How To Make One Blow Out Last For A Full Week With 7 Different Hair “Outfits”
It will take roughly 78 seconds to “do” your hair each morning.
by Audie Metcalf
I assume you hate your hair. Does any woman love her hair? Ok, so what is it that we actually hate?
There are makeup girls and there are hair girls. Sometimes a girl can be both. But rarely is a girl as excited to put forth effort into hair as much as makeup and vice v.
I am a makeup girl. And I am not a hair girl. In fact, I hate doing my hair. I find it tedious and impossible, and no matter what I do, I sort of can’t do it.
But here’s the rub.
I LOVE having gorgeous-looking hair. I realize this isn’t a revelation since we all can agree there is no better feeling than the “I just stepped out of the salon” feeling where we all know, in that moment, we could run the world.
So how to square this?
After a lifetime of being mostly sad about my hair, I created both a system and a concept.
The system: Strategically use products and create styles for 5-6 days where you don’t need to rewash or redry your hair.
The concept: Create “hair outfits” you can rely on that always make you look cute and put together that take about 30 seconds to do.
I tracked my blow out and my hair outfits for 6 days as an example of how I do it. Photos galore! And if you think your hair is too thin or fine or limp or oily, my hair is all of those things, so you’re in the right place.
Day 1: The Pro Blowout
Ughhhhhhh, there is nothing better. Nothing, nothing, nothing. I had my color done which is why I also got a blow out. Though I have been known to get blow outs for special occasions, because no matter how hard I try, I have never been able to get it this bouncy and shiny.
Day 2: The Clip Sweep
This is where you twist your hair, let some pieces fall out, and clip it haphazardly and messily. Truthfully, I can usually get away with having my hair down on day two (and with THIS dry shampoo and THIS blow out extender, you can too) but I just really really hate the feeling of my hair being down. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a short choppy pixie since, oh, 1994, because I think I read somewhere that if you have your hair up more than 75% of your life you should just chop it off. I’m not sure if I have the gumption, so in the meantime, I “invest” in very attractive hair ties and clips and scrunchies. This one was a gift from my darling spouse who showers me with nice presents on birthdays and holidays and anniversaries because he feels guilty for working 125 hours a week, and I’ll take it. But just like there are a few types of accessories (like bags or shoes or belts or jewels) you’ll go hard for, I like having gorgeous hair accessories because I wear one nearly every day.
Note: The genius of this clip is that it leaves exactly ZERO dent in the hair, so I don’t even have to re-blow dry it if I want to wear it down again.
Day 3: The Clip Sweep Part Deux: Bigger and More Psychotic
Same concept, but a little bit higher and more insane. I usually do 2 days of clips because it shows the color the best and is still clean enough to sort of leave it alone for the most part, and again, because it leaves no dent, I can easily take it down for a quick date or evening event, and it looks freshly blown out. Here’s a photo of the clip sweep from the front so you can see that with bangs, it’s quite flattering. This entire article is really just a marketing ploy for you to get bangs because bangs allow for all of these hair outfits to really shine.
Products Used:
Same as above.
Day 4: The Hat with Hair Down
So this is the kind of hat you need to design your clothing outfit around. But as you can see, my hair is still dent free. It’s crushing my bangs, true, but my MAGIC dry shampoo will take care of that issue tmrw. A great Panama hat really is a key piece in any hair outfit wardrobe, and I even have a packable version because I wear it so much. A simple outfit of all black or white with this hat is basically perfect in spring and summer.
Day 5: The Space Buns
I realize this won’t be for everyone, but for the 17% of you who love it, it’s a fun one. It’s extremely easy to whip up, and it’s the first time we’re doing a hair outfit that will create dents or crimps so you’ll see why the next two outfits are what they are. This is whimsical and joyful and goes with anything you’re wearing and takes about 27 seconds to whip up. If you’re not a space bun gal, this could be a perfect day for a pony with lots of volume. Ponies make great haircuts IF you have bangs. If you don’t have bangs then they just look like boring ponies. Yet another reason to get bangs.
Products Used:
THIS blow out refresher, copious dry shampoo, some hairspray for flyaways, the BEST hair ties for space buns, and if you need some extra support for the height, I use THESE clips.
Day 6: The Messy Top Knot With Some Kind Of Interesting Detail
You guys have seen me here, here, and here just wearing my boring home top-knot (and you should expect more of me, quite frankly) but to make a top knot an actual hair outfit and not just a signal to the world that I’ve given up, I wear some kind of cute accessory, like this DARLING resin floral tie from Sézane. If you still want to do a top knot and you’re not a resin floral “girlie” you can cheat a ton of volume by using this and covering it with all manner of bandanas, which I did a tutorial on when we first launched back in 2019. The reason I wait until day 6 for this is because this will create full dents and there’s no going back. But we don’t have to because we’re one day away from our final hair outfit before we have to actually wash our hair. Ugh.
Products Used:
So much dry shampoo that I choked a little bit, blow out extender, and the Sézane resin hair tie.
Day 7: The Braids of Grease
We have reached the nadir of filth-acceptability. I will admit that braids and a hat isn’t setting the world on fire in terms of originality, and yet, I rarely see it in the wild. The key, of course, is having a handful of hats that are actually chic and cute and in “colorways” that work intentionally with outfits, not just athleisure. And after this day, it’s time for a double-shampoo everything shower. And when I do my one blow out, I’ve discovered the 2 products that make it last forever.
Products Used:
Because I know it’s the final day, I will often do a hair mask like THIS one, and one of the many, many hats I own. I have THIS one I’m wearing above, THIS gorgeous black one, THIS blue trucker, THIS lovely, weird one, and an embarrassing collection of others. And I use THIS and THIS along with THIS brush for my at-home blow out that takes about 15 minutes and also lasts a full week. And the cycle of hair outfits continues!
Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.
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