If there was ever the perfect time to learn how to do a blowout at home, it’s now. You may miss the special treatment at your favorite hair salon, but you can still get the look and feel of a salon blowout — even while sheltering in place.

Whether you’re working from home and want to look presentable for all the video calls and online meetings, or you just want to have a picture-perfect blowout hairstyle to complement the clear skin you’re rocking in all those stuck-at-home selfies, it’s never been more essential to learn how to blow dry your own hair.

Plus, the psychology behind having a good hair day can’t be ignored — you can definitely lift sagging spirits (definitely a must in these times) and boost your self-esteem and confidence by mastering the fine art of blow drying, whether you have short hair or long.¹

Read on for some of the tools and tricks of the trade you’ll need for perfectly shiny and bouncy hair that looks like you’ve stepped straight out of a shampoo ad.

Gear Up: Choosing A Blow Dryer, The Right Brush, And Other Tools

In the seemingly never-ending war against frizz and flat hair, you’re only as strong as the weapons you wield. Round out your arsenal of hair tools with these home blowout essentials. With ordering online currently the safest option, take the time to read reviews, and always make sure you’re purchasing pricier items from legit sellers.

Invest In A Good Hair Dryer

A quality hairdryer can help minimize heat damage on your locks, since it may be more efficient at drying your hair compared to less expensive models. The bells and whistles some high-end hair dryer versions come with often justify the price tag. You’ll be able to adjust heat settings, use cool air, and even rely on super cool ionic air technology (which helps dry hair faster while combating frizz and giving hair a glossy finish).²

Not too keen on shelling out a couple of hundred bucks on a blow dryer? Add up how much you’d normally spend on a salon blowout yearly (or even monthly). You’ll realize it soon pays for itself — especially if you love blow drying your hair.

Get A Good Round Brush: Ceramic Versus Boar Bristle 

You’ve probably seen your hairstylist use a round brush or a barrel-type brush when blow drying your strands. Luckily, this type of brush is readily available online and in drugstores — you just need to select the material it’s made of. 

A round brush generally can help give you shiny, bouncy, shampoo-commercial hair, but it still depends on your hair type. Limp, thin, or straight hair benefits best from a ceramic barreled round brush since it can help give hair lift and body. Plus, this kind of brush conducts the heat from the hairdryer, meaning you’ll work quicker. If you have way too much frizz or you have curly or coarse locks, a boar bristle round brush may suit your hair-straightening needs best.³

Choose The Right A Shampoo And Styling Product To Amp Up Your Look

Use a volumizing shampoo and conditioner in the shower, so you can start your blowout on the right foot. These types of shampoos and conditioners can help give your hair body and volume when you blow dry. Also, select a styling product that suits your needs: A leave-in conditioner to help combat heat damage and/or frizz, a volumizing spray to give you even more bounce, or even a priming spray to help dry your hair much more quickly⁴

Other products and tools that may help to make your blowout a breeze:

• Clips or clamps to help make sectioning the hair foolproof
• Dry shampoo to help extend the life of your DIY blowout (to be applied a day or two after)
• Finishing spray to help seal in shine

Never Blow Dry Your Hair While Wet

The most important rule of thumb to follow when blow drying your own hair: Don’t rev up your dryer just yet. Exposing your wet hair to sudden heat can really cause a lot of damage to your hair cuticles, and that’s something you definitely don’t want.

Sop up as much water from your strands with a towel as gently as you can (no vigorous rubbing), and wait about 15 minutes to give your hair a chance to air-dry a little.⁵

Easy Blowout: Step-By-Step

Once you’ve shampooed your hair, have your gear at the ready for an easy blow dry experience. 

1. Towel off your hair to remove excess water, making sure to handle wet hair gently. Rubbing your strands too briskly can create frizz. Comb your chosen styling product through your damp hair.⁶
2. Run your blow dryer over your entire head, working in wide circles so you can evenly pre-dry hair until it’s about 80 percent dry. If you have curly or natural hair, or you have thicker strands, rough-dry until your hair is about 50 percent dry. Use your fingers to separate strands and help dry hair more evenly.⁷
3. Working with your clips, section your hair into top and bottom layers. Begin blow drying the bottom section of your hair by running your round brush through inch-wide sections of hair. Pull the brush through your strands as you use the blow dryer nozzle to blow down the length of the section.
4. Once done, work on the crown area. Get creative with your clips — twist sections of hair into a bun for effortless waves and volume without a curling iron, or just clip the dry bottom layers back and out of the way as your work on drying the upper layers of hair.
5. Want to flip the ends of your hair in? Use your round brush to curl ends, blast with heat, then seal with the cool setting. For a straight finish, just run the brush through using warm air, and then finish off with a blast of cool air. Set your hairstyle with a finishing cream or spray.⁸

Master Blowout Basics And Be Your Own Stylist

Once you’ve learned the ropes, you can easily use your blow dryer to style your hair any which way you fancy — from pin-straight strands to wavy, voluminous locks. Just make sure you protect your hair and skin from excessive heat, and that you always shampoo and condition regularly to help revive your hair.

Learn more:

Sources:
1.  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/good-hair-day_b_1191203
2.  https://www.self.com/story/blow-dry-mistakes
3.  https://www.self.com/story/blow-dry-mistakes
4.  https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/hair/tips/a25691/how-to-blow-dry-hair/
5.  https://www.thehealthy.com/beauty/hair/blow-dry-mistakes/
6.  https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/hair/tips/a25691/how-to-blow-dry-hair/
7.  https://www.thehealthy.com/beauty/hair/blow-dry-mistakes/
8.  https://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/hair/tools-techniques/3-easy-steps-to-a-perfect-home-blow-dry?slide=7d6fb39b-9152-48a2-b222-e61d858acf2b#7d6fb39b-9152-48a2-b222-e61d858acf2b