Raise your hand if your hair is in a messy bun right now? With nowhere to go and that standing salon appointment likely cancelled, I’m guessing you’re not alone in sporting a hairstyle that’s not quite up to your usual standard right now.

I’m the first to admit that a messy bun is only fun for so long and I’m now desperate to experience the bounce and effortlessly put together look of a salon quality blow dry. Luckily, with a bit of practice, the right tools and our expert tips, doing your own blow out at home can be pretty easy.

First things first…

You need the right tools

A hairdryer with multiple heat and air settings is important to help set your style while preventing excessive heat damage to your hair. Adding a nozzle is also great at keeping heat directly off your hair and helping you direct the air to where you need it. For curly hair, a diffuser is your best friend and will dry your hair using the heat to set your curls without the air blowing them out of shape.

As for brushes, there are so many options and the right brush can really change your final look. If you’re looking for speed, a wide paddle brush is the way to go as the greater surface area works to cut dry time. If you want a bit of bounce and body, look for a brush that’s rounded on the edges. Natural bristle round brushes are great but you can also get good results with a vented brush that has a slight curve. This is probably going to be the most versatile brush option.

Pick your product

The number one product everyone should be using anytime they take to their hair with a heat styling tool is a heat protecting spray or balm. A spray will generally be lighter so is great for fine and thin hair. If you have a thicker mane or more texture, heat protecting balms allow you to cover every strand while also managing frizz.

Then, think about adding volume. Mousse may be old school but they work really well for building body in your hair while you blow dry.

If you suffer from frizzy or fluffy hair, choose a hydrating styling crème- designed to seal the cuticles, soften the texture and leave you with a conditioned and sleek blow out.

For curly hair, there are plenty of creams and spray products specially designed to enhance your curl and add shine without weighing your hair down and disrupting the curl pattern. Look for something with nourishing ingredients.

If you want a textured and tousled look, it’s best to use texture adding products at the end of your blow out. This gives you more control over perfecting the shape when you’re heat styling and also reduces the chances of excessive frizz at the end.

How-to blow dry straight hair at home

Step one: Apply your heat protecting product all over and brush it through your towel dried hair to spread it evenly.

Step two: Using a medium heat setting on your drier, roughly dry your hair until you’ve removed around 80% of the moisture. It should still feel damp but you shouldn’t be able to wring water out of it.

Step three: It’s now that you should apply your styling products. If you’re going for volumizing mousse or foam products, focus on the root area. Cream products designed for smoothing your hair should be massaged through the ends.

Step four: Section your hair so the top layer is tied up onto the top of your head. If you have thicker hair you may need to create a few layers as you’re drying your hair. The goal is to make sure the top damp hair isn’t sitting on the dry sections underneath for too long as you work.

Step five: Using a higher heat setting, begin drying the bottom section of your hair using your brush with the nozzle of your hair dryer pointing down the shaft of the hair. This helps to reduce frizz. To maintain volume, always pull your hair up and away from the root, instead of blowing the hot air against your scalp. Round the brush back toward you as go down the lengths of your hair to create a subtle curve.

Step six: Use the same technique to dry the top section of your hair, except this time, dry those top sections from all angles to create body. So, for a section on the right side of your head, blow dry it out, around and down like normal, then flip it over to the left side of your head and do the same on the other side.

For the front section, you should be bringing them forward to dry and then rounding them backward over your head for another hit with the hair dryer.

If you want a curl on the ends, round the hair around your brush and blast with hot air before locking in the style on the cool air setting.

Step seven: Finally, apply a touch more of your styling crème to smooth out any frizz. If you need to, you can apply a light bit of hairspray to add some extra hold.

If you want to use a curling tong to create beachy waves, follow the above steps, stopping at step six before sectioning your hair and curling with the tong.

How to blow dry curly hair at home

Step one: Apply your heat protectant to towel dried hair using a scrunching motion to enhance your curls. At the same time, you can be using your styling products to add body, shine or to smooth frizz using the same technique.

Step two: On a medium heat setting and using a diffuser attachment on your hair dryer, place the diffuser right at the roots of your hair to dry moving it around your scalp until all of the roots are dry. Starting at your roots gives the fragile and often dry ends of your hair a chance to dry without needing any heat and can help to give you a fuzz-free look.

Step three: While scrunching your hair, use the diffuser from underneath the mid lengths of your hair to dry your curls. The best technique is to take it slow and hold the diffuser against each section for about 30seconds before moving on. Too much movement creates frizz.

Step four: Finish with a styling spray or cream and very gently scrunch it through the ends of your dry hair.