Blowouts That Last
Sometimes clients look at my hair and say, "I could never wake up and curl my hair every morning."
I laugh and reply, "I know, me neither." That literally sounds like the worst.
This always confuses some.
If you use a curling iron in your regular styling regime, there are a few things you can do to help your style hold longer.
I shampoo my hair once every 5-7 days. Some of you may be thinking "Holy Shizballs this girl is nasty" but let me explain. I have medium/coarse textured hair that does not get oily easy and I have trained my hair to produce less oil.
If you have super fine hair you may not be able to stretch it a week, but I guarantee if you follow these tips you'll be able to rock that style longer than normal.
The Prep
First, products matter. You don't want to overload your hair with a ton of product after just shampooing. You just finally got those 12 pounds of dry shampoo out. Lets have a fresh start. But you do want to use something that will add moisture, help seal your cuticle if you're a natural frizz ball, and possibly add a little hold if you have toddler hair that hates to cooperate.
The Unite 7 Seconds BlowOut creme is beneficial for all hair types. It helps smooth frizz, offers thermal protection from your dryer, protects from the Sun's UV rays (if you're hanging outside a lot and don't want the sun to bleach out your color), and will basically help that blowout live its best life.
Next, and I'm only going to say this once, your hair has to be completely dry. I thought that was a "Duh" but I know some of you are pretending not to notice that damp section in the back when you're in a hurry. Your style won't last that way.
Super important: Any time you're using a hot tool, you need to use a thermal protectant. Even if I'm using a blowout cream or styling lotion that contains a thermal protectant, I still like to use a thermal protect spray before subjecting my strands to temperatures you can also bake cookies at. My current fave is Moroccan Oil Perfect Defense.
The Main Event
Girl, if you're using a $29.99 Conair curling iron from CVS pharmacy, you're missing out on a huge step. This curling iron is my all time-freaking-fave and clients tell me over and over again how their style has never lasted as long with any other curling iron. It is a game changer. It's also super on sale in my link above.
I have my heat setting from 360-390 for clients like me, medium to coarse texture. For fine haired clients I will drop it down to 290-310.
That After Though
So now that your waves look fab and that volume is making you seriously resemble someone TMZ may mistake for someone more important, let's not waste it.
First, get your hands out of your hair. The more you touch your hair, mess with it, flip it back and forth, touch your scalp, twirl it, throw it up in a pony, take it down, repeat 27 times throughout the day, the more you are fudging things up. That disturbs the oils on your scalp and any oils from your hands are now also in your hair. Great. So stop if you want that shiz to last.
Speaking of oils, lets talk about that dry shampoo life. Some of you may be getting a little overboard."Is it snowing or is that just your dry shampoo?" Don't put dry shampoo in until you actually need it, And you also probably don't need it every day. Try to use it only towards the end of the life of your blowout. If you intend to make it to day 7 you can't be using it on day 2 or you will definitely resemble one of those powdered wig memes we have all seen. Once you see your hair getting oily, apply dry shampoo, wait about a minute, work it gently into your hair then brush it out. I like to do this at night before going to bed, but you may need to add a smidge in the morning. Also, Batiste? Just No. Try this if you're fine. Try this if you're a brunette.
If you have to pull your hair back, try doing it loosely with a scrunchie or invisibobble. Those won't leave that annoying ponytail crease and also won't pull out a cringeworthy amount of hair like a typical hair elastic sometimes can.
And since I assume you must sleep, try sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase. Kind of makes me feel like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde but it is actually super good at not disrupting your style with all the friction like typical cotton would and it's good for your skin too. Kristen Ess had a super cute set at Target a friend gifted me for Christmas.
Next, if its super important to you to make your blowout last the week, try switching your normal HIIT or spin class for a weightlifting session. You may sweat less. Im not telling you to skip your workout especially if it keeps you sane, but a heavy sweat session is obviously going to shorten the life of those waves.
After the gym, I'll shower with my hair up in a cap (sidetone these are not your grandmas shower caps.) If my curls still look good but the hair around my face is a little funky or damp with sweat I will pull my hair in a low pony, leaving the top out. I will shampoo and condition just my top, trying to keep the hair in the pony dry. I do this in my sink, it seams like the easiest way. Then I will just round brush that top part and curl it to blend with the rest. This has been a game changer for my extensions clients.
I know it might seem like a lot, but this is my normal habit. My friend Hilary and I always say we are occasionally high maintenance to be low maintenance on the daily. I wake up in the morning and most mornings don't even touch my hair because my style is still looking fresh.
I hope this post can save you some time and extend that blowout a day or two because I know you've got way more important things to do.
Its been five days four workouts, and one spray tan. Its time.
-Amy
