The Secret To Cindy Crawford’s Incredible Blow-Dry

When we think of iconic blow-dries, there are a lot of celebrities with bouncy, voluminous hair that come to mind. Amal Clooney and Kate Middleton definitely deserve honorable mentions. But if we could only pick one mane to emulate, it would be Cindy Crawford’s ‘90s blow-dry. That swishy movement is utter perfection.

Usually, we’d be resigned to the fact that such hair could never be ours without a trip to the salon and professional help. But with the invention of hot air brushes and TikTok tutorials, pulling off Cindy’s blow-dry is suddenly within reach.

The only thing left to help us on our way? Some tips from Cindy herself, as well as her longtime hairstylist Richard Marin.

Only wash your hair 1-2 times a week

We all know the perils of trying to get your hair wash routine to coincide with social events. The solution? Just wash it less (easy, right?). If you need more convincing, Richard told Camille Styles he’s really not a fan of daily washing. And while it will vary according to your hair type, 1-2 times a week only will help to ensure your hair isn’t drying out and becoming dull. The perfect blow-dry needs a good, shiny base after all.

Adapt your blow-dry as the days go on

Wondering how on earth you’re going to make that minimal washing last and still look fresh? Cindy has the answer: figure out a blow-dry routine that suits you. “I’ll wear it smooth [on] the first day, because my hair has a natural wave to it, especially on the bottom,” she explained to The Zoe Report. “Maybe on day two or three [when] it starts getting wavy, I’ll just add a little more wave with a curling iron.” Smart.

Take care when detangling

Both Richard and Cindy are big fans of wide-tooth combs when it comes to wet hair. Cindy uses hers while her conditioner is still in, and Richard says it’s key to handling wet hair properly. “I start from the ends of the hair and work my way up to the scalp ending with an overall smooth stroke to the entire head, from scalp to ends,” he said in the same interview. “This drastically minimises tearing or stretching of the hair.”

When it comes to dry hair, Richard highly recommends a Mason Pearson hair brush ($220 at Adore Beauty). “I like a good brush out a few times a day,” he said. “It distributes natural oils and the hair looks nicely finished.

Treat your scalp and protect your ends

For a 56-year-old Cindy, the key to a good blow-dry is less about the styling and more about maintaining her healthy hair as it changes. She uses her own brand’s scalp treatment every day because “what really promotes healthy hair growth is if you have a healthy scalp.”

bh recommends: Dermalume Revitalising Booster Pre-Wash Scalp Oil, $35 at dermalume.com.au

After experiencing dullness and lacklustre lengths, she also ensures to provide sun protection for her hair by running a sun-shielding oil through her ends. We’ll definitely be trying this tip come summertime!

bh recommends: Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil, $56 at Adore Beauty

Don’t forget the velcro rollers

The final and arguably most important piece of the bouncy blow-dry puzzle? Velcro rollers. This method of styling is having a major resurgence and if you’re among the 40 million people who have viewed a video under the #velcrorollers hashtag, you’ll understand why.

Delivering undeniable bounce, body and volume, velcro rollers previously fell out of fashion in place of heat tools like curling tongs or hot brushes. But it seems we’re all returning to our ’90s roots, Cindy included.

“I pulled out my velcro rollers again a few weeks ago because I wanted a style that only velcro rollers can do,” Cindy told The Cut. “My husband was like ‘I haven’t seen those in awhile,’ I always liked that kind of hair,” she said. Us too Cindy, us too.