An incredible cutting transformation needs a perfect blow-dry to show it off—that’s why we went to Philip Wolff (@philipwolffhair) for this 16-inch chop and styled blowout! We caught his tricks for prepping the hair before the cut, plus tons of tips and techniques for blowing it out.

Watch Philip talk us through this transformative cut while on location at the NEW BTC CRIB in West Hollywood, and learn why he uses WetBrush EPIC Professional products to finish the style—it’s all below, so keep scrolling!

Prep The Haircut:

• Know This: Heavily-processed hair gets tangled easily, which is not ideal when you’re about to cut more than a foot of hair off!
• Try This: WetBrush EPIC Professional Time Release Detangler Spray—it detangles hair for up to three days and can work as a cutting lotion, assisting in keeping sections clean and giving the hair smoothness as you cut.
• Try This: The Flex Dry Paddle Brush—it’s a vented brush that speeds up drying time, works well with the detangle spray AND only requires a few passes before completely brushing out any knots. (Nobody has time for knots!) Plus, it’s super flexible and works in every direction to contour to the scalp. “The head dips in at the neck and this brush really gets in there,” says Philip. “It bends really well and has rounded tips so you can really dig into the hair without scraping the scalp or hurting the client.” (see gif below)

Start The Blowout In The Front

• Beauty schools typically teach to start the blow-dry in the back. Philip suggests the opposite. Why? Because clients like to see their transformation in action, and starting in the front lets them see their results right away.

Use The Hook-And-Pull Blowout Technique

• Starting at the front, use a medium-to-large section and tap WetBrush EPIC Professional Heat Wave Blowout brush at the root and slide it back. Then bring the section back forward while rotating the brush backward—use this technique everywhere, while hitting the root with the dryer.
• Pro Tip: When you do the hook, don’t hold the brush in the same spot for too long! Always keep your hand moving lightly so that you create lift without a hard line in the hair.
• The EPIC Professional Heat Wave Blowout brush works great for this technique because it’s big enough to handle the larger section sizes being used. It also features a ThermaGraphene™ barrel, which gets up to 20% hotter than a ceramic barrel AND it evenly distributes heat for a super gentle blowout.
• Watch Philip explain this technique at 33 minutes!

Overdirect The Hair To Create More Volume

• Know your client’s part and the direction her hair falls, then dry the hair in the opposite way to create additional volume.
• “Dry opposite of the grain in which the hair goes because after it cools it’s going to lock into place,” says Philip. Then flip the hair back to its normal part for major lift.

Heat The Root & Add Tension At The Midlengths

• Create a high quality blowout by evenly heating the hair while applying lots of tension.
• Use the nozzle at the root and stretch the hair up with the brush at the same time.
• The Heat Wave Styling Brush is a good go-to for this technique because the bristles are super textured and evenly spaced, which gives the hair good grip and allows it to move easily without slipping through the brush.
• Watch at 36 minutes for all the deets!

Watch the full Facebook Live below!

Products Used

Brushes/Combs

Time Release Detangler

WetBrush

Blowouts

Flex Dry® Paddle

WetBrush

Blowouts

EPIC Professional Heat Wave Blowout Brush

WetBrush EPIC Professional