How to Create a 90s Blowout with Unforgettable Volume

This season is all about the big 90s blowout. Artists are now creating the soft, effortless locks Cindy Crawford once made famous, and you’ll spot them everywhere—on runways, across social media, and out and about.

“I love that it brings back a classic approach to hairdressing,” says JUUT Director of Education and Legacy Stylist at the New Artist Salon, Marisa. Not only do blowouts look and feel beautiful, they also allow you to get away from your curling iron and simplify your product regimen.

What’s behind the resurgence of the 90s blowout?

“People want to have that main character vibe when they walk out of the salon,” says Marisa. “They want to feel that lightness, that lift, that movement.”

Smooth. Shiny. Voluminous. Blowouts give you a beautifully polished look. They can also bring a sense of ease to your lifestyle. With blowout products and the right technique, you can achieve results that last and wash your hair less frequently.

Achieving the runway look

The key to a beautiful 90s blowout? It lies in your product regimen, the use of Velcro rollers, and the right blowout brush.

The best blowout brush for your hair type

“The round brush matters in a big way,” says Marisa, and finding the right brush for you depends on your hair type.

If you have fine hair, it will respond beautifully to a natural or multi-bristle brush. While all round brushes create shape and volume through a mix of tension and heat, the desired effect created by these brushes is influenced more by tension, and that’s important. Brushes that get too hot make the hair cuticle too thin, resulting in a blowout that goes flat.

If your hair is a little coarser and has more texture, then heat is your friend. Metal and ceramic round brushes will help you create the signature smoothness of a salon blowout, with ceramic delivering the most heat to your hair of these two options.

The best blowout styling products for creating volume

The new Aveda Abundant Blowout All-Over Volumizing Spray is helping people achieve the look they love, all while simplifying their blowout routine.

“I brought it home to give it a go,” says Marisa, “and I love it. It’s lightweight. It’s not heavy on the hair. It’s something you can use as a three-in-one product—it’s going to plump the cuticle, create separation, give that lift and a 24-hour flexible hold. And when you use less product on the hair, it helps the blowout last longer.”

While anyone can create volume with this blowout styling product, it’s ideal for fine hair types, as the fine mist doesn’t sink into the cuticle and weigh the hair down.

“Wow, this is crazy.”

JUUT now offers an Abundant Blowout service with this new Aveda product taking center stage—and Marisa has created transformative results in her chair.

Ordinarily, she’d use Aveda’s volume routine with Misty, her guest of 25 years. This time, they set the Phomolient volumizing tonic and leave-in conditioner aside, in favor of the new product.

“I did her blow dry using just the Abundant product on its own to try and condense her regimen. She was so excited. Aveda claims the product gives you two times more volume, and she could really feel it. She was like, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’”

The next day, Misty texted an update.

“Her hair still felt great,” Marisa said. “It didn’t feel weighed down. She was an everyday shampooer, and she said she didn’t have to wash it again, either. That was so nice to hear.”

Even better, this new product is helping people, like Misty, achieve the voluminous look they might ordinarily associate with a salon blowout right at home.

How to do a blowout at home

Want to create an abundant blowout without a salon appointment?

1. Mist Abundant Blowout around your freshly washed hair—five to 10 sprays, depending on your length—and comb it through to evenly distribute the product. (You can also experiment with applying the spray when you’ve dried your hair to the midway point. You may discover a little more volume, if you do.) “Be sure to give the bottle a good shake,” reminds Marisa. “Because of the organic attributes of the product, they can separate a little bit more. This is how you’ll get the most benefit out of it.”
2. Pre-dry your hair to about 80% dry.
3. Section your hair; the crown (from the top of your brow and around your head), the middle and bottom.
4. Roundbrush your hair by section. “What people want to do when round brushing, especially that top section,” says Marisa, “is to think about lifting the hair out of their head as if it were a ray of sunshine. So straight out of the head. If you lift it, you’ll get more volume.”
5. After each section, put your tools down and roll a Velcro roller into your hair, setting it on the top of your head while you round brush the rest of your hair. “When you put your hair on the roller when it’s hot and let it stay there till it’s cold,” says Marisa, “the H2O bonds secure and hold that shape much longer. The cooling process is really important.”
6. When you’re done, gently take out the rollers and either finger through your hair or use a brush or comb to get the finished look you’re after.

Loving the look of the season

Whether you come in for regular salon services or style your hair at home, this 90s blowout technique will help you confidently put your best foot forward—creating the kind of volume and movement that turns heads.

Photos courtesy of Aveda.