News

A hairdresser says this is exactly what you should do to keep an expensive blow-dry intact for up to 5 days

woman blow dry
A blow-dry could last longer than you think. GoodLifeStudio / Getty
Read in app

There's no better feeling than the light and bouncy one you get after you've had a professional blow-dry.

Especially for those with thick or unruly hair, it can be almost impossible to get the same results yourself at home, or to maintain the look once you leave the salon.

However, there are a few tricks that will keep your blow-dry intact for days, according to a hairdresser.

INSIDER spoke to Hannah Jafferji, a 27-year-old former flight attendant turned hairdresser who has worked at a number of busy London salons.

Now at Blade Hairclubbing, which is both a salon and a cocktail bar situated in the eclectic Soho neighbourhood, she's worked on every type of hair — and she knows how to make a blow-dry last.

Put your hair up when you sleep

While it may seem like putting your hair up to sleep would leave a kink, this is actually the best thing to do, according to Jafferji.

"Sleep with your hair in a loose bun or a loose high ponytail," she said. "It's important it's loose so it doesn't imprint marks on the hair."

She recommends the phone cord-style hair ties, like the Invisibobble, which are "good for not ruining your hair or putting in any hair marks."

Read more: I've lived in London for more than 5 years — here are the 50 places where you should actually drink

She added that if you're twisting your hair unto a bun, you should twist it in the direction of the blow-dry or curl — and keep it high so it doesn't get too hot on the back of your neck while you sleep.

"Sometimes it looks even better when you take it down," she said.

"It is often quoted to use a silk scarf or pillowcase, but I doubt the usefulness of this, especially with that worn in look these days which is more fashionable."

Refresh your hair the next morning using serum and hairspray

For the next day, she said dry shampoo is a good way of getting volume and hold back into the blow-dry.

However, she has another personal trick: "I prefer a small mix of light serum and hairspray mixed in just using your hands and twisting into the midlengths/ends of the hair in the direction of the blow-dry," she said.

"Just twist it anti-clockwise [or the way of your curl], push it up, and spring the curl back in," she said.

If it needs brushing, she recommends softly brushing the hair our with "Mason Pearson type brush with very soft bristles."

Avoid steam or rain at all costs

"Avoid steamy showers as the heat will drop the curls and waves out," Jafferji said. "No rain on your hair — that's a thing."

Blast dry your hair before you use a round brush

By following these steps, your blow-dry should last until you next need to wash it — which, for thicker hair which takes longer to get greasy, can be up to five days.

However, once your blow-dry needs a wash and it's time to restart the process, to get the salon look again, she suggests applying spray conditioner straight out of the shower, part blast drying the hair so it isn't too wet, then using a round brush to get it in shape.

Read more: There's one red flag you should watch out for at a hair salon, according to a hairdresser

"I always blast dry it first, because if I start taking the brush through when it's completely wet, it's really elastic, [and] you're pulling and snapping the hair," she said. "But it needs to be damp enough that you can blow-dry it into shape.

"Everyone has a different method, but I like to work around the head in each section. I tend to always pull the front bits forward, to frame the face a bit nicer."

Then, use a serum to finish.

As far as how often you should be blow-drying your hair, Jafferji said as long as you're using a heat protector, every two to three days won't do much harm.

"Blow-drying every day is probably a bit extreme, it's a lot of heat," she said — though she added you shouldn't be washing it that often, either.

"If you're washing it every day, you're going to dry the hair out with too much excessive shampooing," she said.

Read the original article on INSIDER.

Follow INSIDER on Facebook.

Follow INSIDER on Twitter.

Read next

Ali is Deputy Editor of Life Insider. Based in the London office, she oversees and often personally contributes to Insider's lifestyle, entertainment, digital culture, health, and royals coverage, working with a team of reporters who cover travel, food, fashion, beauty, fitness, nutrition, relationships, film, TV, celebrities, and influencers, just to name a few topics. While in the UK Ali has previously been editor of The Daily Muse by Fenwick and sports, food, and drink reporter at Marketing Week. She graduated from the MA International Journalism course at City University London and is proud to be Canadian. You can follow her on Twitter at @AL_osaurus. Selected stories: I've visited the Greek island of Santorini twice — and if you think it's just a tourist trap, you're going to all the wrong places What it's like to have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a misunderstood illness that leaves people in wheelchairs and derails entire careers I moved from Canada to the UK 7 years ago, and while I love London, I can see why Meghan Markle prefers my home country I compared economy and premium economy on British Airways one week apart, and for less than $200, I'd upgrade every time I've lived in London for 6 years — here are the places where you should actually eat