Blowout Class Isn’t Just Hot Air
I’ll admit it: I’m pretty proud of my hair. I get remarks on it often, but I still can’t seem to get that salon-level polish on my own. Enter FORM Hair Education.
Longtime stylist Whitney Haynes loves hair, but she also loves teaching clients how to get great looks at home. That’s why she started giving lessons.
“I really like learning and teaching,” she said. “It’s my passion.”
So when she invited me out for a class on the perfect blowout, I jumped at the opportunity. With a small class — there were about four other participants when I went — close instruction was a given. We all started with a good shampoo, and then Haynes recommended products for each person’s hair type.
In her class, each student is equipped with a dryer, a round brush, and three heavy-duty clips that you’ll eventually take home. Oh, and there’s the handy, laminated sheet reminding you how to section your hair.
But I’m jumping ahead. First, Haynes instructed us to get your hair about 70 percent dry before doing any real styling. She calls this “power drying.”
Then, you brush your hair back at the hairline around your face, closely following with the dryer. When that’s done, you move into sectioning.
Whitney’s team of stylists showed us how to section the front parts of your hair, and clip the rest back. Then, you take small sections and closely blow them dry, rolling the hair up with your round brush and letting it back down over and over. It sounds simple, but the technique takes a little practice. My stylist, Blake Brister, was full of positive encouragement while I twisted, rolled, and dried.
“Yeah, that’s it, you’ve got it,” he would say. “You’ve got to allow the hair to cool to set it in place.”
We continued practicing that technique with the left, right, and back sides of hair. Finally, with the very top, we pulled the hair around the brush, facing forward, and gave it a shot of hot air for one final blast of volume.
With some spritzing of hairspray, everyone was able to enjoy her own masterpiece.
Haynes said it’s even more fun to bring friends to the class, which she teaches at L.A.R.C. Salon on McKinney Avenue from 5-7 p.m. on Saturdays. She also teaches classes on perfect ponytails, updos, and curls. Beer, wine, and cheese aren’t bad enticements, either.
“It’s a lot of work and explanation, but it’s what I’m supposed to do,” she said.
And thank God she does — with her instruction, maybe now I won’t have to spend $30 every time I want a decent blowout.
