Blow-Drying | Technical File

Our first technical lesson was about blow-drying. You can't do this dry hair so you have to eather wet it down or wash, otherwise you will achieve nothing. It is better to wash it as it gives you a good fresh and clean base to work with. If your model has extentions always ask them if the hair is real or synthetic. Always use a hairdryer with a filter at the back, a nozzle and use a low temperature.
When you wash the hair use a towel and let it dry to about 80% then brush it with a comb - never with a brush because it will damage it. At this stage you should comb and place the fringe (expecially if they are short) where you want them to be - it will be hard to do that once the hair is dry. When the hair is not as wet you can start adding products - always use a heat protector; you can add styling mouse and sea salt spray but make sure they are not very sticky as it will be harder to blow-dry. focus on the bottom half of the hair when you are applying mouse - put just a tiny bit in the roots otherwise it might end up looking greasy. 
We were shown how to create a wavy and a straight look.

The round brush (at least the one we use) has holes which allow the air to flow through which means you can bring the hairdryer really close to the hair. That is the brush that you should use to get the wave/ curl, but you can also use it to straigten the hair. Direction of your brush, angle and your sectioning are important. Start from the bottom and work your way up. Focus on the roots first, holding the hair with the brush and lifting it upwards. That will create lift and volume. Blow-dry from both sides then when the top section is dry (if it isn't it will flop)  you can move onto the midlenght and ends. When the hair is dry you can start rotating it around the brush - it will work as curling tongs. When you take the brush out you will have a nice wave/ curl. If you want you can pin it to get a stronger curl. Section the hair in sort of a upside down triangle going from the crown halfway down towards the nape. That is the area that you should focus on getting the most lift and volume. You can backcomb the hair if you want more volume. Add dry shampoo if you want more grip and hairspray at the end. Spray shine is good to use to add shine to the hair, expecially if the hair is dry and dull.

If you want to a achieve a straight, sleek look it is best to use a paddle brush or denman, but a round brush works well, too, however it still gives a bit of volume. If your model has very long hair, always use a paddle brush. Denman and paddle brushes don't have holes so you hold the hairdryer at the angle that will allow the air to flow in the same direction that the hair is going (vertically - if that makes sense). Add harspray or spray shine for a nice and sleek finish.


Practical

Model:  Rachel, 20
Black/ red thick hair, below shoulder lenght
Hair is coloured and has dry/ split ends + dry scalp

I am left handed so I find holding the hairdryer in my left and the brush in my right hand works best for me. It was the end of the lesson so I didn't have time to wash my model's hair so I sprayed water to get it wet. First I tried to straighten the hair, then curl it. I applyed the heat protecting spray, a little bit of mouse, but didn't use sea salt spray as I felt that too much product would make the hair look greasier considering it already was. Trying to get comfortable using both of my hand at the same time, I held the brush at an angle so the hair dryed coming forward, towards the face. 

What I struggled with the most was getting the lift at the roots - mine ended up being too low the first time I tried it. The second try was slightly better. I didn't have dry shampoo on me as I had to move to a different studio to do this and you can see how the hair is greasy at the roots. I tryed brushing the two sections to make them more sleek which I got in the end but you could still see the slight wave at the roots as I used a round brush to create the look and I should've used the denman brush instead.

Wet hair - before blow-drying

First section dryed

Second section dryed

After brushing the two sections

Creating the wavy look was easier for me than the straight, probably because I was starting to get the hang of it slowly. I pinned the hair and when I took the pin out I had a lovely curl that looked like I used curling tongs to curl it. However, the lift was too low agan. 

Section pinned after drying

After taking the pin out

I didn't have too much time during the lesson to practice this, but I am sure that after practicing a few times it will get easier and easier.