The Blowout King of New York on His Favorite Blow-dryer and Hair Protectant
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Whether it’s talking throughsome odd new ingredientwe’ve spotted or hashing out thecurrent status of blush, Strategist beauty writers and editors make some of our best discoveries as a team. It all works so well that we decided to loop some of our favorite beauty experts into the conversation, too. In this new roundtable series, we’ll be talking to the doctors, aestheticians, nail artists, and hair stylists we trust the most about their favorite products and best beauty advice. For the first edition, Strategist senior editor Crystal Martin and Strategist beauty writer Dominique Pariso chatted with NYC-based hairstylistMiguel Riosabout something he is extremely good at: blowouts. Below, we discuss his favorite Italian hair-dryer, his “go-to” $21 heat protectant, and the only technique for blow-drying your bangs.
Crystal Martin, senior editor:Miguel, I’ve been singing your praises to everyone on the team. I all but stopped wearing my hair straight for many years, but your bouncy blowouts atRita Hazanconvinced me to switch up my look to straight sometimes. What have you done to my hair that’s so good? And is this the blowout style everyone’s asking for these days?
Miguel Rios, hairstylist:That’s kind of a tricky question because I feel like everyone is so personalized to what they want, if they’re going out or if they’re working. But I feel like that go-to hairstyle is a bouncy ’90s blowout. No one’s ever saying “no” to that.
CM:I’m definitely not saying “no” to that.
Dominique Pariso, writer:It’s been the dominant hair for a few years. It’s funny because when I was a teen, it was the piecey-textured grungy look. No one wanted their hair to look done.
MR:At first it was beach waves, but the girls are tired of that and wanting a bouncier blow-dry. Even the younger teens.
CM:Can you tell us why that is?
MR:It’s a mix of what’s trending. The butterfly cut looks great with a bouncy blowout because it’s very flippy and has a lot of movement. The actresses, singers, and what they’re doing makes a difference. The Sabrina Carpenter bang looks like a ’90s blowout. It also depends on the city, though. In Paris, they’re wearing their hair grungy like you’re saying, Dominique.
DP:I also just can’t tell if tools drive anything. Are the Airwrap and the Revlonblow-dryer brushpopular because ’90s blowouts are everywhere? I’m curious: What are some of your favorite tools?
MR:I’ve been using the same blow dryer since I started beauty school in 2014 or ’15: the Parlux. It’s an Italian brand. They have different models, and some are super-light. I just feel like it’s such a powerful tool, and it’s always going to deliver great results. I can count on my Parlux every time — for every texture.
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DP:What about brushes?
MR:I use Ibiza boar-bristle brushes made in Spain. I always lean toward a boar-bristle brush because it adds shine to the hair and it’s not going to damage it. A lot of metal brushes hold a lot of heat as you’re styling — way too much heat. With a boar bristle, you’re creating a polishing shine. It’s sealing everything in. It’s not heating up like that metal brush does.
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DP:And now let’s get to the products: Which ones do you use to protect hair during blowouts?
MR:ColorWow: It’s truly like if it says “volume” on the product, it’s going to give you volume. I feel like it gives what it says it’s going to do. I tend to go between three product lines: ColorWow, Oribe, and Milbon.
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CM:Do you have any tips for folks? What techniques do people mess up the most?
MR:Bangs. People start off by immediately round brushing their bangs, but if you do that, you end up with bubble bangs. Instead, start with your bangs super-wet and brush them down while you’re drying flat to the head. The second thing people do is skip heat protectant. I know you just want to start blow-drying right away, but you’ll damage your hair without a protecting spray.Red-E To Gois my go-to for every texture. It doesn’t weigh the hair down, and it gives a nice polish to the hair. Plus it’s inexpensive, which is important.
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CM:This is something I’m personally curious about. When I do wear my hair curly, I sometimes blast the roots with a dryer to stretch out my curls. I never thought of this, but should I be spraying heat protectant on before I do that? I should probably know this …
MR:Absolutely. Any style, you should be using a heat protectant. Whether you’re just stretching the root, whether you’re power-drying it, I just feel like you should always have a heat spray in there protecting your crown.
DP:Yeah, Crystal. It’s like a doctor saying they smoke cigarettes. That’s a beauty editor saying they’re not using heat protectant.
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