Jordan Thomas
With evening and weekend events back in full force and party time amping up, we decided that now is the ideal time for a refresher around achieving the best results from your hair stylers. And who better to turn to than the world-famous-in-Australasia Jordan Thomas?
The effortlessly cool master of the tools is a long-time Education Manager for ghd, travelling between New Zealand and Australia to train hair industry practitioners – all with the goal of better hair days.
Top tip: It’s all about the correct temperature – and the latest collection of ghd stylers (the ghd max, ghd platinum+, ghd gold, and the ever-handy ghd unplugged) are automatically set to that heat-styling sweet-spot (185 degrees).
Soak up the words of wisdom from Jordan as he shares how to keep your mane looking gorgeously sleek and protected:
Top tips as we move into Spring
Don’t overdo it. Effortless, lived-in, and undone textures are in. I would recommend using a soft curl tong; loosely wrapping the hair around the barrel in fairly large sections and leaving the ends out to give a dishevelled finish. Alternate direction of curls and movement to add more texture.
Does the warmer weather and change of season mean any consideration to a change in styling temperature?
Ultimately, hair is, well… hair! It’s been scientifically proven that the best temperature to style your hair with is 185 degrees. This not only is the optimum temperature to get the greatest results but also the healthiest temperature to prevent extreme heat damage.
One thing to consider with the change of weather and season is humidity. You don’t want to overblow dry or over style, as this will remove moisture from the hair, leaving it feeling thirsty. Thirsty hair wants to drink in moisture from wherever it can and when this happens, it will revert back to its natural shape – potentially meaning frizz and curl drop.
My top tip to prevent this is to use a heat protector before styling. ghd bodyguard contains a polymer to protect against direct contact from heat as well as a conditioning agent to prevent moisture loss and dehydration.
What’s the hot new trend right now in terms of curl style?
The Rachel 2022! It’s not new news that there is a renaissance of ’90s and Y2K fashion as well as the hair and beauty space. We are seeing this with the resurgence of one of the most famous haircuts in pop culture history: ‘the Rachel’ (yes – from Friends). This spring, ‘the Rachel’ feels more Hayley Bieber meets Miley Cyrus, taking the ’90s-inspired layers and making them feel choppier and more textured, so giving ‘the Rachel’ a ’90s grunge edge. Pairing this with an expensive-looking deep brunette colour is a surefire way to modernise this iconic style.
To style, think about emulating the effortless, lived-in feel of the mullet/shag cut. I would recommend using a product like the ghd pick me up root lift spray and misting it through the mid-lengths and ends to focus on giving you width versus height. Volume doesn’t just go up, it goes out! Use the ghd Rise volumising hot brush to perfectly sculpt movement to layers and face-framing.
Soft Hollywood Glamour
With award season almost upon us, the timeless and always glamorous waves are guaranteed on every red carpet. This Spring we are seeing softer, touchable, brushed-out waves as opposed to the structured, set, crisp waves of the golden age of Hollywood.
To achieve this style, prep is everything. To avoid brushing your curls into a soft wave and have them disappear; starting on the right foundation is crucial. Mist ghd curly ever after curl hold spray before styling to ensure hold for up to 24 hours. Curl your hair in the same direction using the ghd soft curl tong (32mm barrel) and once completed, use the ghd paddle brush to bring all the hair together in one flowing, soft, movement. If working on short hair, like a bob, use the ghd gold styler vertically and push the styler towards the floor when curling to retain length.
The Bob
Whether it’s the ‘bixie’, ‘the boyfriend bob’ or a striking 20’s inspired sharp chin-length cut – the bob is going to be everywhere for Spring Summer 22/23. My predictions for the ultimate bob trend this summer will be the grunge bob, with its laid-back aesthetic and perfect for embracing natural waves and textures after long days at the beach and allowing your hair to dry naturally. What I love about this look is that can be cut shorter to feel more androgynous; or just graze your collar bone, with subtle layers to keep it softer and more feminine.
Creating hair that looks like you haven’t taken any time to create it can be difficult. I recommend avoiding sea salt sprays as they can be dehydrating, especially if you have sensitised hair.
Natural
The no-trend-trend of wearing your hair how it wants to sit and embracing your natural beauty will also be a huge hit this summer. There are a lot of myths about heat styling and I think it’s fair to say that everyone craves healthy hair. The biggest misconception when it comes to natural and healthy hair is air drying. That’s actually more damaging than using a hair dryer. The reason being is when your hair gets wet it’s like a sponge and it swells, which can buckle the outer layer of your hair: the cuticle. If you’re wanting to wear your hair in all of its natural glory and look after the integrity of it, you are best to diffuser dry your hair on a low speed and medium heat setting. Damage only occurs when over-drying, get it to around 90% dry and then leave it to air dry.
Common mistakes people make with heated stylers and some clever pro hacks
Don’t touch/brush your hair while it is cooling. I’ll often see people style hair and then fiddle with or brush out the curl they have just created while it is still cooling. As the hair is cooling down, it is setting into shape and this is where a lot of the hold factor will come from. Wait until you have styled your entire head of hair, leave it to cool, and then run your hands through or a brush to soften and sculpt.
Common misconceptions around products, hair, and stylers
“The hotter, the better” – this is just simply not true. If you’ve had a bad styling experience and feel as though you need a high temperature to get a result, chances are you were either styling on a thick section of hair or you have a high density of hair on your head. Either way, the answer is simple: you don’t need to dial the temperature up, you just need a tool that has additional heat sensors to regulate and control the temperature with more accuracy. The ghd Platinum+ styler monitors the heat on the plate 250X every second and personalises the power according to your own individual hair type, delivering perfect results in just one stroke.
What was one of the earliest tips you discovered for better results from styling tools?
Only style each section once! I used to have the very bad habit of straightening the section of hair I was working on before curling it, thinking it was going to give me a better result. It’s actually the complete opposite. When you heat hair, you break the hydrogen bonds. These are the only bonds we only ever want to break when styling, as they allow you to manipulate the hair into a shape when heated, and then set in that shape once cooled, allowing us to create bouncy curls and sleek straights.
If you heat style the same section more than once and before letting the hair completely cool, the hydrogen bonds have not reset and you will struggle to create your desired result.
With the right tips and tricks, you can achieve sleek, smooth, and glossy results for that ultra-confident and effortless look every time.
Follow @ghdhair_anz for more good hair day inspiration.
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