Working with clients like Cameron Diaz and Melissa McCarthy has helped Celebrity Stylist Giannandrea zero in on the dos and don’ts for creating blowouts that can withstand hours on the set, at a photo shoot or on the red carpet. At the “root” of blowout longevity, he says, is the matter of elasticity.
STEPS
“No matter what the hair type is, it’s important to assess the elasticity before you begin,” he says. “Assess it carefully, run your fingers through before it’s wet. If the elasticity is compromised, determine what you will have to do to restore it before styling the hair.”
The next determination is tension. If the client wants a straight blowout, you have to stretch the hair significantly, using your wrist and your brush. If she wants bounce and body, take care not to over-stretch. “There is a point of no return,” says Giannandrea. “If you stretch it too much and it goes flat, you will have to rewash it to get back the bounce.”
If the client’s hair is fine, shampoo, but skip the conditioner. Apply a volumizing mousse like the new Macadamia Professional Foaming Volumizer to towel-dried hair and distribute with a large-tooth comb. Snap a diffuser onto your dryer, tip the client’s head over, and begin removing moisture, concentrating on the roots. Use medium heat. Once the hair is 85 percent dry, begin to gently brush with a paddle brush. Next, divide the head into large sections and dry each one with a large, boar bristle brush. Immediately after blow-drying, mist each section with hairspray and pop it into a Velcro roller to cool. After 15 to 20 minutes, remove the rollers and brush through the hair gently. If the hair feels too soft, mist the brush with some dry shampoo and work it through the hair.
If the client needs long-lasting frizz control, shampoo and condition with rich formulas, then apply a straightening balm like Macadamia Professional Taming Curl Cream. Blow-dry large sections, using considerable tension to stretch out the curl and tame the frizz. As before, transfer each section to a Velcro roller and allow all of the sections to cool. Remove the rollers and rake through with a wide-tooth comb.
TIP: If there is still too much volume, clip away the top section and flat iron the sections underneath. “I call it ‘under-flattening,’” says Giannandrea. “You maintain roundness at the bottom while preventing the sides and bottom from becoming too wide.”
