Blow hot, blow cold

As standalone blow dry parlours take San Francisco by storm we take a look at the trend that has always ruled Mumbais parlours where Mrs Mehta and Mrs Doshi who havent had a headbath at home in a decade meet thrice a week for gupshup and a blow dry Experts say the iron rod upstart hasnt been able to replace the Indian womans beloved hair dryer Los Angeles has a new celeb spot and were not talking about Hollywood Drybar a nocut nocolour antisalon that offers only blowouts or a quick blow dry has pulled the likes of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Rebecca T to its white walled interiors Farida and Firdaus Padamsee run Firdys Salon at Napean Sea Road The 14 yearold neighbourhood parlour receives at least 60 clients a month for blowouts thats 10 per cent of their clientele Most of them are what Firdaus calls the evening crowd the ones whod come to have their hair set before a party or a doIn June they opened their eighth branch in San Francisco and will open one in New York next month Blow dryonly salons are spreading like a rash across the Bay Area in San Francisco since the past few months with Torontobased chain Blo being the latest to join the group Their USP is affordable blowouts that guarantee a mood lift within 45 minutes topsHow can we be sure about the mood lift Because Mehta Aunty and her friends have shown us just how essential the blow dry really is In Mumbai and particularly in pockets of South Mumbai where neighbourhood parlours have stood their ground since the 1950s the latest fad to hit the United States is a universally accepted truth a woman with long hair and free time twice or thrice a week will be in need of a wash and blow dryThe reticent owner of Colabas Blue Heaven attests to this even as she points out that her customers are now fourth generation ones There are many says Doreen she only gives out her first name over the telephone who visit the parlour at least twice a week to have their hair washed and blow driedPriyanka Thakur belongs to that ilk of customers A resident of Wodehouse Road 40 yearold Thakur visits JeanClaude Biguine an upmarket salon that opened near her place last year Before that Thakur would visit Lakm ufffd nearby for her thriceaweek wash and blow dry appointmentI have not washed my hair at home for 12 years says Thakur a real estate consultantWhether at social commitments parties or offices blow dried hair looks natural well groomed and it smells divineu00a0 A blow dry also makes sure that the first impression I give is perfect says ThakurWhats more Thakur adds there are several like her who visit the parlour for their thriceaweek blowouts and the group often end up chatting over cups of green tea much like Mehta Aunty would have done with her parlour friends back in the 70sThakur and her friends point to an interesting phenomenon Despite the availability of modern treatments like rebonding and hot iron both of which were immensely popular among Indian women not too long ago for the poker straight look they bestowed the good ol blow dryer will never be discardedu00a0Technological innovation is high in the beauty industry and every year a new blow dryer model trumps the previous one Some like the Ionic Dryers that use ions to conduct heat to the hair cost 300 Rs 13800Clint Fernandes a hair and makeup artiste for 15 years who has worked with Bollywood biggies including Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan says that one reason the blow dryer can go nowhere is because of its centrality to hair stylingThe basics of hair styling include learning how to blow dry since thats the first step to style hair Blow drying makes the hair more malleable and its only after a blowout that the hair can be worked on he saysAgreeing that Indian women have a thing for the blowout he says Most women dont see it as a luxury but a necessity Along with their upper lip eyebrows theyd get a blow dry Its a necessity like a showerHowever according to Firdaus Padamsee owner of the 14 yearold Firdys Salon in Napean Sea Road women of South East Asia deserve the title of being blow dry crazyIn cities across South East Asia including Bangkok Jakarta and Manila no one washes their hair at home Parlours open at 8am and women go there early to get their hair washed and blow dried before going to workNevertheless Padamsee says he receives at least 60 clients a month for blowouts thats 10 per cent of his clientele Most of them are what Padamsee calls the evening crowd the ones whod come to have their hair set before a party or a doIn Versova as in Vile Parle students and younger crowd form the majority of the clientele in parloursJuice Lite the express version of Juice that opened in Colaba and Vile Parle last year offers treatments that are 30 per cent to 35 per cent cheaper than its more expensive parent salon As a result a hairwash with blow dry would start at Rs 250 while most upmarket neighbourhood salons such as Firdys and Juice offer blowouts starting at Rs 350We get at least three appointments for blowouts daily informs Yaman Sharma creative stylist at Juice Lite Vile ParleNatasha Sara owner of two yearold Trance by Nats in Versova says that her studio that offers only hairrelated services is wary of using irons because of the damage caused to hair by excessive heat In fact she warns against the wrong blow dry as well characterised by excessive heat a singed smell and too much tugging at the rootsI avoid using irons Id rather my clients blow dry their hair says Sara who has six regular clients that visit her for their weekly washandblowdry appointmentThe story behind the dryerThe first blow dryer was invented in 1890 by French who else stylist named Alexandre F Goldefroy who apparently was inspired by the vacuum cleaner which not only sucks in air but also has an exhaust that releases the heat generated by the motor So Goldefroy put a hose in the exhaust port and connected it to a hood that would blow out hot air The first salon blow dryer was a huge contraption In the 1920s they were made commercially available after two US companies Hamilton Beach Co and Racine Universal Motor Company designed the handheld hair dryeru00a0The handheld used coil to heat up the machine and were made of nickelplated steel with a wooden handle that was then covered with enamel However these handhelds weighed at least two poundsI have not washed my hair at home in 12 yearsPriyanka ThakurA real estate consultant and resident of Wodehouse Road Goes for blowouts three times a weekThe small amp large of the blow dryJuice Lite Rs 250 Firdys Salon Rs 350 to Rs 600 depending on length and number of products usedJean Claude Biguine Rs 750 onwards Grand Hyatts Christiaan Georgio Rs 2000 The bonnet hair dryer was introduced in 1951 It was placed on top of a clients head and attached to the dryer via a tube Another innovation of that era was the rigidhood hair dryer with a hard plastic helmet It worked on a higher wattage but offered the same advantage as the bonnet hair dryer equal amount of heat to the head The Air wave attachment right uses airflow to twirl hair into waves on this Ceramic hair dryer