To demonstrate, we took ordinary 25-year-old Park Sloper Emily Uecker (okay, really beautiful Park Sloper Emily Uecker), and had Texas, a singly named stylist at Slope Suds, perform a Farrah-style blowout that one could repeat at home. This technique doesn’t require any special equipment beyond a decent-sized roller brush (at least two inches) and a curling iron. Here’s the pre-Farrah photo of Emily, who works as an editorial assistant at a snazzy Manhattan media company:
STEP #1: WASH AND SECTION
Texas says you don’t need any special conditioners or anything, but there is one secret to doing a good blowout at home: “Patience,” she says. After washing and conditioning the hair, apply a handful of volumizing mousse (Texas likes the Davines brand), especially to the roots, then clip hair into four sections to keep the damp hair of the way. Leave a one- to two-inch strip at the bottom, which is where you’ll start drying. Why the back? If you begin at the front, your arms might get too tired and you might decide to leave the back wet. Patience.
STEP #2: THE DIRTY WORK
Here you do your standard blowout: wrap hair around roller brush, aim hair dryer at section, pull tightly. Never grab so much hair it flies off the brush when you hit it with the dryer, and always use a nozzle because it prevents frizz. When you do the top, lift the hair straight up and point the nozzle at the roots to get some height. Like yay:
STEP #3 THE SIDES
When you get to the front/sides, angle the brush and pull it out in sort of an arc shape, as if you were doing the breast stroke with your hair.
Emily tries it. Watch that brush angle, Emily!
STEP #4: THE TOP
Here, you basically continue the technique you used on the sides, pulling the hair across the head to help give it Farrah-like height on top.
STEP 4: THE CURLING IRON
Here’s where things get tricky. Use the biggest barrel you can find, pull forward and roll back at an angle like so. Only iron a third of the way up the hair. If you go all the way to the top, you’ll get curls all over, and we’re saving that technique for the DIY Bernadette Peters blowout. Use a medium-hold hairspray to keep the flips in place, before and after curling. Use amply and often.
STEP 5: BE GORGEOUS
That’s not hard for our volunteer, who also had her makeup done by Elke at Slope Suds. Want to try it at home? In honor of Farrah Hair Month, we’re having our own contest—and the winner gets $75 in beauty products from Davines. So why not give the roller brush a whirl? Send your before-and-after photos by July 15 to Farrah@brokelyn.com.
Beehive Salon, 115 N. 7th St., 718-782-8376 (phone bookings only) www.beehivesalon.com.
Slope Suds, 462 7th Ave. (on the corner of 16th Street), 718-788-7837, slopesuds.com.
View Comments (2)
I decided to do this ..... so last saturday July 4th, I got myself a GREAT Farah haircut and blowdry!!!!! Been telling EVERYONE that the new WOW was in honor of Farah. RIP.
Simone G. James (Trinidad)
Spent the 6th through the 9th grades doing the Farrah blowout.