Got a niggling beauty question? Our expert is on hand. This week, Roberta from Cardiff wants to know the secret to recreating the professional do
U ntil recently, trying to recreate the sleek professional finish of a salon blow-dry at home involved wielding a brush and hairdryer into extreme yoga positions. Thankfully, a multitude of hair gadgets now promise the results of a professional blow-dry. They are all pricey, but used regularly over time will beat the cost of trips to the salon. Titanium Hair Straightener
First, prepping your hair makes all the difference, so wash thoroughly, detangle gently and apply a heat protecting spray. And use sectioning clips to split the hair into sections before you dry and style it – it always gives a better result.
For an ultra straight and sleek finish, GHD’s Duet Style hot air styler (£379) combines the straightening and drying processes to lessen damage. After a classic, Sloaney blow-dried look à la K-Middy? Try a hot brush with a large barrel, such as Drybar’s the Double Shot blow-dryer brush (£125) to smooth and turn the ends out or under.
For curled styles, Babyliss Curl Pods (£57) are winners: roughly dry your hair, then use the pods (which don’t need clips like heated rollers do), leave to cool for as long as you can, then shake the curls out and hairspray them. For fine hair, prep with volumising root spray before using the curl pods. All of the above work for afro-textured hair, depending on the desired finish, but the Wahl Powerpik 2 Hair Dryer (£23) also has a nozzle and pik attachment to lengthen coils and detangle.
Professional Blow Dryer Do you have a beauty question for Anita? Email beautyQandA@theguardian.com