Hairdresser Michael Douglas shows Davina McCall some game-changing blow-dry tips – and where she’s been going wrong all this time
If you want the best blow-dry tips, get a top stylist for a partner. In a newly-released video, presenter and HRT and menopause campaigner Davina McCall learns how to blow dry her fine hair smooth under the guidance of her hairdresser boyfriend Michael Douglas, who has just launched a lightweight, low-noise hair dryer MD Blow, £195. (For our verdict, read our MD Blow hairdryer review).
“I've never made my hair look this good ever in my entire life ever!” Davina proclaims. The result is indeed smooth, voluminous and smooth and flyaway-free. Filmed at his private studio Michael guides Davina through the process. He'd previously told us that Davina's glossy locks were the result of great styling. Naturally, her hair has a "fluffy texture to it, it's actually very thin, and if you don't blow dry it's very, very frizzy," he said.
Hilariously, and thanks to the chemistry between the couple, the three-minute Davina learns to blow dry video manages to seem like the hair equivalent of a sex tape – although rest assured it’s totally PG. There’s lots of ooh-ing and yesss-ing, though. “Almost erotic!” quips Michael as Davina takes control of the barrel brush.
Blow-dry tips that Davina learns
1. Don’t let your hair go too dry before styling
Davina starts with wet-ish hair which is good, but Michael has to mist it some more. “If your hair has gone slightly dry and it's got a weird parting in it or something, you can't get rid of that weird parting, right?" He reminds her that "the styling takes place when the hair goes from being damp to dry.”
Which brings us on to…
2. Curb the towel time
Davina reveals that post-shower, she wanders around with her wet hair in a towel turban, often for quite a while. That’s hair styling fail, explains Michael: “I see you sometimes with a towel wrapped around your head for half an hour and I think, oh, I'm in trouble because the hair will have dried in a weird way in the towel, and it makes it harder for you to style.”
He tells Davina not to have more than five-to-ten minutes of hair towel time before blow drying.
3. Smooth in your styling products
Michael squirts a large blob of his favourite styling product Sebastian Potion 9 Styling Treatment, £28.60 into Davina's hand. It acts like a leave-in conditioner and styling product giving a small amount of hold so hair doesn’t feel stiff. He tells Davina to smooth it over the crown of her head from the hairline and massage it into the roots (more ooh-ing). He loves to combine this with a blow dry spray and uses Wella Eimi Sugar Lift £10.31. Why this? asks Davina. “This is the thing that gives the hair hold," says Michael, "[while] the cream makes it soft and shiny. [Spray] it in the roots and then hold it further away from the head and then do the ends, like a good old misting everywhere."
4. Put the wide styling nozzle on your dryer
One of the innovations Michael is proud of with MD London Blow hairdryer is that the large magnetic nozzle is the same length as the styling brush. Every hair in the brush is covered with heat, leaving no room for flyaway stragglers at the edges, which can happen if the nozzle isn’t as long as your brush. “Don't take a section anything bigger than the brush,” he tells Davina.
5. Dry at low speed with low heat holding the nozzle in the direction of the hair
“This is where I've always been going wrong!" exclaims Davina. “I have been holding the hairdryer in the wrong hand!” She manages to achieve an instantly smoother finish when she swaps the dryer to her other hand. This allows her to blow dry in the direction of the hair rather than against it. It’s a revelation, and a mistake that Michael has said that sees all the time.
Davina says she feels a bit clunky, but Michael reassures her. “Honestly, you will just get better. Air is travelling down the hair shaft not up. You'll get rid of those flyaways."
6. Wait for the hair in the brush to cool a little
Davina learns that the key to keeping her hair smooth is to move the dryer away formht head before releasing the brush. Not “Keep the brush in, hold the hairdryer away and then slowly bring that brush out, “ Michael instructs.
Davina is impressed with herself. “I've never made my hair look this good ever in my entire life ever!” She enthuses. "I'm very proud of you," says Michael. "Look at all that volume!." Michael finishes off with a little finger styling – and off they go for a date night dinner!
For more styling tips go to www.mdlondon.co.uk.