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Anyone who's ever wanted to try washing their hair less often but was afraid to may suddenly find themselves far less motivated to frequently shampoo now that we're all staying home as much as possible. Other than the family or roommates you're isolating with, who's going to know that your hair smells kind of funky and is practically dripping with grease? That said, hair that hasn't been washed for days can look a little limp on-camera. That's why we love this easy hair hack from stylist and colorist Olivia Smalley — it will make the coworkers in your next Zoom meeting wonder how you got a professional blowout when salons aren't open.
South Florida-based Smalley shared a video to Instagram that she calls "Fake Blowout Hack" — and there isn't a hair-dryer in sight. And the round brushes the pros use to create perfectly smooth strands? Conspicuously absent. "If round brushing your ends isn't your friend, here’s a fun hair hack to get a bend without a brush," Smalley writes in the caption.
Smalley starts by separating her long hair into two low pigtails, letting the shorter pieces in front hang free. She sprays those pieces (which she has combined into a single front section) with Joico Ironclad Thermal Protectant Spray and wraps them around a curling iron — Smalley tells Allure it's a 1.25-inch barrel — and briefly holds the iron horizontally at her hair line. After spraying the rest of her hair with the heat-protectant spray, she takes the entirety of each pigtail below the elastic and wraps each one around the curling iron loosely.
After removing the elastics, brushing through her hair with her fingers, and flipping it upside down to give it a little volume, Smalley reveals what looks like bouncy, freshly blown-out hair. Say what?
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This outrageously simple and mindblowing hack is just one of several Smalley has brought to Instagram's attention. Not even two weeks ago, she shared an adorable way to give extra life to a grown-out gel manicure, and she helped make that water-bottle curling hack practically legendary. This may be the easiest of them all, though, and anyone you video chat with will think you've been using your extra time at home to perfect your blowout skills.
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More on heat styling:
- This Hairstylist Has a Genius Trick for Smoothing Flyaways
- Experts Say the "World's First Bluetooth Hair Straightener" Can Be Hacked With Dangerous Consequences
- Sandra Oh Enhances Her Natural Curls With This $40 Curling Iron
Now check out 100 years of beauty hacks:
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