Men are welcoming styles that look best when blow-dried to create the volume, density and hold they want. But not all clients know what results are achievable with a little lesson in technique.
Christian Ceja-Compin does a lot of blow drying for his male clients at Umbrella Salon in San Jose, California, and he implements various techniques and styles depending on his client’s lifestyle.
“It always starts with the consultation before cutting the hair or shampooing,” says Ceja-Compin, an Oribe educator. “If my client shows me a photo of a cool style that requires heat styling, we talk about the options, how long it will take to style every day and the versatility of the look. If they are open to heat styling, then we also talk about if he’s comfortable using a brush.”
Ceja-Compin says it’s important to preview the styling and blow-dry technique before shampooing to gauge if your client will be open to that commitment.
STYLED BUT NOT “DONE”: For the client who wants a styled look but doesn’t want to use a brush or spend too much time styling, apply the product right at the base of the hair with the fingers and power-dry it. “The goal of power-drying is not to use high heat, but high pressure,” Ceja-Compin says. “Working with a medium heat avoids over-drying the hair and the product, keeping it super pliable for easy manipulation with fingers or tools.”
SOFT VOLUME WITH HOLD: For the client who wants to have a more “done” look but not too harsh, using a comb while blow-drying will achieve that. “Apply a pearl-sized amount of a volumizing cream at the crown to get lift, but don’t apply any product on the sides,” Ceja-Compin says. Then power-dry the product into the hair with a comb to add volume. “Mimic the motion of a brush, picking up the hair at the base with the comb, and pulling it straight up with tension for soft volume with hold.”
DEFINED AND STRONG: For the client who wants a stronger, more defined look, a la James Dean, using a roundbrush in the Mohawk section with a paddle brush on the sides will give lots of volume. Apply the product at the crown and throughout the Mohawk section, but this time also apply it on the sides. Apply the product section by section and blow dry using the round brush for a harsher look.
Remember, even if your client is typically a wash-and-wear type of guy, product is incredibly important to his overall look.
“My all-time favorite product is Oribe’s Crème for Style because it’s a product that adds moisture, density, weight and volume,” Ceja-Compin says. “It’s a universal styler, and you can blow dry with it.”