Blowdrying my hair has always been a bit hit or miss. I remember the joy when the first affordable hair straighteners came on the market over 12 years ago (anyone else have the Babyliss Steam and Shine?) and the disappointment when it wasn't all I thought it would be. I simply HATE hairdrying, I hate the noise, the heat, the time, and how no matter how hard I try it just doesn't look that good. Most of the time I tend to let it dry wet and then straighten it the next day, but this *might* all be about to change, as I've just had a masterclass in how to do a sleek blowdry at home from the delightful Ben Cooke of the salon Lockenego.
The lesson was courtesy of Herbal Essences who have just released a new range called 'Seductively Straight', and my hair was first washed with these products before the styling commenced. Remeber- this was all me, as apart from directions, it was my hands holding the (heavy) hairdryer, and my hands twisting the brush in order to focus the heat down the shaft of the hair.
The tips aren't mind bogglingly new, but they were good to have, and much of the advice fell into the 'you know it, but you need to be TOLD it' category. I'll try and impart this to you- and share with you the fact that I managed a salon-like (OK, a 90% salon like) blowdry all on my ownsome!
I'll break it down into steps for you.
Step One: Blast the hair till it's half dry.
Styling won't 'take' to wet hair, so if you painstakingly try and style it whilst you dry it, you're just wasting your time. It's a good idea to protect the hair whilst you do this, so use a heat protection cream like the Seductively Straiught Heat Protection Intensive Cream.
Step Two: Section, section and section some more.
Divide the hair into areas- two sides, two back, two top and clip them out of the way. Make the sections you have even smaller, and work with them till bone dry before moving onto the next set.
Step Three: Use the right brush
As you style you want to direct the heat from the hairdryer down the hair shjadt, and this can be helped by making sure you use a brush which grans a lot of hair.A round bristlke brush is ideal for heat styling as it helps detangle the hair and separate it as you style, without getting too hot. I used the Lockonego Signature Boar Bristled Round Brush, which initially hurt a little (as the bristles dug into my neck) but as I worked with the right angles it gor more comfortable. You can get cheaper versions from Boots as well.
Step Four: Try pulling the back upwards
The back of the hair is always a tricky part for me, as the front bit goes so well.. and then this. A great trick Ben taught me is to forget the sneaky 'pull the hair to the side trick' that gives you an uneven finish at the back and simply pull it upwards at a 180 degree angle from the head. Not only does this give you more volume, but it ensures all the layers lie flat once dried. It will make your arms ache though- now I know why hairdressers have such great bodies, it's really HARD work.
Step Five: Once more just for luck
You think you've finished your whole hair? It looks great, swingy, shiny, and bouncy and you're pretty happy. Is that a hint of damp in one area? Hmm. Go over it again just in case, and help heat seal the style into the hair.
Me and the lovely Ben with my hot new hair
Hopefully these tips help, and you'll be able to create a great sleek hairstyle at home. I do feel that having a shampoo and conditioner that smoothed the cutcile aided te look, but know I need to build up my wrist muscles if I'm going to blowdry my hair more regularaly.