How To Blowdry Hair With A Round Brush

Raise your hand if you’ve ever sat in a salon chair wondering just how your hairstylist manages to give you a perfectly smooth, bouncy blowdry in minutes, whilst juggling a hairdryer and multiple round brushes? Us too – and no matter how easy they make it seem, we always end up combing tangles from our hair when we try it at home… Which is why we’ve picked the brains of the pros and compiled their top tips below. You’re going to want to keep reading…

Detangle before blowdrying.

Whilst you’re in the shower, use a wide-toothed comb to distribute product through the lengths of your hair before you rinse it out. Then, just before you’re about to start drying your hair, spritz it with leave-in conditioner and comb again.

Start by air-drying.

Blow-drying wet hair straight out of the shower not only takes forever, but also results in major frizz. To prevent crisis, squeeze excess water from your hair with an old t-shirt and leave to air-dry for 20 minutes before picking up your hairdryer.

Next up, rough drying.

Rough dry your hair until it’s around 70% dry. Not only will this save time, but hair is easiest to style when it’s damp, not wet, so this will help to get rid of the majority of water weight. Comb through hair once again to make sure that every strand is knot-free before you go in with your round brush.

Clip hair into small sections.

It’s tempting to dry as much hair as possible if you’re in a rush, but this will actually make the process longer because hair will easily become tangled in your brush. Separate hair into sections no wider than the width of your brush, and clip each section back until you need it.

Start at the back/bottom.

With your hair clipped up out of the way, start by drying the sections at the back of your head, just above the nape of your neck. Dry these lower layers first before moving upwards and forwards, finishing with your fringe.

It’s all about angles…

Move from top to bottom and make sure that the nozzle of your hairdryer (always use the nozzle for a blowdry, FYI) points slightly downwards and never touches your hair (ideally, keep it about 3 inches away). This ensures the heat spreads evenly across the strands and prevents frizz and split ends.

…and brushwork.

The main purpose of the brush is to pull hair taut as you pass the heat over it, so make sure you have a strong grip on the handle. Move the brush slowly – pulling it too sharply will cause hair to tangle into the bristles.

Use the brush as a curler.

If you want really defined and long-lasting curls, wrap your hair around the brush and keep it at the crown of your head. Blast it with some extra heat and leave the brush in your hair to set whilst you move onto the next section.

Use the brush to add lift.

By placing the brush underneath each section of hair, you can lift the hair upwards and away from the scalp then direct heat from below to give roots a boost.

Play with temperature.

Hot air forms shape in hair, but cool air sets it. Use medium heat for the majority of styling (avoid anything too hot, it causes damage and frizz), then once you complete each section, blast it with cool air to set the shape.

Dry hair thoroughly.

Make sure that hair is 100% dry and not at all damp before you finish drying each strand. If hair retains moisture it’ll quickly fall out of shape. Keep drying it until it feels springy and soft.