10 Tips for a Salon-Worthy Blowout at Home
GET THE GLOSS ASKED A CELEBRITY STYLIST FOR HIS DEFINITIVE GUIDE ON HOW TO LOOK LIKE YOU’VE JUST STEPPED OUT OF A SALON, WITHOUT HAVING TO STEP OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE
The secret to saying goodbye to bad hair days for good? The right products, the best hair tools and some insider tricks and tips from a person in-the-know.
We asked celebrity stylist and Get The Gloss Expert, Jamie Stevens for his top 10 tips for achieving a bountiful blowdry at home for those occasions when you don’t have the time to hit your hairdresser’s chair.
Jamie’s supreme skills with a pair of scissors have seen him establish himself as one of the best in the business, having worked his magic both in his salons and backstage for The X Factor as the show’s resident hairdresser. Suffice to day, our hair dilemmas couldn’t be better hands.
1. START WITH THE RIGHT FOUNDATIONS
Always ask your stylist to recommend the right shampoo for your hair type.
Investing in a good quality, professional shampoo specifically recommended by your stylist is an investment. It will help to keep your hair healthy and ultimately make it easier for you to manage your hair at home. For a long lasting blowdry, try a volumising shampoo and conditioner; I really like the Matrix Biolage Volumebloom range, from £9.50.
Get The Gloss also loves: the Aveda Pure Abundance range, from £17.50 for giving fine to thick hair types a dose of added vitality.
2. OPT FOR A COOL RINSE
After shampooing and conditioning your hair if you feel brave enough, you should always finish with a cool rinse. This closes the hair cuticle and will leave you with super shiny hair.
3. TACKLE YOUR TANGLES HEAD ON
Everybody should own a Tangle Teezer, £10.60 to keep your hair in great condition. It glides through tangles even when the hair is wet, which helps to prevent breakage.
4. INVEST IN SOME HARD-WORKING HAIR MASKS
People think that they only need to protect their hair from the sun, but protecting your hair from colder climates is just as important. Regular in-salon or at home hair treatments are key to keeping the hair at its healthiest. You’ll find that if you buy a treatment from the salon, a little will go a long way and the product will last you for ages. It also means that you can use the treatment as and when it suits you.
Get The Gloss loves: Redken Diamond Oil Deep Facets Mask, £19.95 for giving dry, damaged hair types a noticeable trans-seasonal makeover and O&M Frizzy Logic, £20 to restore suppleness and moisture to parched ends.
5. THE IMPORTANCE OF HEAT PROTECTION
Heat protection is not a myth, it’s key. Always use a heat protection product when working with heat styling tools, even if it’s a hairdryer. Using a heat protection product will create a barrier to protect the hair from the heat.
Get The Gloss loves: L’Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Heat Protect Styling Spray, £5.99 which also helps give a sleeker, straighter blowdry extra longevity without weighing it down.
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6. THE BEST HAIRDRYER
A good professional hairdryer is such an important tool to have. A professional hairdryer like the ghd Air, £99 will be at the perfect temperature and will speed up your drying time.
7. UTILISE THE EXTRAS
One thing that I always recommend to my clients to do is to use the nozzle attachment. Direct the nozzle down the hair shaft but never put the nozzle directly on the hair as this will burn it. Using the nozzle gives a smoother, frizz free finish but it takes a bit of practice.
8. MASTER THE RIGHT TECHNIQUE
It may look complicated when you watch your stylist blowdry your hair but don’t let that put you off. Start off by sectioning the hair into small sections and concentrating on each individual section. Invest in some sectioning clips and practice, practice, practice. Once you’ve got the hang of it, believe it or not, it will actually make blowdrying a quicker experience.
9. HOW TO CURL YOUR HAIR LIKE A PRO
Some people don’t realise that to get editorial looking waves, the key is to leave the ends of the hair out when tonging each section, so that the wave sits in the middle of the hair and has a bend to it once you’ve shaken the waves out.
Get The Gloss loves: Hair curlers don’t get better than ghd Curve range. For soft, Bardot-esque waves, opt for the Soft Curl Tong, £110. For tighter, cuter curls, choose the Classic Curl Tong, £110.
10. AND FINALLY, ADD SOME TEXTURE
To add instant volume or texture to the hair, I love Batiste Dry Shampoo, £2.99 and Matrix Mega Dust, £10.95 - don’t be afraid to go for it. Texture is a key spring/summer trend.
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