Nothing compares to the look and feel of a great blowout. While visiting a salon is always a safe bet, imagine if you could recreate that silky smooth blowout yourself in the comfort and convenience of your own home.
Here, celebrity hairstylist Josue Perez spills on tips and tricks he’s used to style the coifs of such celebs as Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz and Sarah Jessica Parker in an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide and video. Perez is a stylist at Serge Normant at John Frieda in NYC, whose work has been featured in such international magazines as InStyle, Marie Claire and Harper’s Bazaar.
Getting locks as gorgeous as SJP’s is attainable, after all.
Tips for blow-drying from Josue Perez:
1. When you get out of the shower, towel dry hair 50%, leaving it still half-wet. Hair has “porosity” so the leftover dampness/moisture help close hair pores giving it natural shine when blow dryer.
2. For added volume use volumizer spray at the roots and massage it well to the scalp. Blow Dry on a low setting, so hair stays frizz-free while styling.
3. Ionic blow dryers like the Rowenta Inspiration Pro cut drying time up to 20% without using too much heat. The ionic generators protect hair from styling damage and seal in cuticle for fast, frizz-free results.
4. Using a concentrator on the blow dryer allows you to control the air direction, giving you a smother look. Without the concentrator, the dryer will puff the hair cuticle, leading to frizz.
5. Use a smaller ceramic round brush. The smaller brushes will achieve tighter curls and help the style last much longer. Also, ceramic brushes lock in more heat and they stay heated longer for a styling bonus, unlike wood brushes, which loose heat faster.
6. The cool shot feature. Most people don’t know how/when/why to use it, but when you blow dry your hair, you’re essentially opening the cuticle allowing it to form (style) in any shape. (open cuticle = frizz). So when hair is dry and wrapped around the brush, finish it off with a shot of cold air. When you remove the brush and it’s slightly tougher to pull out, that means cuticle is sealed in the shape of that brush (frizz-free).
7. Take a break if you have to and practice! So many people give up half way and say it’s too much to do. It’s good to do as much as you can and go do something else that you have to do. When you come back to it, you will feel more eager to finish it and once you loved the results you will become a pro.
