The blow dry ... a dying art ?

[becki x]

I wonder what other hair professionals' opinion on this is.

I personally feel that since straightening irons became popular,the art of blow drying is fading fast.

When i trained we were forced to blow dry and were not allowed to use irons,i have on many occasion achieved a smooth sleek style on afro hair with the use of only products and good brushes

I call in to the local college on a regular basis,and i have also noticed in a friends salon,a blow dry now consists of a blast with a dryer and a run over with the irons.

Not only do i feel it's a shame,i feel the hair stylist of tomorrow isn't being taught ,and are therefore unable to master every aspect of hair styling.

I do use them,but only as a finishing tool,only on the very ends of the front of my hair.

Is this peeps lacking in education,i mean we know that when hair changes from alpha to beta keratin,it will hold it's shape until wet (or damp).Where as irons is only a very temporary measure as well as potentially having a very detrimental effect on the condition of the hair.

Is the need to use irons everyday simply because a good blow dry is lacking ?

Irons IMO have made some people lazy.

What's your take on the epidemic that is the straightening iron ?

Thanks x

 

[Hannah1984]

I have very thick, wavy hair that when I do myself, blast with the dryer and then use irons. When I go into a salon, I dont expect the same, but it does! I have only had one hairdresser that has given me a sleek straight finish with just the hair dryer. I definitly think that students are not being taught this now or stylists have got lazy as they can rely on the irons for the required finish.

 

[Marlise]

I'm not a hairdresser, but visit one every 4 weeks.

I've got very long, fly-away hair that just won't sit put and be sleek :irked:

My hairdresser only every blow dries my hair and does a very good job. But if I'm honest, the result is not as good or as sleek as when I do it with my irons.

I suppose this is simply because I've got such fly-away hair and the irons are probably a bit more "forceful" with my hair than just a blow-dry.


Marlise

 

[becki x]

Good product technique and brushes would sort your unruly hair lol.

What do other pro's think ?

 

[hairdresser_jd]

heya! im a stylist and i do agree with the blowdrying problem......alot of people will now only rough dry the hair then straighten it....this is done mainly because it is much quicker. i like to get a brush in and blowdry it with loads of volume but wont spend hours smoothing it dead straight if i am going to straighten it after! when you visit the salon tell your stylist you would like it blowdried! hope that helps!!!

 

[becki x]

Hi and welcome to the site hairdresser_jd nice to have you here :hug:

I absolutely do spend my time blowdrying :lol: but only two mins with the irons so it balances itself out as well as holding better and also supplying a service the client isn't able to acheive at home

 

[Sophiea]

In my area it's rare to find a stylist that is great at great blowdrying...whether it's straightening and smoothing or scrunching and finishing for the opposite effect. It's not taught in hair school and unless you
end up in a salon where the training is mandatory or the new stylist takes the initiative to practice and learn it doesn't happen.

We really don't have the ethnic wavy/curly hair in my area either. A lot of straight northern European hair here. So, even if we were taught the finer blow drying skills many times we weren't incorporating it every day.

It really bothers my wrist to completely finish a curly head with just the blow dryer anymore. I avoid it whenever possible. And another good point is that many of my clients can't or won't do it at home and it's my job to work with them on the finishing technique that they are more likely to use at home. And this in most cases it's the Flat Iron over the blow dryer and boar bristle round brush.

 

[hairdresser_jd]

i do agree. alot of clients straighten there hair to death so even if you do show them how to use a round brush they are more likely to just rough dry their hair. i love curling long hair with a small round brush thou.....looks fantastic and is better than any GHD curlies!

 

[becki x]

It's great to hear how things differ from area to area ,country to country.

I appreciate due to your wrist you are unable to soley,blowdry,that IMO is different from being lazy.

As for working with the client,i do agree we give our clients a style they can manage,etc,however they are paying for a service,a luxury for some,(and i feel a pro job) acheived mainly by blowdry.

As with nails,most ladies can manage a polish job,BUT when they go to a pro the finnish is better,it's longer lasting etc.

Do you see what i'm getting at ? I mean pro's getting lazy not clients :lol:

 

[JackieMc]

I must be lucky as every time I go to a hairdresser I ask them to make my hair nice and smooth and sleek (I have the most unruly, thick, curly hair that I can never get smooth myself, even with irons!) and each time the poor girls have had to spend ages with a round brush and hairdryer - their muscles must be huge by the time they've finished with me. What my hairdresser tends to do is have a girl each side of my head and each do one side to speed it up a bit. I've never had an Irish hairdresser use irons on my hair to smooth it out, although I have had UK hairdressers finish it off with irons.

I thought blow drying was the norm - I must be picking the right hairdressers!

