The History of the Blowout
The History of the Blowout
By: Grace Logan
As of late, at-home blowouts using tools like Dyson Airwrap and Revlon hairdryer have been all the rage. This technique has been in circulation for years and somehow always comes back into our lives. The women’s blowout first gained its popularity in London during the 1960s thanks to Rose Cannan.
Rose is quoted in W Magazine as saying that she sat down on a Friday and decided it was time to incorporate the barbershop technique of using a brush with a hairdryer to achieve volume. Lady Clare Rendlesham, editor of Vogue at the time, walked into Cannan’s salon and the rest is history. The solution to the hood dryers was a new technique for women called the “new blow wave.” The trend caught on quickly and reached a Paris salon in 1965 where Patrick Alès decided to incorporate the round brush to achieve the now-iconic flipped ends. Jackie Kennedy and Catherine Deneuve quickly became his clients. Alès also developed some of the first products for a blowout like Huile D’Ales and Phyto 7, which Jackie Kennedy brought back to America.
The blowout was here to stay following the techniques developed in Paris and London. Continuing into the 70s, celebrities rocked the classic look of the blowout. As hairstyles got bigger and bigger in the 80s, the techniques were developed further and transformed into the 90s hairstyles everyone is recreating today. Cindy Crawford and the era of the supermodel brought back the styling of Alès and Cannan in a new way. Cher from Clueless had hair everyone desired. The classic and chic persona of the blowout was revived in the 90s and continued into the early 2000s when rom-com queens like Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson became important influencers of the blowout.
Following the 2010s trend of beach waves and effortless looks, the blowout trend saw a dip in popularity. With the trend of beach waves and natural work, the blowout was on the decline. 2020 began the revival of the blowout as the Dyson Airwrap and Revlon hairdryer over the market. Famous hairdressers like Chris Appleton began styling celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez with the perfect wave. TikTok showed off new techniques and products to achieve this look. The 90s became the influence. The shift from effortless to groomed has been growing in popularity over the past two years. So much so, the popularity of new products like Olaplex and Ouai are spiking.
There is no denying the blowout is back and thanks to Alès and Cannan, the iconic blowout was developed. They helped shape the hair world and the everyday routine of women everywhere.
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