In celebration of our collaboration with Duck & Dry for our loyalty newsletter, we sat down with Ava to talk about party season hair. What’s trending? And how do we care for our hair during the busiest season of the year?
With ten years on the bustling city streets, Duck & Dry is an iconic dry bar and hair salon, with a mission to make great hair care accessible for all. They also have their own range of professional hair care products, and encourage clients to embrace hair products like they do makeup and skincare, in order to achieve salon results anywhere.
Basically, you can trust them with all your hair needs. Read on for party hair inspiration, as well as top tips for how to make your hairstyles last, and how to care for your locks through party season and beyond.
KM: So, party season is coming. People are going to work parties. They've got friendmas, they've got actual Christmas, and of course New Year’s Eve as well. Are there any trending styles emerging?
D&D: Yeah! As soon as party season hits, that's when we get a lot more requests for updos. I think there's around five updos in our lookbook, but people also come with their own suggestions. So overall, updos are way more popular this time of year, because people want to do something a bit different, a bit more special. Just because of this trending hairstyle, we've just come up with two completely new party looks, and they're both takes on updos, exclusive to the party season. So yeah, we're already prepared for the higher volume of requests for updos.
KM: That's so interesting. An updo feels really formal to me as well. It’s like, where are you going with your hair like that?
D&D: One of our new Christmas styles is this really slicked back ponytail, and the ponytail itself is waved. It almost looks like an Old Hollywood type of wave. And then we added a bow, so it's very Christmassy. I wouldn't necessarily say it’s formal, but it's definitely more dressed up.
KM: Definitely a ponytail, but spiced up.
D&D: Yeah, it’s very nice.
KM: So you know how “The Rachel” was the most popular 90’s and noughties hair that everyone used to ask for? Who do people ask for now? Is there a person yet, or is Jennifer Aniston still the overarching hair queen?
D&D: In our salon, I don't hear of people asking necessarily for someone's specific hairstyle, but we get requests for the ‘90s haircut in general, which I suppose basically is “The Rachel”, right? We call it “the 90’s” and we have one stylist in particular who specialises in this cut. I mean, there's no person in particular that's overtaken Jennifer Aniston or Rachel Green for that most coveted look, but the 90’s haircut is definitely here to stay, we probably do at least two a week -
KM: No way!
D&D: - but I think it's also because of this one stylist that we have. She's called Chanel, she's very, very good at it, and she loves to promote that haircut that she does with her clients on her socials. We get so many requests because of that.
KM: Love that. The power of Instagram!
D&D: 100%
KM: What's your personal go to hairstyle for if you're going out, getting a bit dressed up?
D&D: So I obviously get blow dries at Duck & Dry. I feel like you're always going to get a good look with a blow dry. But me, personally, I love smooth hair with flicky ends. So basically, I go for a flicky blow dry because of my hair type. It doesn't really hold a curl as well as others and I don't have the thickest hair, so a big, bouncy blow dry is not my go-to, but a smooth, voluminous look with flicky ends and movement at the end is the best for me.
KM: Nice. I like that, and it's so timeless as well.
D&D: Definitely. I mean, I love the big and bouncy look, but my hair just does not agree.
KM: Well, you just said your hair doesn't necessarily hold a curl. How can someone with straight hair make a curl last?
D&D: I can't ever guarantee that it will hold for hours and hours, but to ensure you know you have the longest lasting blow dry, here’s what I would do. If big and bouncy curls are what you want, let's say you have an event or something, I would get the blow dry a little bit earlier so that you can leave with the pins in. You can ask your stylist “can I please leave the pins and I'll take them out later myself?” They’ve done the technical part, you just need to remove the pins before your event. Use products like hair spray or our Blow Dry in a Bottle, which adds a bit of texture, a bit of volume, and these things will help you to have the longest lasting curl or blow dry.
KM: Perfect. I will be stealing these tips. What would you say is the best party hairstyle for thin hair?
D&D: For thin hair, I would go with maybe an updo, like our top knot bun, because you don't really need a lot of hair. You don't want this humongous bun, right? So actually I feel like for thin hair, the top knot bun which we have in our lookbook is really, really beautiful. Also, because I have kind of thin hair, I always like going for a wavy style, because I feel like it holds better than a curl. They use a tong, so it also adds more volume. So yeah, I would go for either a bun or waves.
KM: Perfect. And what sort of hairstyle would you recommend with someone with shoulder to medium length hair?
D&D: I think the flicky one looks really good with that length of hair. You could also go for a big and bouncy. I think big and bouncy looks good on everyone, but especially for shoulder lengths. From experience, I would say, have a bit of volume at the crown of your head, and your bangs or fringe if you have them. Then, add some movement at the bottom, flicky ends for example. I just love that hairstyle, the crown having volume, and then straight, smooth lengths, and then flicky at the end is just beautiful.
KM: Sounds gorgeous. What hair care advice can you give for someone with naturally curly or wavy hair when heading into party season?
D&D: I think it's just about using the right products to prep your hair and to protect it, assuming you’re okay with using heat. Because when it comes to styling curly hair, there's more steps, right? You have to first smooth it out, regardless of what look you want to do, and then you either go on to straighten it more, or you go on to do curls. So I think the key is products, which I know a lot of people are hesitant about. When they hear that we need to use products, they're like “oh no, I don't want products on my hair.” But if it's used correctly, it won't feel like “I have loads of products in my hair”, it will actually just make your hair last and look so much better. That was our founder’s goal when bringing out our product line: to take that scare away from products and to show that actually they can be used just like makeup, just like skincare. They can be the perfect tool to take your hair to that next level.
KM: Okay, last question. What steps should someone with straight hair take in their hair care? Is that a similar answer like the curly girls having a good product base, or is there anything specific?
D&D: If you're going into a season where you're going to be putting a lot of heat on your hair, or even if you're putting it up a lot, you want to prep your hair or look after it, do some treatments. Whether that's at home or in a salon. At home, you can do masks once a week, or use serums, whatever it is you prefer to use. In our salon we have a treatment bar, where we have so many treatments for your hair. Our most requested one at the moment is the Fusio Dose by Kérastase. It's a booster treatment, and it's amazing. Everybody that has it done loves it. My friend did it with us recently, and she texted me “what did you use on my hair? Because my hair feels amazing!” So, yeah, so I would definitely recommend some TLC for your hair. You have to put in the work to look after it, and then it should hold fine. You know, when you put a lot of heat on it, or you're going to be putting it up a lot, styling it a lot, just use the right products and definitely, definitely do treatments.
