BYRDIE

Hair

How to Sleep With a Blowout and Keep Your Style Intact

 

A silk pillowcase will be your best friend.

Wondering how to sleep with a blowout? We've asked the same question ourselves. Whether we've invested a significant chunk of change into a salon visit or spent hours DIY-ing a bouncy, glam, style, we're committed to keeping that blowout intact. As such, we've tapped celebrity hairstylists to share their best tips and tricks for creating a blowout that will stand up to sleep—and even last for days to come. Read on for what they told us.

Make Sure Your Hair Is Squeaky Clean

While many people think that a long-lasting blowout starts in the salon chair, celebrity hairstylist Justin Anderson says it really kicks off in the shower. "You'll want to start with a really good wash," he says. "I suggest using a clarifying shampoo to get your hair very clean."

Celebrity stylist Alfredo Lewis adds: "The difference between a clarifying shampoo and a regular shampoo is that clarifying is meant to remove build-up and give a clean canvas to hair." His favorite clarifying shampoo is K18's Peptide Prep.

Scalp scrubs and exfoliators can also help you achieve a squeaky-clean canvas for an enduring hairstyle. But be wary that they can be irritating if you have a sensitive scalp.

Avoid Touching Your Hair

It should probably be mentioned as a disclaimer before you even step out of the salon—don't touch your hair. Your hands are covered in dirt, bacteria, and natural oils that can quickly take hair from fab to drab. So, as stunning and touchable as your hair looks all blown out, do your best to keep your hands off. 

Use Leave-in Conditioner and Heat Protectant

After you've adequately cleansed and conditioned your hair, celebrity hairstylist Laura Polko says that a high-quality leave-in conditioner is a must—we like Gisou's Honey Leave-In Conditioner.

After spritzing your hair with the leave-in, Anderson says to apply a very small amount of Olaplex's No.6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme to speed up blow-drying time and pump up the smooth, head-turning shine. While No.6 will undoubtedly cut out frizz (for up to 72 hours, Anderson assures), it won't fully protect strands against heat, so be sure to add a heat protectant to your routine before getting hands-on with any hot tools. 

Perfect Your Technique

Any coif, be it a blowout or bun, is only as solid as its foundation. For a style that stays, ensure your blowout technique lends itself to a secure finish. Start by dividing the hair into equal and manageable parts that will be easy to work with. As much as you may believe that four sections are enough to bring a blowout to life, JOON Haircare founder Shiva Tavakoli promises that eight will be the sweet spot. 

“I suggest dividing your hair into eight sections divided equally around the head—the key is to work in small zones and to use a round brush that will allow you to create enough tension to give hair a smooth and polished look as you dry each section,” she explains. Beyond the number of sections, Tavakoli says that many people also start their blowout in the back of their heads—but she suggests working in the opposite direction. “The front sections are what you see first, so you really want to smooth them while they’re wet and you have more control,” she explains. 

As far as how to style your blowout, you have options. Where Tavakoli recommends Velcro rollers for old-fashioned volume, Polko swears by T3’s Featherweight StyleMax Professional Hair Dryer with Automated Heat and a round brush. Of course, if you don’t have rollers on hand or you’re not the most skilled with a round brush, Dyson’s Airwrap Styler, which features an array of different-sized barrels to create smooth, long-lasting waves and curls on all hair types, may be the perfect tool for you to invest in. 

Add a Dry Texturizing Spray

Following a blowout, Camila Coelho, fashion and beauty entrepreneur and founder of Elaluz, recommends finishing the look with a dry texture finishing spray to give it a little hold and a lot of style. "Don't be afraid to use a bit of product," adds celebrity stylist Sophie Rose Gutterman, who specializes in curls. "The All About Curls Curls For Days Finishing Spray is one of my favorites."

Then, follow Anderson's technique and steer clear of products for a couple of days before reintroducing the texture hero into your hair care routine. As for which to choose, Oribe's Dry Texturizing Spray is a fan favorite for a reason.

Don't Overuse Dry Shampoo

If you're prone to getting very oily roots very quickly post-shower, celebrity hairstylist Chad Kenyon says to lightly apply dry shampoo before you actually need it gravely. "This will absorb unwanted moisture and impurities that can weigh down your hair and wreak havoc on your hairstyle," he explains. Just remember: Less is more. There's no need to cover a freshly blown-out head of hair in dry shampoo.

For the best result, Oribe educator Adam Livermore says to spritz dry shampoo in sections—not once over your part. "Make partings and open up your hair, spray it right on the roots, [section by section], then work it in with your fingers and brush it out with a boar or natural bristle flat brush," he instructs. "The ingredients absorb oil from your scalp and roots like tiny sponges, but you want to remove that oil-loaded product with a brush. Don't just let it sit in there."

Try a Restyling Spray

Following a fantastic blowout, you might be afraid to introduce any kind of wet mist to your mane—and, hey, we get it. That said, if you have bangs or your hair’s begun to fall a touch flat, reaching for a restyling spray—like Oribe’s Mystify Restyling Spray—could help. These sprays are designed to nourish and revive hair. They’re particularly great for folks who feel like they can never get their dry shampoo to blend in quite right. By spritzing hair with a restyling spray before a blast of dry shampoo, you can style your hair with a brush and blow-dryer to make it look fresh out of the salon once more. 

Byrdie Tip

Restyling sprays are great beyond trying to extend the life of your blowout. According to Livermore, they work wonders at releasing ponytail wrinkles, rehydrating dry ends, protecting hair against heat, and reactivating products already within the hair.

Sleep With Your Hair High

Extending the life of your blowout goes beyond knowing which haircare products to use—it’s also important to know how to sleep on your blowout without messing it up. One such way is to sleep with your hair pulled up over the pillow. Polko says snoozing this way will prevent you from rolling over on your volume and curls, hopefully protecting them from deflating overnight.

Use a Silk Pillowcase

If you don’t trust yourself not to roll around in your sleep, opting for the hair-over-the-pillow method might not be the best option. Instead, Polko and Kenyon agree that sleeping on a silk pillowcase—like Slip’s Silk Pillowcase—will help keep your blowout looking freshly styled. That’s because the ultra-smooth finish of the pillowcase won’t inadvertently snag the structure of your hair, so you’ll be able to maintain smoothness and shine without worrying about waking up to frizz come morning. 

Snooze in a Protective Style

No time to run out and buy a new silk pillowcase? Or perhaps you don’t like the sleek feel? Whatever the case, Kenyon says that another option is to pull your hair into the highest ponytail possible and gently tie it at the roots (preferably with a silk hair tie or other non-crimping option) before twisting it into a topknot.

"To help my clients' blowouts last longer, I recommend that they sleep with their hair in one or two high top knots, secured with a satin scrunchy to help keep the volume and bounce [in] their style without creasing or breakage," adds Rihanna's go-to stylist Yusef. "I also recommend adding one to two drops of the K18 Molecular Repair Hair Oil from mid-lengths to ends of the hair, before putting hair in the topknot, to help reduce any additional friction and help keep hair frizz-free and enhance shine."

Use a Scrunchie

There are also scrunchies designed to protect blowouts overnight (what a world!) According to Raven Hurtado, a stylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago, "The Aurora by RPZL is good to use to make your blowout last two to three days. I love this because instead of using heat to re-curl some strands, you can simply throw this in your hair to protect your style and when you take it down the next morning, your style is still in place with volume and some curl." To use the overnight scrunchie, "Gather the hair into a high ponytail, put the Aurora on with the loop facing front, and wrap the hair around the arch," Hurtado instructs. "This also makes it comfortable to sleep with."