Realsimple.com
The Goal: Volume and body around the hairline and smooth, silky strands from roots to ends.
Step 1: To prep your hair for drying, rub a few drops of smoothing serum between your palms, then run your hands down the damp hair, suggests Julien Farel, owner of the Julien Farel Salon, in New York City. Use a comb to distribute the product evenly, and begin predrying hair on a medium-heat and high-speed setting. Massage hair at the roots to give it lift. Part your hair and secure the top layers with clips.
Step 2: Attach the nozzle to your dryer, and turn the heat setting up and the speed of the air down. (Heat allows you to manipulate the shape of your hair, but you don't want the uncontrollable force of a leaf blower.) Starting with the back section, direct small, manageable sections of hair forward with a large round brush as you dry to create a smoother, fuller appearance. Dry from roots to ends, moving the brush and the dryer together down the hair shafts. Always keep the airflow angled down toward the ends, which will make the cuticles lie flat and ultimately make your hair look smoother and shinier. Work your way around your head. Unclip the top layers and repeat.
Step 3: To style the hair around your face, roll the layers forward on the brush as you dry, says Farel. Be sure to keep a comfortable tension between your hair and the brush to achieve a sleek, flat-ironed effect. After your hair is dry to the touch, give it a blast of cool air to set the style in place. Finally, massage a pea-size amount of smoothing serum (or styling cream) into the ends to flatten flyaways, and pat the top of your head with your hands so that any residual serum will level shorter, broken hairs that tend to stand up around the crown. Real Simple picks: Phytolisse Finishing Serum ($30, sephora.com). A few drops eliminate frizz and add sleekness. Scunci Thick Hair Clips ($3 for two at drugstores). These will hold heavy, damp hair out of the way while you blow-dry. Choose a blow dryer that's just right for your hair needs.
Short Hair
The Goal: Soft texture, volume, and hold.
Step 1: Mix together a pea-size amount of styling cream and a dime-size amount of extra-hold gel. "Combining styling cream with hair gel helps give hair lots of soft, touchable texture that won't fall flat," says Paul Brown, owner of the Paul Brown Salons & Day Spas, in Hawaii. Use your fingertips to massage in the mixture from roots to ends. Then set the dryer to a medium speed and heat setting and pinch and twist one-inch sections while aiming airflow at the roots to help establish lift.
Step 2: Focus the warm air on the roots. "Drying roots first helps support the hair, giving it lots of lift and volume," says Brown. Work your way around your head and, when the roots are completely dry, style the sections around your face using a small round ceramic brush, which holds heat longer than a wooden or plastic one. Continue using the brush to dry the ends of the rest of your hair.
Step 3: Put a dime-size amount of pomade in one palm and rub your hands together to warm the product. "Pomades are often stiff," says Brown. "Warming one up in your hands will make it easier to use." Use your fingers to pinch pomade onto ends of small sections to define layers, create a sleeker look, and give your style hold. Real Simple picks: Aquage Fortifying Ultragel ($16, aquage.com for store locations). An extra-hold gel and styling cream in one. Aveda Light Elements Defining Whip ($22, aveda.com). An airy whipped wax gives hair texture and hold after drying. Stock up on hair products that work for your hair type.
Keep reading Get a salon quality blowout at home
Related
Make your beauty treatment last
The pros pick their top salons
Correct 8 common beauty mistakes