It doesn't take much to style the hottest haircuts for 2024—but the right hair tools are essential, says NYC celebrity stylist Oscar Blandi.
The Italian-born Blandi, who owns an eponymous NYC salon, product line, and salon academy, teamed up with Swiss hair-tool giant Valera to share tips on styling the season's most popular haircuts.
"Your choice of blow dryer and its heat settings are key," Blandi says. "Over-drying hair can strip away its essential natural keratin, making it crucial to select the right heat options tailored to individual hair types." His fav is the Valera Unlimited Pro 5000, which holds five patents including the Rotocord (designed to eliminate cord tangling).
Blandi—whose celebrity roster includes Blake Lively, Cameron Diaz, Emma Stone, Kelly Ripa, Reese Witherspoon, JImmy Fallon, and Sofia Vergara—shares his top 3 hair trends for 2024 and how to style them with your blow dryer.
Deconstructed Bob: Also known as the "shattered bob," this layered, textured style features choppy tips and longer front pieces that frame the jaw, creating a chic, disheveled look.
This cut is low-maintenance and creates a lot of movement. For those sporting it, “blow-dry and style your hair as you prefer," Blandi says, "and allow it to naturally fall into place. By gently curving the ends, you can guide your hair where you like it. It creates an effortless yet stylish look.”
Bangs: Blandi points to "feather bangs and straight bangs" as the fiercest fringes to date. Precision is key when it comes to bangs, with Blandi reinforcing one of the most common (and ignored) pieces of advice from hairstylists: Do not cut them yourself!
“Don’t be too quick to trust social media videos for cutting your own bangs," Blandi says. "You risk a disaster that will take months to correct. Go to a professional.”
Here's his blow-dry advice for bang styles: "You should not move the blow dryer up and down. Keep it at a 45-degree angle toward the brush, and the nozzle should always be tilted toward the bristle. Smooth motions lead to a smoother blowout."
Long Layers: Blandi reports a significant trend in the modeling industry: long, gradual layers with choppy ends and a concave angle.
His styling technique challenges conventional tricks for creating volume. "Many think volume is achieved with a big brush close to the scalp," he says. "The right way to attain volume and movement involves using a medium to small brush, and lifting the hair from the scalp. The difference that will make is incredible!"
For every look, Blandi emphasizes the tried-and-true trick of sealing in the style with cold air. "Every time you finish a section of hair, go over it with a shot of cooler air to lock in that section. This helps maintain the finished look longer."