3 Ways To Blow Dry Hair To Achieve Various Degrees of Volume

The foundations we learned in school included the principles of setting the hair with rollers. Reach back, do you remember what you were taught about blow drying hair with a round brush?

• Off Base
• Half Off Base
• On Base

These principles taught us how to achieve various degrees of volume based on the placement of the roller in relation to where it sits at various degrees from the scalp.

Let's take a look at how these same principles relate to blow-drying the hair. Well, guess what? They are the same! We are just using brushes instead of rollers and a blow dryer instead of a hood dryer.

Blow-dry's can be one of the most pivotal services we perform for our guests. We can enhance or destroy a great haircut or we can brush-a-flage a terrible haircut into something beautiful (of course it would be someone else's terrible haircut). To perform these works of magic we need the tools, product and the skills to do so!

Tools of Choice:

• Sam Villa^® Professional Ionic Blow Dryer w/narrow Nozzle.
  • We choose the narrow nozzle for the most concentrated air flow.
• Sam Villa^® 1 Thermal Styling Brush.
  • The diameter of the brush you choose is up to you based on the amount of curl or wave you desire for the end result - smaller brush = more curl - larger brush = less curl.
• Small setting clips.

Product of Choice:

• Redken guts 10 volume spray foam.
  • Why this product? Boosts the hair with flexible fullness. Lifts the base for all over volume. Creates structure with flexibility.

Now For a Brush Up On Skills…

Off Base

This placement of the brush will result in the least amount of volume off the scalp. It is the placement for today's modern looks from approximately the occipital and below to keep the hair closer to the scalp for a sleek end result.

• One-inch sections are taken 45 degrees BELOW 90 degrees from the head.
  • We know that 90 degrees is straight out from the head.
  • Pull the section 90 degrees from the head then drop it to 45 degrees.
• Spray the section with Redken Guts 10 volume spray foam and evenly distribute through the section.
• Wrap the section around the Sam Villa^® 1 Thermal Brush ensuring the 45-degree angle.
  • NOTE: Notice the amount of space between the scalp and the area where the hair begins to curve around the brush this is the positioning for reduction of volume that you will see when the section is fully cooled and released.

• Place the narrow nozzle on the Sam Villa^® Professional Ionic Dryer.
• Tap the dryer at the base of the section.
  • Waving the dryer will expose the cuticle and create unwanted frizz.
• Continue to tap the base until dry.
• Move on to the mid shaft until dry ensuring the 45-degree angle BELOW 90 degrees.
• Move on to the ends ensuring the 45-degree angle BELOW 90 degrees.
  • Pick up the ends of the section to be sure they wrap around the brush to result in smoothness throughout the ends especially with heavily layered hair.
• Once the section is dry, wrap it back up to the scalp, hair in brush, following through with the dryer ensuring the 45-degree angle BELOW 90 degrees.
• Put down the dryer, release the hair from the brush and pin to cool and set.

Half Off Base

This placement of the brush will result in a reasonable amount of volume off the scalp. It is the placement for today's modern looks from approximately the parietal ridge to the occipital for the fullness our guests yearn for!

• One-inch sections are taken 90 degrees from the head.
• Spray the section with Redken Guts 10 volume spray foam and evenly distribute through the section.
• Wrap the section around the Sam Villa^® 1 Thermal Brush ensuring the 90-degree angle straight out from the head.
  • NOTE: Notice the amount of space between the scalp and the area where the hair begins to curve around the brush is decreased compared to the placement Off Base.

• Place the narrow nozzle on the Sam Villa Professional Ionic Dryer.
• Tap the dryer at the base of the section.
• Continue to tap the base until dry.
• Move on to the mid shaft until dry, ensuring 90 degrees straight out from the head.
• Move on to the ends ensuring 90 degrees straight out from the head.
  • Pick up the ends of the section to be sure they wrap around the brush to result in smoothness throughout the ends especially with heavily layered hair.
• Once the section is dry, wrap it back up to the scalp, hair in brush, following through with the dryer ensuring 90 degrees straight out from the head.
• Put down the dryer, release the hair from the brush and pin to cool and set.

HOT TIP: This is also the area of the head that would benefit from the techniqueTexture Volume utilizing the Sam Villa^® Textur Iron to impart even more volume hidden volume is created by inserting the iron vertically around the head in one-inch sections.

On Base

This placement of the brush will result in maximum volume off the scalp. It is especially favorable for today's modern looks to impart the most volume to the top of the head from the parietal ridge and above.

• One-inch sections are taken 45 degrees ABOVE 90 degrees from the head.
  • We know that 90 degrees is straight out from the head.
  • Pull the section 90 degrees from the head and then elevate to 45 degrees above 90 degrees.
• Spray the section with Redken Guts 10 volume spray foam and evenly distribute through the section.
• Wrap the section around the Sam Villa^® 1 Thermal Brush ensuring the 45 degree angle ABOVE 90 degrees from the head.
  • NOTE: Notice the amount of space between the scalp and the area where the hair begins to curve around the brush virtually none! It makes perfect sense that the 45-degree angle ABOVE 90 degrees will eliminate drag from the scalp to ensure maximum fullness.
• Place the narrow nozzle on the Sam Villa Professional Ionic Dryer.
• Tap the dryer at the base of the section.
• Continue to tap the base until dry.
• Move on to the mid shaft until dry, ensuring 45-degree angle ABOVE 90 degrees.
• Move on to the ends ensuring 45 degree angle ABOVE 90 degrees.
  • Pick up the ends of the section to be sure they all wrap around the brush to result in smoothness throughout the ends especially with heavily layered hair.
• Once the section is dry, wrap it back up to the scalp, hair in brush, following through with the 45 degree angle ABOVE 90 degrees.
• Put down the dryer, release the hair from the brush and pin to cool and set.

The cooling process is key in a blow dry as we were also taught in school with a roller set. Remember we had the guest sit and cool after removing the hood dryer from her head? The hydrogen bonds break down with water when the hair is shampooed and are reformed as the hair dries to take the shape of the roller.

The same process occurs when we blow dry. The cooling process is necessary for longevity. If we release the pins from our sections too soon and the hair is not completely cooled down, the blow dry you spent so much time on will fall quickly.

Unless your guest is in a big hurry, this time is relaxing. Add value by letting your guest know why the process is followed that you have her best interest in mind for her blow dry to last 2-3, maybe even 4 days (depending on the hair type). This is also the time to recommend a dry shampoo for your guest to utilize at home on the second day after her visit.

Redken pillow proof two day blow dry extender: This is a style-extending dry shampoo that instantly refreshes hair and absorbs oil to extend the life of your guests blow-dry.

Never underestimate the power of the fundamentals we learned in school. Our creativity comes out of adapting fundamentals experimenting on how far we can break out and put our signatures on our work. When we get stuck, we will greatly benefit by reaching back to what we learned. Those fundamentals got us to where we are today!

Click here to learn more about the Sam Villa Professional Ionic Blow Dryer.