Get a Salon-Worthy Blow-Out (At Home!)
A woman with curly hair learns how to give herself a blow-out that won't fall flat.
Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D
BEFORE
For as long as she can remember, 52-year-old Daryle Preminger, a New York City interior designer, has been blow-drying her curly hair straight. And her technique has always been the same: Comb antifrizz serum through wet hair. Use a large round brush to dry large sections. Finish with more serum. But while the routine leaves her fine hair smooth, it robs it of volume. New York City hairstylist Lisa Chiccine taught Daryle how to give herself a blow-out that won't fall flat.
Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D
STEP 1
Work a volumizing mousse through slightly dry hair (sopping wet hair dilutes the product). Concentrate the mousse at the crown of your head, then use your fingers to pull it through to the ends. If you're concerned about frizz, rub in an antifrizz serum from midlength down.
Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D
STEP 2
Start blow-drying—but for now, just use your fingers to comb through your hair as you direct the nozzle of your dryer downward. "Hair won't hold a style until it's about 80 percent dry, so you'd be wasting your time with a brush," says Lisa. If you're not in a rush, you can even skip the blow-dryer altogether at this point and just let your hair air-dry 80 percent of the way.
Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D
STEP 3
Part your hair over the crown of your head, from one ear to the other, and clip the back half up. With a small round brush (the barrel should be about the width of a nickel), dry the front sections of hair. Roll the brush up and back from your hairline, keeping the nozzle of the dryer as close to your hair as possible without touching (and potentially singeing!) it. Ibiza brushes ($41 to $45;
IbizaHair.com) are extremely light.
Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D
STEP 4
Release the bottom third of your hair from the clip, and divide that section in half (right and left). Use a medium-sized brush (with a quarter-sized barrel) to dry one half, then the other. (Because the hair in the back is longer, a larger brush dries it more efficiently.) Next, pull down the middle third of hair and do the same. Finally, dry the top third, one half at a time.
Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D
STEP 5
For lasting volume, secure Velcro rollers in your dry hair (rolling them away from your face). Around your hairline, use smaller, one-inch rollers; on the top of the head and in the back, two-inchers help create height. Use your dryer to heat them, let them cool for five minutes (or more, if you have the time), then roll them out.
Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D
AFTER
As a finishing touch, run your fingers through your hair and use a smoothing cream on the ends if they're a little fuzzy.
Reinvent your hairstyle—without a single snip
From the
April 2010 issue of
O, The Oprah Magazine
