I find that clients with finer hair get greasy much quicker than those with thick or coarse hair. My sister is the master of a once a week blow dry. She starts Monday off smooth and sleek with a fresh blow dry. By Tuesday, it has some bounce and is a little messier. On Wednesday, she curls it, leaving it down until Thursday when half of it will go up. By Friday, it’s dirty, it’s been curled, and the only thing left to do is a full on up-do. Voilà – her blow dry made it through the work week!

5. What dry shampoo would you recommend?

I like 2 dry shampoos – one is an oldie but pretty good. I worked with a girl who had the finest blonde hair ever, and this really did the trick. It is called “psssst” you can find it for about $6 at the drug store. It comes in an aerosol can and should last a while. For the #bougie girls out there, I would pickup Fekkai’s dry shampoo. The thing I like about his is the simplicity of it. It’s basically cornstarch and cotton fibers. All it will do is soak up the grease on your hair. The best tip I can give on a dry shampoo is to only get the roots, and make sure you rub it in good. If you don’t, it will look like powder in greasy hair. Again, #notcute

6. Any tips for preserving a great blow out while sleeping?

Nothing ruins a good blow dry like a tired face. No matter what, your hair will get a little messed up while you sleep, save yourself the agony of sleeping sitting up, or putting 25 clips in your head, or a bun that slips the discs in your neck. Deal with it in the morning – it’s not worth the hassle!

** Be sure to follow Dave on Instagram @davidcully.