MASTERING THE AT-HOME BLOWOUT

If you’ve been used to regular blowouts at the salon, we understand this is a difficult time. But all is not lost: with a few tricks and a little practice, you can get the glam look you’re after. “Start by adding a thermal protection product, then rough dry the hair,” says Jason Lee, owner of Jason Lee Hair in Toronto. For a long-lasting finish and glassy shine, Lee recommends blowing the heat down the hair shaft, focusing on stretching and rounding out the ends. “Take breaks throughout if you have a lot of hair,” he says. “It’s not a race, especially with nowhere to go!” To minimize arm fatigue, Hairstylist and Hot Tools Professional ambassador Kirsten Klontz recommends a thermal brush. “They’re amazing because they’ve got the bristles so you’re getting all the tension, [and] you’re getting the heat that you need to put the bounce in your hair.”

MAINTAINING COLOUR WHEN YOU CAN’T GET TO THE SALON

Hair experts unanimously agree: Colouring is best done at the salon.”The longer you can go without taking things into your own hands [the better],” says Lee. But when you can’t get to a professional, there are quick fixes. Lee and Klontz recommend cover-up products, like tinted dry shampoos, to blend out roots. For a colour overhaul, Klontz recommends experimenting with a semi-permanent gloss – “something that’s not going to deposit a lot in your hair and is easy to correct afterwards but will get you through.”

KEEPING HAIR HEALTHY

“Take this opportunity to nourish your hair with masks and treatments. Brush your hair to distribute the natural oils, which are a great conditioning agent,” says Lee. If you don’t have a specialized treatment at home, add a drop of hair oil into your conditioner as a leave-in mask. For Janet Jackson, owner of Toronto’s JouJou Hair Salon, her biggest recommendation is to simply let your hair be. She calls it “protective waiting”. “You’ll be so amazed as to how well it will do.”

Protective styling (such as a weave or braids) shouldn’t be kept in the hair past the three month mark. “It’ll do damage to the hair and totally defeats its purpose,” says Jackson. When removing these styles, opt for a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup in the scalp and a deep conditioning mask to repair brittleness. In contrast, for an easy-to-do protective style, Jackson recommends crochet braids. Alternatively, slick back your natural hair and wrap braiding hair around the base to create a chic top knot or ponytail.

A version of this article originally appeared in the June 2020 issue of ELLE Canada. Subscribe to ELLE Canada here or buy a digital copy of the June issue here.

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