Blowdry Boutiques - myhairdressersearch.com

By Rob Kotevski December 18 2008

The silly season is upon us. The last working day before the summer break is the grown-up equivalent of kids waiting for the school bell to ring at 3. Workers across the country keep one eye on the clock, waiting for it to hit 5pm and can almost be heard salivating at the thought of weeks of endless summer nights, hot days doing nothing laying beside the pool and the neverending run of Christmas, New Years Eve, birthday and any-excuse-will-do parties.

As a legion of Australian partygoers don their best to hit the town and paint it red, thought will inevitably turn to hair. We’ve all seen the pictures of ourselves with our hair messy after a night on the turps - which our friends have kindly decided to upload on Facebook - but we all want the very best do when we first rock up to the party.

For the girls, this means a blowdry to add a touch of red-carpet glam to one or all of the summer parties they have been invited to. But what happens when their regular, favourite salons are completely booked out, even for a simple blowdry? Where can they go? Is there an alternative?

Thankfully for women around Australia, there is another option. A group of enterprising women have decided to set up shop - literally - across the country and fill the niche in the market for those who just want a blowdry but don’t want to or can’t visit their regular hairdresser by establishing salons that mainly focus on blowdrying hair.

Jessica Barr, owner of NSW's Blowdry Boutique.

Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. Jessica Barr, owner of Blowdry Boutique in Sydney’s Double Bay, decided to fill the gap in the marketplace she saw wasn’t occupied in her town.

“I initially heard about a similar concept in New York where blowdry bars are really popular for those busy women who never have enough time,” Jessica tells myhairdressersearch.

Jessica’s experience at working in Joh Bailey Double Bay for six years meant she saw first-hand the demand for a salon that offered an express blowdry service.

At Blowdry Boutique, clients don’t have to make an appointment weeks in advance to secure a Hollywood-grade do at the salon.

“You can always call the same day to get an appointment. Our main focus is for time-poor clients that do not know their schedule three months in advance - or have an assistant for that matter!”

North of the border, owner of Queensland’s Blowdry Boutique, Linda Oldham, says her salon is not about replacing a client’s favourite hairdressing salon, but about maintaining the look in between hair cuts and being a complement, not competition, to a client’s regular salon. She says her Blowdry Boutique saves clients time and that morning fight with the hair dryer.

We’ve all heard of the power of a great cut and colour to make a client feel good - a great blowdry gives the customer the same buzz at a fraction of the cost and time.

“Having a blowdry is a confidence boost. It makes you feel good,” Linda says.

As the party season starts to heat up, Sydney’s Jessica notices some popular looks are already being requested by clients for summer.

“Everyone wants a tousled, effortless and glamorous blowdry,” Jessica says. “Think sexy Victoria’s Secret hair with lots of volume, the perfect wave and body like Giselle Bundchen.”

Linda thinks this summer it’s all about loose, relaxed waves for the bohemian look.

“It’s got a relaxed look about it,” she says.

Top hair tips for summer

1. Always keep a can of Klorane (dry shampoo) in your handbag to keep your blowdry looking fresh and clean.

2. Stay away from the pin straight iron look and the overdone GHD curls but instead go for a relaxed, sexy bed head effect.

3. Do not over colour/process your hair – stick to natural colours going up or down one or two shades which will keep your hair in good condition resulting in shiny, healthy looking hair.

Check out more great hair tips.