Last updated: November 20, 2020

3 Tips For Longer-Lasting Blowouts & Voluminous Updos

Watch This: Blowout Tricks & Finishing Techniques

Say goodbye to blowouts and upstyles that fall flat because Surface Artistic Ambassador Dawn McKee (@dawnsurfacehair) went live to share her top tricks for longer-lasting blowouts and voluminous updos! Watch the full how-to video, then keep scrolling to get three key tips she shared and to see all three finished looks.

Watch the full video tutorial to get all the tips Dawn shared—click here!

1. The Secret To Longer-Lasting Blowouts

Moisture is what extends the life of your blowouts because it helps the hair with style memory, but beware. Dawn compares the hands to sponges because, “As soon as you start to touch the hair, they soak all that moisture out of the hair.” So here are two ways she preserves that much-needed moisture:

Prep with a memory spray like Surface Blowout Primer. Not only does it provide long-lasting style memory but it also doubles as a heat protectant.

Never touch the hair with dry hands. Instead, add a protective barrier between your hands and your client’s hair by working a styling wax like Surface Shift Shine Wax through your hands first.

2. Alternate The Direction Of The Brush To Create An Hourglass-Shaped Blowout

Instead of blow drying each section in the same direction, Dawn recommends alternating to create an hourglass shape and give the hair more body and movement. (Similar to how you would alternate the direction of a wave when curling the hair.) Here’s what Dawn does:

Start by sectioning the hair into horizontal triangles. The first one begins in the middle of the head at the nape and goes up toward the middle of the ear. Then the next section starts at the middle of the ear and goes up toward the occipital bone and so on.

Apply Blowout Primer, comb through the section so it’s evenly distributed, then work the brush so it’s moving toward the heavier side of the section. Meaning, the wider side of the triangle will determine which way to blowout the section.

“What happens with this as we create different movement is the hair doesn’t all go toward the back or to the front or straight down. It works one direction into the other,” explains Dawn. “So you get more of a natural, fluid movement and the hair mixes together absolutely beautifully.”

Tap HERE to shop the products in Surface’s Blowout line!

3. A Gentler Alternative To Backcombing

When creating an updo, backcombing right at the crown is the way to add volume to the style. However, Dawn shared a gentler alternative that she calls the W push or the three finger push. Simply hold the section straight up, then take your index, middle and ring fingers and gently work them from the middle of the section down to add lift, movement and separation.