Full Body Blow dry

Hair: Full Body Blow dry

In today's lesson we were taught how to complete a full body blow dry. This particular blow dry style gives the hair a lot more volume as the hair is lifted up at the root.

Heath and safety:

All electrical equipment must be PAT tested and safe to use
All equipment must be clean and ready to use
Ensure there are no trailing wires
Any spillages are to be dealt with quickly to minimize risk of accidents or injury

As usual we had a demo by our lecturer Emma Croombes. As we are practicing this skill on the doll heads today Emma also demonstrated on one. First of all she sectioned off the hair leaving a section loose at the bottom and clipping up the top and middle layers. The hair can also have any parting for this blow dry so Emma chose a side parting. The hair was then spritzed with water to dampen it down. A big round brush was used to brush the hair through from the underneath of the hair. The hair dryer was then switched on and starting from the root of the hair the brush was used to comb through the hair whilst lifting it upwards to create tension and volume, the hair dryer was placed in the direction of hair growth to ensure the cuticle (outside layer of the hair) remains flat and smooth. As the brush comes down the length of the hair it is rotated to ensure that tension remains on the hair and that a shape will be created as the hair drys.

This process is repeated until each section of the hair is dry. Gradually taking down each layer the hair was dried using the same method. By the end of this process the hair should have a lot more volume. Once completed Emma placed Velcro rollers in the hair as this will help the hair keep its shape. This is especially helpful for if you have completed the models hair and need to keep it in the style before they go on set or camera as sometimes humidity or moisture in the air can affect the hair causing the style to drop out. The rollers should be placed in the direction of how the hair was blow dried. In Emma's case the hair was taken in the side parting so each side was sectioned and rollers were placed in with the hollow of the roller facing the front. The back of the hair was brick set starting from the top downwards. When using a round blow dry brush or Velcro rollers it is important that the tool isn't wrapped up too tightly to the root of the hair as it can get caught and is very difficult to remove. This causes the hair to get matted around the object and sometimes the only removal is for it to be cut out.

As we are only being taught how to put in and remove the rollers it is unnecessary for them to stay in the hair for too long so once Emma has put them in she gently takes them out the hair one by one. The rollers appear to have made the hair a lot sleeker and have helped control flyaways and keep the shape of the blow dry. Once they are all removed the hair is brushed through and serum is applied as the hair on the doll heads can have quite straggly and sparse ends. This helps to control them and gives the hair a cleaner finish.

Products:

Water Spray 

Serum

Tools:

Hair dryer

Spray bottle

Big round brush

Tail comb

Section clips

Velcro rollers

Hair grips

After the demo I had a go for myself. I decided to have a side parting on my doll head as I prefer the outcome of voluminous hair with a side parting. So after making sure my side parting section was straight I then proceeded to clip the hair up in two sections separating the two sides. I left out a section at the bottom of both sides and dampened them with a water spray. I then followed the same process as Emma by using the big round brush through the underneath of the hair lifting it at the root whilst drying it with the hairdryer. I used the same technique on each section of the hair and adapted my movements to the direction of the hair parting. Once each section was dry and complete I placed the Velcro rollers in the front of the hair going with the direction it was dried into. In my case it happened to be in the same direction as in the demo. I then brick set the back. I used hair grips to secure the rollers and to stop the hair from coming off the side of the roller. Once all the rollers were placed in the hair and Emma was satisfied with the set, I removed them. This is how the brick set turned out:

Hair By: Chelsey Pavey
Brick Set

After I removed the Velcro rollers I then brushed the hair and put in some serum to control any stray hairs. I found that the rollers really helped to combat the frizz that can occur when the hair is blow dried. Once the hair was dressed and ready I took a photo of my end result:

Hair By: Chelsey Pavey

Evaluation

What went well: Although I think I need to work on this skill I do believe my speed is improving. I also think that my placement of rollers in the brick set is a lot better than my sets before.

How I could improve: My hair could have had a bit more volume so I was a bit disappointed with the outcome. I think next time I will give the hair more tension in the root and lift the brush up higher to ensure the hair dries with more volume.

I enjoyed using a round brush for blow drying the hair as on my straight blow dry I used a Denman brush or a big flat brush. I think the twirling movement of the brush was a little challenging at first but after a while I got the hang of it. Although I wasn't entirely impressed with the outcome of this lesson I am pleased to have learnt how to use different tools and how to manipulate the hair around the shape of the brush. I do need to work on my technique as I find it challenging holding the hair, a brush and hair dryer. I do however think I am getting used to the action of combing the hair through and drying it with the hairdryer and I think my increase in speed is demonstrating this progress.