Contrary to what you may think, it really is possible to blow-dry your own hair to salon standards at home, and while it might take a little longer (and involve greater arm strength), you can save serious pennies by ditching your dry bar and going DIY.
Cue our top tips, tricks and hair hero buys for getting that shiny, bouncy blow-out, without even leaving the house.
Before attempting a home blow-dry, always make sure you pre-treat hair with a hair mask. Exposure to high heat can leave your strands looking stressed and feeling parched, and if your hair is already dry or damaged you’ll struggle to get that shiny, healthy looking finish.
Apply as much of Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, £28.95, as you need, paying close attention to the ends. Leave it to work its magic for 5-10 minutes and rinse. Not only will your tresses feel softer and smoother, it also helps to reduce drying time by up to 50%.
It’s so important to keep your hair protected from all that heat, so a styling protection spray is a must. You’ll notice that some sort of heat-protector is applied to your hair prior to every salon blow-dry – so make sure you do it at home too.
Moroccanoil Heat Styling Protection, £18.85, is an amazing protective spray with a vitamin infused formula, which adds amazing shine to your hair.
If your hair is fine, flyaway, dry or frizzy you’ll want to reach for a hair oil both before and after your blow-dry to make your hair more manageable and give it that gorgeous glossy shine.
Apply one pump or more of Kérastase Sérum Oléo-Relax, £20.50, depending on how in need your hair is and work through the lengths and ends while it’s still damp. When you’ve finished drying your hair, use just a small amount and smooth over the ends and frizzy areas.
For those ladies out there after a bit of extra volume and oomph, we’ve found just what you need. A beautifully weightless styling spray that will create volume lasting all day.
Aveda Pure Abundance Style-Prep, £21.50, acts as a natural boost, thickening strands from root to tip. However, its weightless formula is perfect for those with finer hair and unlike other products, it won’t weigh it down. Spray liberally onto damp hair and voila! Big, bouncy hair.
Don’t go in guns (hairdryers) blazing straight after you’ve washed your hair, wait for a while and let it air dry – this will reduce the amount of heat exposure and generally save you time and effort. Section your hair into two and depending on how thick it is leave it until it’s about 70% dry before picking up your hairdryer. Thinner hair tends to drop and loose height quickly as it dries, so blow-dry your roots first to keep the volume.
To stop your hair from falling flat and achieve that big, bouncy blow-dry you need to create height at the crown. Do this by keeping the brush as close to the roots as possible and following it with the hairdryer, pull the hair upwards. Make sure you use small sections and thoroughly dry every section from the roots to the ends.
If you have a big night out and you need a power blow-dry to last, Sian Quinn, hair expert at Headmasters, suggests using a light volumising shampoo and conditioner instead of a super nourishing one, which could weigh your hair down. This will keep your hair feeling light, so it won’t have any barrier to products.
Duck & Dry’s Blow Dry In A Bottle, £20, promises to build volume, give lift and add texture. The best part? It boasts natural ingredients that are good for your hair and will condition it.
Use a blow-dry lotion like L’Oréal Professionnel Tecni.ART Pli, £15 says Sian Quinn. This will give your hair ‘memory’ once it’s been blown into shape, and will stretch your blow-dry out for a few extra days.
Sian’s top tip for making sure your blow-dry lasts during the night, is to loosely twist it into a bun and use a light-hold grip to pin it up. Anything too strong can leave a dent the hair. When you wake up and let it down, your hair will maintain that voluminous bounce!
Sleeping on a silk pillow case will reduce friction, and stop any unwanted frizz from happening, says Sian. It’ll ensure your blow-dry is left nice and smooth when you wake-up!
Keep any strong hold hairspray a to a minimum, as this will reduce the feeling of your hair needing a wash so soon after your blow-dry, say Sian. Kerastase Lacquer Couture hairspray will keep your hair feeling soft and will brush straight out.
I can’t stress how much Babyliss’ New Big Hair Styler, £34.99, has changed my life when it comes to blow-drying my hair myself.
A self confessed salon blow-dry junkie, I used to get a blow-dry nearly every week, because I could never be bothered to attempt it at home. Essentially, it’s a rotating round brush, which blasts out hot air – a brush-dryer hybrid if you like.
Even after sectioning your hair into manageable sections I find it near impossible to navigate a rounded brush and a hairdryer – I salute you if you can! But, if you can’t, purchase one of these and you will never look back!