I used to dread washing my hair! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE having shiny, clean hair, but I was not a fan of the dry and style process afterwards. As much as I tried, I couldn’t master or even come close to the techniques used at a salon. I didn’t have the patience or skills for the time-consuming hair dryer and round brush routine.
When I’d make my salon appointments every 8 weeks, I would consciously pick a date on the calendar when I’d have somewhere to go so that my beautifully, styled hair could be “seen.” My goal was to show off that sleek, salon blow-out as long as possible; whether it be to my kids’ sporting events, book club or dinner with friends.
Now during these months of coronavirus isolation, when the hair salons are shuttered indefinitely, I need to finally take matters into my own hands and improve my “DIY blow-out.” Although we’re all stuck at home practicing good social distancing, we still need to look somewhat presentable on our Zoom video conference calls, necessary trips to the grocery store and daily dog walks. Hiding my unruly hair in a ponytail or a baseball cap is starting to get old.
Time to step up my game with these simple tips that I found online for the fastest and best at-home blow-out:
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Invest in a specialty hair towel. A super absorbent one can drastically reduce hair drying time. According to Jennifer June, the CEO of DreamDry, the premier destination for the ultimate blowout, another benefit of a specialty towel is that “Traditional towels are harsh, and they can cause hair breakage. Using anything gentler than a towel will help protect your locks. The DreamDry DREAM TURBAN™ is my personal favorite. It offers hair some relief while keeping it out of your way.”
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Choose the right hair dryer. When air-drying is not an option and you need to resort to the hair dryer, make sure you have a good one. Find one on the Allure list of The 21 Best Hair-Dryers That Pro Stylists Swear By. “Quality makes all the difference when it comes to speed, durability, and a bomb-ass blowout.” There’s one for every budget – from the $35 drugstore Conair Infiniti Pro 1875 Watt Salon Performance Dryer to the $400 game changer Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer.
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Multi-task. When you don’t have time to dry AND style your hair, the Revlon Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer is an Allure 2019 Best of Beauty Award winner. This 2-in-1 blowout tool gives “wet hair a salon-like lift and gentle waves by simultaneously detangling, drying, and smoothing with its oval-shaped barrel and innovative airflow vents.”
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Gather your favorite tools & products. Round brush to make ends flip, hair clips to section layers and a premium styling cream to tame flyaways.
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Watch online tutorials. Google “Blow dry tutorials” and about 8,390,000 results will pop up with how-to videos, step-by-step guides and slideshows from every beauty magazine and influencer under the sun. One of my favorites is Molly Sims’ YouTube tutorial #SupermodelSecrets: How To Get The Perfect At-Home Blowout
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Practice, practice, practice!
Before you know it, blow drying and styling your hair will be effortless. If not, at least you got a great cardio arm workout while trying. And, not to worry, we’ll be back to our salons and professional blow-outs soon!
