Blow drying is my favorite part of being a hair stylist. I LOVE styling hair and taming even the most unruly of curls with my blow dryer and brush. Almost all of my clients leave saying to me, “Can you just come over and do my hair every day?” Since that isn’t really feasible unless someone wants to hire me as their live-in hair stylist, the next best thing is to teach you how to do it on your own!

I see people blow dry their hair by just pointing the blow dryer at their head and 20 minutes later trying to tame the afro that has been unleashed and it makes me cringe! There’s a better way, people! Here’s the video step by step, and keep on a’scrolling for my favorite tools and products linked! Happy hair drying!

Prep

A good blow out starts in the shower! After shampooing, condition your hair, starting at your mid-lengths and especially concentrating on the ends.

Use a wide tooth comb or your fingers to comb the conditioner through your hair and gently pull out tangles.

After The Shower

Using a towel or even an old t-shirt if your hair is prone to frizz, squeeze out excess moisture. Don’t rub!

Spray in a leave-in conditioner/ detangler. My two absolute favorites: (aff. links)

It’s a 10  (My #1 favorite product of all time)

L’Oreal Blow Dry It

Spray the product in your hair, once again concentrating on mid-lengths to end and avoiding spraying at the top. Use a paddle brush/wet brush to brush through wet hair. If you don’t have a Wet Brush, you NEED one. They are cheap and amazing. I don’t understand how they work, but they really do.

Wet Brush

Once your hair is smooth and tangle-free, apply any additional smoothing or volumizing products. If you’re looking  for volume, try something that comes in mousse form. Look for a serum for smoothing. A few favorites:

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream (I LOVE this stuff) This is a cream, and not an oil. The oil tends to be too heavy on a lot of hair textures, and is harder to apply evenly.

Kenra Extra Volume Mousse

Power Dry

Start blow drying your hair, as you rake your fingers through the strands to prevent tangling. Aim the blow dryer down the hair shaft to reduce frizz.

For volume at the root, flip your head upside down and point the nozzle at your roots as you shake out/rake the hair with your fingers.

If at any point your hair becomes too tangled, stop and brush out the tangles and continue drying.

Smoothing

When your hair is about 75-80% dry, it’s time to start smoothing.

Use a paddle brush to brush hair smooth as you follow with the blow dryer. Place your paddle brush in the hair at the top. Brush forward towards your face slightly, and then rotate the brush so that the back of the brush is against your head and the hair is picked up in the bristles. It should make a “J” shape. Aim your blow dryer at the hair above the brush and pull the hair through the brush. Tension + heat = Smoothing. We are using the paddle brush to create tension on the hair shaft and pull it smooth while we use the blow dryer to dry it that way. 

This is the paddle brush I use, but to be honest- I can’t tell much of a difference between this one and the ancient blue Goody brand paddle brush I’ve had since probably 8th grade.

Olivia Garden Paddle Brush

Round Brush

When your hair is 95% dry, it’s time to bust out the round brush. People are really afraid of round brushes. You can do it, I promise! Once you know a few tricks, it’s a cinch.

I have a million different round brushes, but always reach for my Paul Mitchell Round Brush.

Choose a round brush that is at least 2 inches in diameter; larger if you have very long hair. If your hair is really curly or prone to frizz and static, a natural bristle brush is a good choice. I like this one.  

Working in sections that are about as wide as your round brush and about half as thick as the diameter of your round brush, put the section of hair on top of your brush. Aim the dryer nozzle pointing parallel to the hair, so the air points down the hair shaft, and not perpendicular. Brush down with the round brush, while following with the blow dryer. Repeat until the section is dry and smooth. Then, brush down to the ends, and roll the round brush under until you are almost to the scalp. Hold for a beat and release.

Common round brush mistakes:

1. Using the round brush too early. The round brush is a finishing brush. Your hair should be mostly dry before you mess with it.
2. Not sectioning hair/trying to dry too much at once. Use sections no wider than the round brush. Clip hair out of the way as you work up your head.
3. Rolling the round brush before the hair is dry. Place the round brush under your section. Use the blow dryer, pointed down the hair shaft, as you pull the hair through. Repeat until the section in dry, and THEN roll up the hair. Remove the round brush by rotating the same direction it is rolled up as you pull down.

Round brushing the top sections is what will really give you the “Blow out” look. Roll the round brush back away from your face. Roll up the hair and then set with a “cool” blast from your blow dryer and let sit for a minute.

Finish with a spritz of hair spray and/or some hair serum to tame any frizz, and you’re good to go!