Blow dry bars are hot, literally and figuratively. These bars are opening faster than McDonald’s franchises around the globe these days. If you can’t get a 30 minute blow dry in a spot that’s less than five minutes from your house, you ain’t living. Ok, just kidding. Sure, you are living. But it quite honestly feels like there are blow dry bars on every street in London these days.
Having a blow dry bar just around every corner isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’ve used blow dry bars in London for everything from preparing last minute for a first date to needing a quick do before a television appearance (although there’s a funny story about that for another time). The bottom line, blow dry bars have saved my bacon many a time when I’ve done nothing more than tousle dry my hair in the morning, or haven’t bothered to shampoo and style at all. So, in case you hadn’t noticed over the past five years, I’ve made it my business to know about blow dry bars in this great city we call home (maybe I should change the name of this blog to blowdrys and burgers – don’t even bother looking to score this, I’ve already bought the URL).
So when I got a call asking if I wanted to give Blo by Realhair a go, naturally I jumped at the chance. I had heard about this blow dry bar before and had only heard positive feedback. I arrived a little early to my appointment so I could suss out the place. I always find seeing other people’s styles is the real key to reviewing a blow dry bar. If women walk out with “Herbal Essence Commercial” like hair I know I’m in the right place. From across the street I watched three women depart the premises. All three women might as well have had commercial music playing. Their hair glistened in the sun, swung like gold and bounced to and fro like beautiful silk. In short, my jaw was on the floor and I wanted a piece of the action. Sadly, my hair is not in cooperation mode these days, at all! I blame the bleach. So this is the reason I look to others to judge a salon.
With hair salons in Chelsea and Belgravia, Blo by Realhair has the clientele you would imagine. Of the women I saw, there were either power moms needing a quick fix or young executives popping in for a lunchtime hair solution. However, there is something different about this blow dry bar that does make it unique in a way. The ladies working on your mane actually give a damn about the actual condition of your hair. Blo by Realhair claims it’s London’s first Holistic Blowdry. The stylists begin by using shampoo, conditioner and treatments that all aim to nourish and enrich the hair you’re working with. Then, as I took a seat at the mirror, I was told that the hair is further protected by using only natural boar bristle brushes and products that protect the hair rather than striping it.
While I want to say I usually care about the future of my hair, the real truth is that I am likely to allow stylists to use cat vomit as a product as long as it will get me big Texan bounce. Thank god such a trend hasn’t taken off. I say that because I wasn’t sure if I’d be sold by this whole holistic experience. I’m not sure I really cared. But after speaking to my stylist throughout the blow dry, I was educated on the importance of care for this blow dry and all future blow dry opportunities. I was still a bit sceptical, but I do believe the proof is in the pudding. I left the salon feeling bouncy, shining and ready to hit the town (sadly I was just headed to the country to spend the weekend with my nieces and nephews… how very glamorous).
So here’s the long and short of it. If you are really concerned about your hair health, make this the only blow dry bar you visit. If you aren’t too concerned about any of it but need a local amazing blow dry in 30 minutes with no appointment, put Blo by Real Hair in your little black book.
Info:
A blow-dry is £25 with no appointment necessary. Telephone: 0203 021 9050
Chelsea: 18 Cale Street, London SW3 3QU
Belgravia: 36 Elizabeth Street, London, SW1W 9NZ
