3 tips for a better blowdry (blowout)

I love getting my hair blowdried. Don’t get me wrong, I love my curls too, but going to the salon and walking out with a smooth, classic blowdry is one of my favourite things.

I try and replicate the look at home but it’s never the same.

Now just to clear up any potential confusion – when I say blowdry, it’s the same as blowout.

I talk about O&M a lot because they are a great Australian brand and I’m so excited to see them making waves overseas. You can also now buy their products on Net-A-Porter! When I told them I was heading to the States, they invited me in for a blowdry at their new salon in New York.

O&M.nyc salon is in the meatpacking district in NYC and is very cool. That kind of effortless cool so that it feels like it’s been there forever even though it’s brand new. I walked in with some of the messiest bed head hair ever (the before photo really doesn’t show how awful it was) and I walked out with the softest, smoothest hair thanks to William Scott Blair.

I also picked up a few tips on how to get a better blowdry in your own hair.

3 Tips for a Better Blowdry (or Blowout)

1. Prep your hair with the right product. You don’t need to use a lot of product, but use a smoothing product that also offers heat protection. I like Goldwell Hot Form. If you also want to add more volume (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?!) O&M Atonic Thickening Spritz adds volume and heat protection in one.
2. Use good brushes. I used to think brushes didn’t make that much of a difference until I bought a Mason Pearson brush. For a smooth blowdry, you need to create tension in your hair and professional quality boar/nylon bristle brushes make a big difference. Use a round brush and always angle the nozzle of your hairdryer down your hair from root to tip.
3. Use the cool shot button to set your hair. In the salon they have endless brushes and I see stylists leaving my hair wrapped around the brush to cool and set the waves while they do the next section. Unfortunately I don’t have 10+ brushes at home so I use the cool shot button to set each section before moving on the next. You change your hair’s shape when you heat it and as it cools it stays that way. If you cool your hair rapidly while it’s wrapped around your brush, you’ll keep that wave in your hair all day.

You can find O&M.nyc salon in New York at 55 Little West 12th Street (+1 212-255-2445).

What’s your best tip for achieving a salon blow dry in your own hair?

Thanks to O&M for the complimentary blowdry and to the stylists for letting me quiz them for hair tips