How to Get the Blowout You Want (Almost) Every Time

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Welcome to Esther Tested, where surfer and Racked SF associate editor Esther Hahn shares her best tips for fitness and beauty in the Bay.

I have yet to receive a blowout that I didn't like. That said, I can count my favorites on one hand. And the one that tops them all isn't the one I had at Drybar in Palo Alto last week. No, it was from Rachel Zoe's DreamDry in NYC. While I wait for La Zoe to bring her chain to SF (or on the Peninsula), I make good use of a photo of that one voluminous blowout, and ask local stylists to recreate the look. Myra —my stylist at the Drybar tucked into the Stanford Shopping Center— was totally game to give me the curls and volume that I craved.

The 45 minute session ($40) resulted in a good blowout—most would probably even say, "quite good." But it lacked some of that va-va-voom that I was hoping to have for a holiday party. The experience did confirm that it's helpful to show a photo reference to any hair professional, (whether for cut, color, or style).

The best part of the experience was that Myra so thoroughly blow-dried and curled my tresses that my hair behaved incredibly well for three days following the actual blowout. This alone makes me think that the Barfly Membership ($75 for two monthly blowouts, a free birthday blowout, and 10% off all products) is a good value. On that kind of schedule, you'll rarely have to suffer a bad hair day.

· Drybar [Official Site]
· Esther Tested [Racked SF]