Blog Secrets

Do you have long hair and some serious hair envy of celebrities with their long cascading curls? Well you can look that fabulous day-to-day as well! Here are the essential tools you will need:

* Round Brush. The size of the round brush will differ with your preference. If you have hair shoulder length or longer and want large soft curls I suggest getting a brush about 1 ½ inches in diameter. The bigger the brush the less rotations the curl will have and you’ll get a larger softer curl or wave. In the salon and at home I use a Ceramic Ionic round brush. What that means is that as I’m using my hairdryer with my brush, the core of the brush will heat up while the nylon bristles grab the hair to smooth it around the warm core, working similar to a curling iron but smoothing and brushing the hair at the same time. The brushes I use are by Olivia Garden and can be picked up at your local beauty supply!

* Hairdryer. Easy enough! If you have a hairdryer with a concentrator (that little triangular nozzle that goes on the end) even better. The concentrator will help blow the air in one direction for more control and smoothness vs. not having a nozzle on your hairdryer and the air coming out of a bigger area, which could create some unwanted frizz.

So those are your main styling tools, but products are what will really help things stay in place while styling. If you have hair that needs a little volume I suggest LOMA Pearatin Maximum Volumizing Solution. I really love this product in that it delivers the extra volume without making your hair feel sticky or tacky. While your hair is still damp (towel dried) use a quarter size amount of the solution and after emulsifying in your hands, distribute the product primarily on the root area of your hair, as this is where getting lift and volume is the most effective! If your hair is feeling a little on the dry side, or could use a little extra help with frizz, you can put a nickel-sized amount of the LOMA Pearatin Nourishing Oil from mid-strand to ends.

Now you can use a flat paddle brush to dry your hair about 80%, lifting the hair at the root while drying to gain volume (you can also dry your hair upside down without a brush if you prefer!). When the hair is about 80% dry, you can part your hair into three sections, from the top of the ear down, the middle, and from the round of the head up (you can make smaller sections if you have thicker hair!). Starting from the bottom section, take a smaller parting about as wide as your brush, and wrap the hair around the brush curling the hair away from the face, and rolling the brush as you dry. With your hairdryer try to aim the air to go down the brush with the hair vs. directly into the brush, this will be more gentle on your hair and help eliminate frizz. After that section is dry I like to let the piece just hang in place but in a curl. You can do this by twirling the brush as you let the hair out, though if you’re afraid of getting your hair stuck in the brush you can just let the hair out, and reform a curl with your fingers. Another way to let the curls cool is by rolling them into a large curl and pinning it close to the scalp. This will be more effective if your hair doesn’t hold a curl quite as easily.

Another option for those who have trouble wielding the brush and hairdryer together is a set of hot rollers or a large barrel curling iron. With the hot rollers you will follow all the same steps as the round brush but dry your hair 100% with your paddle brush first. Try to blowout your hair as smooth as you can before using the rollers as they won’t smooth your hair as much as the round brush. Size is important with the hot rollers, like with the brush if you get bigger rollers you’ll get a softer curl. With the hot rollers you can put your hair into three sections, taking smaller partings the width of your roller. If you want a little extra hold you can lightly spray each section with hairspray (I like the Pravana spray), and brush through before wrapping the hair. Wrap the hair away from the face vertically on the roller (they’ll become horizontal on the top of the head). Most hot rollers will have one roller with a circle in the center that changes color letting you know when it’s hot and when it’s cooled down and you can let your hair down.

If you prefer a curling iron over a brush or hot rollers, then I suggest following the same steps to dry the hair as the hot rollers and using a hairspray before you curl each section. With the curling iron you will curl vertically and away from the face as with the hot rollers, and then just let each curl hang loosely to cool.

After you’ve got your hair set using either a round brush, hot rollers, or a curling iron you can now either lightly shake up the curls with your fingers, or brush them smooth and reform the curls with your fingers. My favorite products to smooth out the final look is either a light spray of the Tri brite lites shine spray on the hair, or using some more of the LOMA Pearatin Nourishing Oil through the ends to soften and ensure no frizz.

And there you have it! Three different ways to achieve a soft and shiny and volumous blowout style!
If you’re more of a hands-on learner, come see any of us at Pinup and we can demo for you in person.