The Perfect Blowout

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• Step 1

  Prepare the hair. I shampooed Sarah’s hair with Mending Shampoo and conditioned with Mending Conditioner from Bumble and bumble. Her hair was then combed through with a wide-tooth comb to remove any tangles. Sarah sprayed Bumble and bumble’s Tonic Lotion throughout her hair before combing to even out porosity, make her hair easier to work with, and to provide moisture. Next, she liberally applied Bb’s Thickening Hairspray, which is not a hairspray in the traditional sense, but rather a spray that provides hold and volume for the blowdry but is still easy to work through. At home, Sarah also adds Bb’s Styling Crème to her blowdry potion, which adds even more of a feeling of density to the hair, but is, at times, not as easy to get a brush through as Tonic Lotion and Thickening Hairspray.

• Step 2

  Section the hair. It is easiest to begin with hair that is 50% dry or more. It’s sometimes helpful to eat breakfast or apply your makeup before beginning your blowdry. If time doesn’tallow for that type of luxury, I recommend elevating your strands 90 degrees from their growing point all over your head to provide maximum volume, while quickly removing moisture with your blowdryer. Start your first section with the nape of your neck. The sections you take need to be the approximate size of your brush or smaller, so be sure to only leave down a section that you’ll be able to work through comfortably.

• Step 3

  Begin! The brush Sarah used is 3 and ½ inches, which is quite large. I find large brushes are easier to use on your own head. As you become more skilled at blowdrying, however, a smaller brush can help add more bend to the hair. Sarah blowdried the nape in 2 sections, pulling them over her shoulder to help give her control. She points the blowdryer down the strand, with the way she wants the hair to lay. The concentrator nozzle helps control the hair flow and adds much more polish to the blowdry than without. The blowdryer is a Super Solano. I swear by Solano blowdryers these days. They are available for retail at Bungalow/8! As you release each section from the brush, leave it ribboned. Breaking it up or flattening it will decrease that bend you’re working to build!

• Step 4

  Move up the head. Sarah took another horizontal parting around her head, increasing the angle at which the strand was elevated from her head in order to build volume. She works the brush down the strand several times, winding it further and further up the strand as it dries. You may get the brush stuck a couple of times, but do not be discouraged. A large brush and a bit of practice is the key to success. People are capable of learning to dress their hair with practice just as they are able to learn Algebra with practice. For added curl/bend, it is helpful to allow sections to cool while wound on the brush. Because hair curls as it cools, this will allow the section to hold the shape of the brush once it is unwound.

• Step 5

  Take it from the top. As she moved over the round of her head, volume was more critical. Strands were elevated higher to build a round shape.

• Step 6

  Reverse it. Sarah, still pointing the nozzle down the strand, continued to work in a horseshoe-shaped pattern. At this point, it is sometimes helpful to change the position of your hands or switch arms if need be. Find body positions which are as comfortable as they can be while still helping you pull the brush through your hair with appropriate tension.

• Step 7

  Build volume around the part. As Sarah got to the top of her head, she began taking partings that were horizontal across the top of her head. This helped make her blowdry more versatile, building volume all throughout the top and making her part look more natural. She blowdried the top back, increasing body and making her layers lay beautifully.

• Step 8

  Tailor the front/fringe. While Sarah doesn’t have a distinct ‘bang’, having a bit of movement around her face is quite flattering for her. She blowdried the top front section [seen in 7] back and allowed it to set for a few seconds. Photos 8-12 illustrate how the brush was removed and how you can ‘dismount’ from sections that you want more bend in, sweeping the brush out and away, to allow the hair to sort of kick back and away, so you don’t have hair ON your face all day. This sort of technique is appropriate for a mid-length fringe as well, and at some lengths, it is appropriate to move to a smaller brush for added curl/bend.

• Step 9

  This step shows Sarah beginning to "dismount" in front, slowly pulling the brush out of her hair.

• Step 10

  Continue sliding brush out and away from face.

• Step 11

  Pull brush away completely.

• Step 12

  Let set and cool gently, without disrupting the bend you've created.

• Step 13

  Take care of those ends. Sarah added a small, not even pea-sized amount of Bumble and bumble’s Brilliantine to her hands, emulsifying it a bit. For finer hair textures, a SMALL amount of Bb’s Styling Wax works well. She takes the product and distributes it through the ends of the blowdried strands, this helps them hold their shape and really defines the blowdry. It also smoothes any ends that need a bit of extra care and attention.

• Step 14

  Work it. Work desired product into any unruly ends or bits desiring definition.

• Step 15

  Lock it. I recommend a relatively dry hairspray to hold a blowdry. Too wet, and you can alter the shape you just built. Super hard hold hairsprays can make the look lose it’s effortless sexy look. For Sarah, we chose Spray de Mode by Bumble and bumble. Brushable and dry, it helped hold her hard work. Vavoom!

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