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A blowout dries and shapes hair in one motion: rough dry to about 80 percent, section, place a round brush at the roots, follow with the dryer pointed down the strand, roll through to the ends, then set each section with the cool shot. Most failed blowouts come down to three things: starting with hair that is too wet, taking sections that are too big, and skipping the cool shot. Get those right and the technique works on any hair type, including hair extensions. Here is the method and how to make it last.
What you need before you start
Four things, and only two of them are tools.
A hair dryer with a concentrator nozzle and a cool shot button. The nozzle directs airflow down the strand instead of scattering it, which is most of what keeps the cuticle flat and the finish shiny. The cool shot is not optional, and we will come back to why.
A round brush in the right size. Larger barrels give looser, smoother results with more volume. Smaller barrels give more bend and curl. If you are new to this, start large. Small brushes tangle more and slow you down before the motion becomes muscle memory.
If holding a brush in one hand and a dryer in the other is the part that defeats you, a heated round brush combines both. The 3-in-1 Thermal Round Brush comes with three interchangeable barrel sizes, so one tool covers smoothing, volume, and bend.
Sectioning clips to keep the hair you are not working on out of the way.
The Bombay Hair Dryer has both, along with multiple heat and speed settings so you can rough dry fast and then drop down for the brush work.
Heat protectant, applied to damp hair before anything hot touches it.
Choose the best extensions for your lifestyle with Bombay Hair.
The technique, step by step
Set aside 25 to 40 minutes the first few times. It gets faster.
- Rough dry to about 80 percent. Hands and dryer only, no brush. Going straight into round brushing on soaking hair just means brushing for twice as long. Hair should be damp, not wet.
- Apply heat protectant and any volumising product through damp hair before you start with the brush.
- Section it. Four sections minimum: nape, back, sides, crown. More if your hair is long or thick. Clean sections are the single biggest difference between a home blowout and a salon one.
- Start at the nape. It is the hardest area to reach and the easiest to leave damp. Work bottom to top.
- Place the brush at the roots, dryer pointed down the strand. Aiming the airflow down the hair rather than up is what keeps the cuticle flat. Pull the brush through slowly while following with the dryer, keeping tension on the section.
- Roll through to the ends. Two or three passes per section. When the ends reach the brush, roll the brush up and hold while applying heat to set the shape.
- Cool shot each section while it is still on the brush. Five to ten seconds, on hair that is bone dry rather than nearly dry. This is the step that makes the difference between a blowout that lasts a day and one that drops within hours.
- Finish. Run the brush through once more without heat to blend the sections, then a light mist of flexible-hold hairspray. A few drops of lightweight oil on the ends only, never the roots.
Why the cool shot actually matters
Because heat makes hair pliable and cooling is what fixes the new shape.
When you heat a section, you are temporarily loosening the hydrogen bonds that hold hair in its existing shape. The hair takes the shape of whatever it is wrapped around. But those bonds only reset as the hair cools. If you unwrap a hot section and move on, it cools in whatever position it lands in, not the position you shaped it into.
That is why professional blowouts hold and home ones often do not. It is not the dryer. It is that the section was still warm when it came off the brush.
Two rules follow. The section must be completely dry before the cool shot, because damp hair will not hold a set. And let each section cool fully before you touch it. For the crown, velcro rollers are the easiest way to do this: roll each section up while it is still warm, leave them in while you finish your make-up, and take them out once everything is cold. That is the same principle a salon uses and it is where most of the lasting volume comes from.
How to blow out hair extensions
The technique is the same. The care is not.
Hair extensions receive no scalp oils, so they start drier than your own hair and have less margin for repeated high heat. Three adjustments.
Use the lowest heat that sets the section. Even heat from a quality tool means you can usually work at a lower setting with fewer passes, which is gentler on both your hair and your extensions.
Heat protectant, every time. This matters more on extension hair than on your own, because the dryness does not correct itself.
With clip-ins, style the wefts separately. Lay each weft flat on a surface or hang it on a hair extension holder, blow it out, then clip it in. You can reach every section properly and you are not working heat near your own scalp.
Bombay Hair extensions are 100% cuticle Remy human hair, so they blow-dry, curl, and straighten exactly like the hair on your head. Looked after properly, they last up to 12 months for regular wear and up to 2+ years for occasional wear.
Choose the best extensions for your lifestyle with Bombay Hair.
Making it last more than a day
A blowout is worth doing properly because it should not be a daily job.
Keep your hands out of your hair. Oils from your fingers weigh the style down faster than anything else. Use dry shampoo at the roots on day two rather than rewashing. Sleep with the length loosely contained and on a silk or satin pillowcase, since friction against cotton is what flattens the crown and roughs up the ends overnight. A silk scrunchie holds a loose overnight ponytail without creasing.
If the roots drop before the ends do, that is normal and easy to fix. Re-roll just the crown section with the brush, hit it with heat and a cool shot, and leave it clipped while you get ready.
As a woman-owned brand trusted by 500,000+ customers worldwide since 2013, our honest take is that most people underestimate two things: how dry the hair needs to be before the brush comes out, and how much the cool shot is doing. Fix those two and everything else improves. Browse hair styling tools to see the range, or start with the 3-in-1 Thermal Round Brush if you want the technique to be easier from day one.
Good hair days ahead.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a blowout take at home?
Between 25 and 40 minutes depending on length and thickness, with practice bringing that down considerably. If it is taking over an hour, your hair is probably too wet when you start or your sections are too large.
What size round brush should I use?
Larger barrels give smoother results with more volume and are easier to handle if you are learning. Smaller barrels create more bend and curl but tangle more easily. Start large and go smaller once the motion is comfortable.
Can you blow dry hair extensions?
Yes. Bombay Hair extensions are 100% cuticle Remy human hair and can be blow-dried like your own. Use heat protectant and the lowest effective heat, and with clip-ins it is easiest to style each weft separately before clipping in.
Why does my blowout fall flat so quickly?
Usually the cool shot was skipped, or the hair was not completely dry when it came off the brush. Hair sets as it cools, so a section that comes off warm loses its shape. Touching your hair through the day also flattens it faster than most people expect.
Is a heated round brush better than a dryer and brush?
It is easier, and that matters more than it sounds. A heated round brush like the 3-in-1 Thermal Round Brush puts heat and shape in one hand, so there is no coordinating two tools. A traditional dryer and brush gives slightly more volume and control once you have the technique, but takes longer to learn.
How do I get more volume at the roots?
Over-direct the crown. Pull those sections up and back while drying, against the direction the hair naturally falls, then set them in velcro rollers and let them cool completely before releasing. Dry the crown and face-framing pieces last so they stay lifted.
xo, Team Bombay
