Two times winner of the Australian hairdressing industry’s most prestigious award ‘2005 and 200 Hair Expo Australian Hairdresser of the Year’, Brad Ngata shares his tips on how to work your hairdryer for flawless effects…
Part Two: Volume, Body and Bounce
Preparation
Start by towel drying your hair using a roof lift booster such as KMS California Add Volume Root & Body Lift. Tip the head upside down and really get the hair lifted.
Tools
Choose a good quality hairdryer and attach the nozzle.
You’ll need a large round brush and Velcro rollers to over-direct the hair and create volume.
Technique
Section your hair with butterfly clips and begin drying from the nope of your neck.
Work a section of hair with the dryer and round brush, then wrap that section around a Velcro roller and secure with a pin.
Continue working each section of your hair (airflow along the hair shaft from roots to ends to smooth the cuticle), setting each with a roller – this allows the hair to cool and set around the roller which create lots of volume.
When working with your sections, the trick is what hairdressers call ‘over direction’ – as you blow-dry each section you pull the brush and so direct the hair in the opposite direction to that which you want it to fall. The result is that when it falls, it has to loop up and over giving added height, body and bounce.
Try to get each section brushed smoothly – this will give you shine.
Finish
When your head is full of rollers which have cooled, give a light spray with KMS California Hairstay Medium Hold and remove each roller. Finish with more hairspray to make your blow-dry last and seal out humidity.
Extra Tips
For naturally curly hair, use a heated tong to enhance the curl. This will give a uniform, ‘dressed’ feel to your usual, freer curly look.
Don’t worry if your hair is bigger than you want – it will always settle down.
Alternate hot air with cold… the heat will open the cuticle and allow a style to be formed. Then finishing the section of hair with a blast of cool/cold air helps close the newly created texture or locks in the straightness of the section.
On your next salon visit, ask your hairdresser for a ‘how to do it’ session.
