Looks With Leah

By: Leah Perugini

My most recent purchase in my beauty routine is DryBar’s Single-Shot Blow Dry Brush, priced at $155. The brush, while pricy, is worth every penny; I’ve never had such a sleek blow out! I found my brush at TJ-Maxx for only $80! I was shocked at the discount, so I quickly added it to my cart.

My first time using the brush, I was a bit confused. I didn’t know whether to wait for my hair to dry after the shower or if I should start blow drying with wet hair. I found that I got the best results with hair that was 80-90% dry. Using the brush on fully wet hair can cause heat damage. If you want to learn how to perfect your blow out with this brush, stay tuned!

Today I’m going to demonstrate the DryBar Single-Shot, and how I use it to blow out my hair.

The first step I take is detoxing my scalp using Ouai’s detoxing shampoo. I usually mix this with the Olaplex Toning Shampoo, but that step is optional because I have blonde hair.

After shampooing, I use my Olaplex conditioner. This is my favorite conditioner, listed at $30 a bottle. It leaves my hair silky and shiny. 

After washing, and before blow drying, I mix any heat protectant with rosemary oil. I use the oil from Mielle, but you can use whichever brand you like. The rosemary oil will promote growth and help to hydrate your hair, which is very important when you use heat on your hair often.

To begin the blow out process, I section my hair and use my regular blow dryer to dry the hair until it is only slightly wet. I brush through my hair as I use the blow dryer to prevent any tangles. Once it is ready to blow out, I grab my DryBar brush and get to work.

The brush has three settings: cool, low heat, and high heat. I use the cool setting to brush through each section first, ensuring that the hair is actually dry enough to apply heat. It should only be slightly damp, definitely not dripping. Once I am sure my hair is not too wet, I turn the heat on the brush and go section by section, twisting upward so my hair is wrapped around the brush. Using the same motion in the same direction, I do every piece until it is fully dry. After each section is dry, I use my Conair velcro rollers to pin up each individual section.  

Pinning the dry hair into rollers allows it to keep the volume that you’ve achieved with your blow dryer brush. When hot hair cools in a roller, it will stay voluminous for longer. 

Leave the rollers in your hair for at least 15 minutes. I usually leave them in for much longer, but 15 minutes is all you truly need for a great blow out. Feel free to try out different pinning techniques.

After taking the rollers out and teasing my hair with my fingers to make it look seamless, I use the DryBar finishing spray in the scent Coconut Colada. Finishing spray leaves the hair feeling soft and reduces frizz that can occur with rollers. It also smells absolutely amazing!

Overall, my hair takes about a forty minutes to an hour to complete. The DryBar brush makes the entire process so much easier and my hair does not feel frizzy by the end. The brush actually smooths the hair and uses ion technology to prevent breakage and frizz. I get the sleekest blow outs with the DryBar brush, and hopefully after reading this, you can too!