If you’re still socially distancing from your barber and cutting your own hair (or concerned about the way your spouse or partner is eyeing up that hair trimmer), then you’re probably letting your hair grow a bit longer these days. Maybe you’ve just decided to rock a new longer hairstyle. Either way, it’s time to step up your blow-drying skills. We talked to pro stylists Johnny Gaita of New York’s Chris Chase Salon and Gina Rivera, founder of Phenix Salon Suites to get some pointers on how to pull off award-winning hair. Here are some tips on how to blow dry your hair.
How to Blow Dry Properly
First push it forward toward your eyebrows, then back and forth (left and right) on the head and back toward the crown until you get your hair as straight or as smooth as you like it.
Rivera emphasizes that, of course, the cut is going to influence your hair’s styling. Assuming you’ve already got that handled, she says “For a natural, looser, casual look, using your fingers works perfectly. For more volume, tip your head upside down while drying. For a sleeker look, use some styling serum, and style the hair with your brush or comb, drying your hair from the top down.”
Rivera suggests using a good finishing hair spray that allows some movement but also provides just the right amount of hold. For a sleeker look, use a styling hair gel and comb to slick the hair down.
How to Choose the Right Hair Dryer
“The difference between an inexpensive $20 dryer and a $100 to $200 version is astronomical. The amount of time saved — and effectiveness — is night and day. My go-to brands are Sam Villa, Elchim, or Dyson.”
You’ll also need a good hairbrush to help with styling. Although you can use your fingers, Gaita recommends a brush for more control. For coarse hair, she recommends sturdy nylon bristles, but for most hair types, natural and plastic bristles from known brands offer great value.
How to Keep Your Hair Healthy While Blow Drying
Once you’ve chosen your weapons of choice, it’s time to consider some complementary hair products to make sure that your hair remains happy and healthy while being exposed to the heat and added stress of styling.
If you regularly workout, you may need to wash your hair a bit more frequently. Cleansing the scalp comes into play with this situation. Scalp health is extremely important and part of maintaining a healthy scalp includes ensuring the hair follicles remain healthy and unclogged.
Consider your hair texture. If you have coarser hair, you may need to wash less frequently. Sometimes over-washing results in drying out the hair and eliminating natural oils. Coarser hair should be deep conditioned once a week; finer hair; every other week.”
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