blo me to perfection

So as I mentioned in an earlier posting, I really wanted to get my hair styled into Olivia Palermo-esque curls for my going-away party. A little side note to those of you who said a going-away party for a two hour move is excessive: you are no fun. You know who you are.

Anyway, I've always wanted to check out Blo, so I figured why not kill two birds with one stone? While I do a bit of hair-related-resarch for the millions upon millions of people who read my blog (I'm sure there must be millions by now...), I will simultaneously get my hair styled to perfection. Genius.

I had contacted Hilary, the P.R. rep for Blo, and was immediately sent both some background information about Blo and a press kit. Blo's main concept is that it is a blow-dry styling bar...not a salon. You could scour all the locations and you won't find scissors or hair dye anywhere. Clients are able to come in, choose from a set of styles, and voila, 30 minutes later they're walking out the doors looking fabulous and ready for the rest of their day (or, as in my case, their night).

I show up Friday at the Four Seasons location of Blo and was warmly greeted by Devon, Founder (along with her mother Judy) and Franchise Manager of Blo. She introduced me to Amanda, my Bloer (ie stylist) and after a quick consulation about what it was exactly that I wanted, we were ready to go.

A quick shampoo and condition later, Amanda puts a moroccan-oil blend through my hair. I've heard a ton about moroccan oil and how great it's supposed to be for your hair. I actually just got a little bottle today and am really excited to start using it! Supposedly, not only does it protect your hair from damage, but it improves elasticity, boosts shine, and helps with growth. Definitely something to consider if, like me, you're trying to grow out your hair or are trying to rehabilitate your dry ends after wintertime.

Back to my blo-job: Amanda quickly dries out my hair, tousling it with her fingers to add lift at the roots as she goes. Once it's all dry, she sections it so that only the bottom third of my hair is left unpinned. She sprays some hairspray onto the section she's about to work on (note: this pre-spray is very important in helping your style hold, especially if, like this stubborn mule, you insist on having your hair clean before going out). I should add that if you can get away with it, it's best to not wash your hair the day of styling it...that way, your hair has more "dirt" to work with and makes styling much easier.

After spraying my hair down, Amanda goes to work at it with a flatiron. Amanda taught me the general formula to achieving curls with a flatiron: 1) clamp the flatiron down on your hair as if you were about to straighten it, then 2) start rotating it inwards until the flatiron has made a 180 turn, then finally 3) pull the flatiron straight down towards the floor, finishing off the rotation right at the end. While your hair's still hot, just gently form the curl as you like it with your fingers.

After having done 3/4 of my head, Amanda backcombed the section around my crown. Generally speaking, I'm petrified of backcombing. Knotted matted patches, frizz-balls...the end-result when I am wielding the comb is never pretty. Again, Amanda very patiently talked me through the technique: 1) hold a section of hair taut and spray the underside of said section with hairspray, 2) with deliberate brush strokes (read: don't hack at it like you're trying to kill something à la Alex Style), slowly build up a grouping of knots right at the base of this section, then finish with a quick flurry of little strokes, 3) repeat to all other sections around the crown of the head, and finally 4) smooth the top side of the entire backcombed section until you achieve the level of height and body you want. The picture above was taken at about step 3.5. Terrifying, isn't it? Nothing that my friends, family, and boyfriend don't have to deal with on a regular basis.

Once the section was all backcombed nicely and not looking like Exhibit 1 above, Amanda quickly curled the last few untouched strands. She then went to my coif with her hands, pulling and shaping until she was happy with it. Amanda slightly lifted my roots with the end of her comb and directed hairspray there (it gives added volume), then gave the rest of my head a final dousing of hairspray.

To the left, you will find the end-product of my Blo session. I wanted to play with the curls and loosen them up, but Amanda told me to wait at least 20 minutes before touching my hair. Given that I have always immediately started pulling at my curls whenever I've done them before and that said curls have always fallen out and looked horrible less than an hour later, I thought I should listen to her. She is a trained pro-Bloer after all.

An hour or so later, I discovered Amanda was right...the hair had started relaxing a bit on its own and I very gently pulled and shaped it until it was just as I wanted it: like Olivia Palermo's, only a bit curlier. On the right you can see what it looked like when I was out and about. As you can see, it is neither a non-descript wavy mess nor a Shirley Temple do, but a set of nice, relaxed ringlets. I was truly blown to perfection.

I have to say that I was 100% blown-away by the Blo team (is that too many blow-job innuendos in less than six paragraphs? I don't think so). Regardless of who I spoke to within the Blo team or what position they held, they were all incredibly well-informed and helpful. At about $30 a pop and approximately 30 minutes of your time, your Blo blowout is definitely an affordable luxury. Get one before an important interview, or head over with some girlfriends before going out...really, just whenever you want your hair looking its best.

For more info about Blo and to get connected, follow Blo on Twitter or check out Blo's official website.

To Vogue or Bust, April 22 2010

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