Jackie
x

 

[CadenceAlex]

Is it not just a fashion trend now then? Straight flattened hair... no ooomph at all?!

My hairdresser blow dried my fringe then straightened the rest of my hair - but did give me the option of having it blow dried straight or with the use of the GHD's

 

[Trin]

I wonder what other hair professionals' opinion on this is.

I personally feel that since straightening irons became popular,the art of blow drying is fading fast.

When i trained we were forced to blow dry and were not allowed to use irons,i have on many occasion achieved a smooth sleek style on afro hair with the use of only products and good brushes

I call in to the local college on a regular basis,and i have also noticed in a friends salon,a blow dry now consists of a blast with a dryer and a run over with the irons.

Not only do i feel it's a shame,i feel the hair stylist of tomorrow isn't being taught ,and are therefore unable to master every aspect of hair styling.

I do use them,but only as a finishing tool,only on the very ends of the front of my hair.

Is this peeps lacking in education,i mean we know that when hair changes from alpha to beta keratin,it will hold it's shape until wet (or damp).Where as irons is only a very temporary measure as well as potentially having a very detrimental effect on the condition of the hair.

Is the need to use irons everyday simply because a good blow dry is lacking ?

Irons IMO have made some people lazy.

What's your take on the epidemic that is the straightening iron ?

Thanks x

I do agree with you i am a stylist and have been popping into college to do my a2 and the students didnt really seem to no what brushes to use and would rather just blast the hair then use irons !!, as a rule we teach our students to blow dry properly then only to finish the hair with irons if need be, I really think that to begin with they shouldnt beable to use irons until they can achieve the desired look :green:

 

[EllaX]

Yup my blow dry too consists of a blast with the dryer and straightening irons. Not for a long while have I had a proper blow dry in a salon. A lot of it i think is down to time - its quicker to use irons - perhaps they can squeeze in another client at the end of the day.

I tell you what is a dying art too - hair put ups, we hunted high and low for someone who could do wedding put ups, its not taught now-a-days apparantly.

 

[becki x]

Ah just goes to show my different area/countryt theory thanks Jackie x

No Caroline,it's no longer fashionable to have flat poker straight hair,and it is also a very difficult style to wear.

Hair should compliment and lank looking stuck to the head hair doesn't lol.

As for the timing theory i don't buy it When done efficiently it really wouldn't take much if any longer

 

[EllaX]

As for the timing theory i don't buy it When done efficiently it really wouldn't take much if any longer

doesn't it? this is why i aint a hairdresser lol! xx

 

[becki x]

Not really,on average i would say med length hair 20 mins rough dry,straighten.

30 blowdry possibly finnish with irons > much better service :lol:

these are rough timings (i alow 30 mins unless hair extremely long etc) hth's x

 

[JDs]

Agree with you Becki. It takes me the same amount of time if not less to use blowdryer and brush.
When I first opened the salon I had these fresh young girls (well still do ) I also kept in touch with a fellow hairstylist that learned the ART fo blowdrying and was a master at it. I invited him in to the salon to give a class.

Here we are sitting in a semi circle around him as he is demonstrating the art of actually curling the hair as he is blowdrying with a German rattail comb.
He put fingerwaves in and did a full blowdry style all with a comb and blowdryer. It was incredible. These young ones mouths were laying on the floor watching him. The Stylists still talk about him.

The actual art of Blowdrying is a lost art.
Everything in this world now is based on the fastest and quickest way of getting it done. That is why everyone is stressed out.

 

[Mrs Geek]

I think I must be going somewhere decent too as Claire Benson my stylist always blowdries my hair with the dryer and round brush.

I hate straighteners - sorry guys as I know so many of you love them but I hate that flat thin look (mho for me not you all).

I like my hair full and bouncy, soft and sexy and although I am utterly useless at blow drying myself (I do it upsidedown to get some lift) use a brush for my fringe (bangs for the US) and then I use - wait for it... good old fashioned heated rollers! I sweat like hell whilst they're in but they are brilliant!

Am I really sad???

 

[becki x]

:lol: Mrs Geek :lol:

Even smooth straight styles can have bounce and lift.natural movement looks great,way more attractive and complementary than the flat wig look

Another benefit of a proper blow dry rather :!: x

 

[Mrs Geek]

:lol: Mrs Geek :lol:

Even smooth straight styles can have bounce and lift.natural movement looks great,way more attractive and complementary than the flat wig look

Another benefit of a proper blow dry rather :!: x

Thanks Becki - I guess what I am trying to say 'nicely'... i see so many young girls with medium length hair flat and thin to their heads but because their hair is one length or has not maybe had the best of cuts... it just looks... well... a bit yucky really but that is only how I feel. I had it done and felt minging!! :lol: