Hair blow out lessons with Folica

Complimentary hair tools from Folica to help us learn to do DIY blow outs

A few days ago, I was invited to Folica‘s headquarters in midtown for their Hair-To Tuesday series, where we got first hand lessons on how to get a salon-quality blow out at home. Doing a blow out at home is something I’m no expert at — I end up just getting frustrated and and bee-line for my straightening iron. But, the tips we learned with stylists Nino, Frederico and Jay made things go a lot more…smoothly.

Stylists Frederico and Nino get ready to teach us the secrets of the trade
The attentive class

7 Steps for a Salon Quality Blow Out

1. Wash your hair and towel-dry it by pressing the towel into the hair. Do not rub. Nino advised to make sure your hair is AT LEAST 50% dry before trying to blow dry it — it’s better for your hair and makes the process go a lot faster.
2. Comb the hair with a wide-toothed comb and part it where desired.
3. Work in a small amount of smoothing serum or leave-in conditioning oil. For shoulder-length hair, a quarter-sized amount should do. Use a bit more for longer hair. Concentrate the oil on the shaft and ends of the hair.
4. Use the comb to divide hair into three or four sections on top, clipping each section to the head. The underneath layers will be exposed.
5. Using a blow-dryer with a concentrator attachment and ionic feature for best results, grasp the first underneath section of hair in a paddle brush or large round brush. A paddle brush will yield straighter results; a round brush yields more bend and body.
6. When the underneath layers are dry, unclip one upper section of hair and dry it in the same manner. Repeat until all the sections are dry.
7. Brush hair lightly and finish with a light spritz of humidity-sealing hairspray.
Megan's after picture

Nino and Frederico also emphasized making sure you use the styling product or texturizing sprays from ROOT TO TIP. I had always been applying only on the end since that’s how I apply my conditioner…but it’s different for blow drying products.

After our group class, there was a mini break where they announced the winners of a raffle. When we first came in, we had to guess how many hair products were in a fish bowl. The winner got a brand new Twin Turbo blowdryer and straightening iron!

Raffle winner!

We then visited the Product Station where we played with products and asked specifics on how to use them. Nino highly recommends Moroccanoil products.

And then came the moment of truth: blow drying our own hair. They divvied us up into smaller groups so we could get a more intimate lesson from the stylists. Jay taught me how to emphasize my layers by  sectioning off my hair, and running a round brush through them. When I got to the end of the section, she showed me how to do a little twist with the round brush so my hair set perfectly.

Learning from Jay

Another useful tip I learned from her was to start from the front — normally, when people start from the back, they get tired and careless by the time they get to the front of their face even though that’s where other people’s eyes fall first. It’s also great when you’re in a rush and don’t have time to style your whole head of hair.

They gave us each our own set of tools that we got to take home, along with this hefty gift bag full of goodies to make our blow drying-lives a LOT easier:

Our parting gifts!

Thank you, Folica!

Group shot!

And New Yorkers are going to love this: the best part about these monthly classes is that anyone can attend them…for free. Join Folica’s Facebook page or email them at [email protected] to reserve your spots (they are limited to get to it fast!). Believe me, you’re going to want to — not only are their offices a hair wonderland, you will meet some pretty awesome people and walk away with a head full of hair-styling facts.


STYLISTS’ INFORMATION:

Nino Sanna – Stylist & Colorist of Art & Energy @ LUXUS Salon – Rye Brook, New York 914-251-9595

Federico – Salon Owner – Federico Salon – White Plains, New York- 914-694-4900

Jay Santiago – Hairstylist & Colorist of La Bottega Salon in White Plains, New York 914-948-7227


x
Shy

6 Comments

  1. tineey wrote:

    That looks like an amazing event. I need to get to the bottom of my split ends, totally signing up for the next one 🙂

    Posted 10.7.10
  2. Cher wrote:

    Jay is my stylist and she is truly a blessing. What takes me 40 minutes and a lot of work to accomplish with my very curly hair, she does effortlessly in 20.

    Posted 10.19.10
  3. Chris M. Finley wrote:

    I would love to reserve a spot for myself, well
    actually 2 spots so that my daughter and I could attend one of your monthly classes on doing a blow out. We both have very curly hair and would
    love to learn how to do this properly, I’ve attempted in the past, but lets just say I could never leave the house when I was finished. LOL

    Posted 11.3.10
  4. MARINA GUIDOS wrote:

    I WANT TO ATTEND !!! I JUST EMAILED FOR THE NEXT CLASS !! THANKS TINEEY FOR REFERRING ME TO IT 🙂 !!!

    Posted 12.27.10
  5. Vanessa wrote:

    I would love to join your class..
    Please contact me.

    Posted 11.3.14

Comments are closed.