How to Blow Dry Hair

How to Get Salon Quality Blow Dry Results at Home?

“How To Blow Dry Hair” It always happens. You go to the salon and receive the most amazing blow dry.

The moment you pick up the hair dryer and start styling, the magic a gone. So how can you blow dry hair at home so it looks like you just stepped out of a hair salon? It all depends on your hair type.

Fine Hair Looking for Volume

You’ll need:

• A volumizing shampoo
• Small Velcro rollers
• A light styling spray
• A round, boar bristle brush

“For volume, it’s wonderful” says Infusium23 stylist Lisa Chiccine, owner of the Lisa Chiccine Salon in New York City. Your hair length will help determine the size of brush you need. Women with short hair should use one that’s small. Chin to shoulder length hair needs a medium sized brush, while the large brush should be used on long hair, says Anthony Cristiano, Red Door National Creative Director.

Your Styling Strategy:

Chiccine recommends using a volumizing shampoo in the shower. Once your hair has dried a bit and is damp, section it and begin blow drying with the round brush.

Be careful not to over-dry hair, it’s the most common mistake women make at home. Chiccine says fine hair collapses when over-dried and your look will be ruined.

When you've achieved the shape you want (and can’t believe you got!) hold the hair on the brush and hit it with a blast of hot air. Follow up with a moment of cold air to set the style, Chiccine says.

Finally, set in Velcro rollers. The best technique for adding volume: Pick up the hair section and pull it forward. Then, wind the roller back and down onto the head. Seal your hairstyle with a light finishing spray. Avoid anything heavy that can weigh hair down, Cristiano says.

Thick hair and you want a sleek look:

You’ll need:

• A flat paddle brush
• Small Velcro rollers
• Spray shine

Your Styling Strategy:

Begin blow drying when hair is about 25% dry. Be careful towel-drying because it can “rough up the hair” and cause frizzing, Chstiano says.

Section hair and begin work on the front areas first. Take pieces about a half-inch to an inch wide but don’t go larger than the width of the brush, he says.

After styling, wrap hair in small Velcro rollers to help keep it sleek. Chiccine recommends smaller rollers because a larger size may give hair that dreaded “puffy” look.

Once you’re done styling, you can add a shine spray if you like. Cristiano recommends Tricoci Match Radiance Spray.

Frizzy or curly hair:

You’ll Need:

• Frizz-taming shampoo for frizzy hair, Curly hair needs a hair care product that will relax and moisturize hair, Chiccine says
• A ceramic brush. Ceramic brushes can heat up and Chiccine says heat breaks down frizzy hair
• Large Velcro rollers, which help stretch hair

Your Styling Strategy:

Hair should have some dampness when you begin styling. Don’t wait too long after showering, warns Chiccine, because dry hair will not straighten.

Section hair and use the ceramic brush to dry and style. Begin in the front, not the back. If you start at the back, once you come to the hairline, it will be dry,” Chiccine says.

Once hair is styled and straightened, wrap it in large Velcro rollers. Be sure to use large rollers because small ones will add volume. And frizzy or curly hair needs to be stretched over a large roller to straighten it.

Use a lot of tension and stretch the hair as you wrap it. And be careful with the ends so you don’t get “fish hooks,” Chiccine says.

Curly hair and you want luscious curls:

You’ll Need:

• A leave-in conditioner that will give your hair weight and fill in the cuticles, says Cristiano
• A large, wide tooth comb. Only comb your hair in the shower, not afterwards, Cris- tiano says
• Styling gel
• A hair dryer with diffuser attachment

Your Styling Strategy:

The process starts in the shower when you apply a leave-in conditioner and run a comb through your hair, After you shower, gently squeeze the hair and blot it lightly in a towel, Cristiano says.

While your hair is still wet, apply a styling gel evenly throughout. Next, take one-inch sections and twirl the strand around your finger. “This will help saturate product and give hair more of a curl,” he says.

Finally, blow dry hair with a diffuser and only use cold air. Warm air swells the hair and opens the cuticle, which may encourage frizz, Cristiano says.