Blow Drying

Dear Shiela,I have curly hair that I sometimes like to blowdry straight. The ironic thing is, that I can do this better than any salon that I have ever gone to. All they succeed in doing is frizzing me-- so if my technique works well on my curly hair, it may be the thing for anyone's hair:) First of all, I towel dry my hair really well to get most of the moisture out of it. Next I smooth on some leave-in conditioner and a straightening balm (some may prefer a volumizer at this point). Then, I section my hair into four sepperate sections-- placement is irrelevent, just section it off. Then I start the drying process. With a large OVAL brush, I am the heat of my blowdryer (1875 watts- high heat) down onto the cuticle as a pull the oval brush through. Make sure to aim DOWN the hair shaft for a nice shiny look. I reapeat this with all the sections of my hair-- making sure each section is dry before moving on.I swear to you that when I dry my hair like this, NO ONE can tell that it is naturrally curly-- but I am laft with tons of volume and a gently curved edged. I find an oval brush better than a round brush because it elongates the hair more than a round brush does. Hope this helps!Sherry> Will somebody please give me the secret to salon look> blow drying of hair? Is it the heat setting? Is it the> force of the blow-dryer? I need help. It doesn't> matter what I try nothing seems to work. Thanx.

> Will somebody please give me the secret to salon look> blow drying of hair? Is it the heat setting? Is it the> force of the blow-dryer? I need help. It doesn't> matter what I try nothing seems to work. Thanx.While it woudl be easier to show you than tell you , I guess I can provide a few tips. The first to remember is to let your hair dry a bit, or towel blot before blow drying. Never blow dry really wet hair. Also, apply a heat safe product to your hair such as Heat Safe by Neutrogena seconds before blow drying. It won't weigh hair down and it will protect it from the heat. You didn't say what type of hair you have..ie. is it straight? wavy? curly? Assuming, it's somewhat straight, you have it easy. If you really want that salon perfect set, you're going to have to use heat. I wouldn't recommend the highest setting, as it's usually way too hot for blow drying an entire head. Try the medium setting, and jostle the blow dryer all over your hair for about 30 seconds, then beginning at the roots and dividing hair into sections, use a roundbrush and dry from root to tip each section. The trick is to give your hair a bit of a break and not spend too much time on one section. If you feel that you're over heating, move on to another section and come back to it. Blow dry on top of the hair, rather than the under side which can damage the cuticle. When you think all your hair is dry, you're not done yet. Now, use a higher setting throughout your head, pulling the hair tense with a brush or hand at the bottom of your hair, then use the cool setting on the hair for a few seconds, then back to the hottest setting, for about 20 seconds, then again cool. All the time, trying to "pull" hair straight as it will go without really pulling too hard. This technique , combined with the right combination of shampoo, and conditioner beforehand , and the right weather conditions will give you that look. ONe more tip, dont' blow dry in the bathroom where you had the shower, chances are, the humidity will linger and will interfere with the overall process. Try blow drying in your room. Of course, be careful that the outlet in your bedroom can handle a blow dryer fuse, in case you have one of those older homes that can't handle it. Okay, I hope this works. Try it the next time you wash your hair, and please be sure to let me know how it turned out ok??Thanks.