With 21 years under his belt in his eponymous salon on Dublin’s buzzing South William Street, Dylan Bradshaw is looking forward to what’s next. At the helm of one of the most established hair salons in the city, he has a stellar reputation.
“We always want to stay ahead, I want to lead in what I do,” he says. That ethos fits perfectly with his brand ambassadorship for Dyson. “I’ve been styling hair a long time and around five and a half years ago Dyson came to me and made me really think about hair health. They made me think in a different way about tools and how we can damage hair with heat.”
Now? “I haven’t looked back. We all work with Dyson hair care tools in the salon. It’s great for me to see clients using them too, knowing that we’ve educated them to prioritise their hair health,” Bradshaw says.
“Treat your hair the same way you’d look after your skin. The basics are, am I using the right haircare, do I treat my hair regularly – they’re the same principles as skincare. The less you do with your hair the healthier it will stay.”
Care and styling should be simple, and Bradshaw loves how easy the hair care tools are to use. “They are light and nimble. There is no point in doing your hair if it takes you all day. Dyson allows you to use simple techniques with quick turnaround times.”
Right now, he’s inspired by the big, bold hair of the late 1980s and 1990s, which have informed his looks below. “That’s the trend. I’m looking forward to women having voluminous waves and big blowdries, like the original supermodels – think Cindy Crawford hair. It’s all coming back.”
Ahead of Mother's Day on 27th March, Bradshaw has been testing out the latest Dyson Supersonic and Corrale limited-edition Fuchsia and Nickel colour, to create some hair looks that will be easy to recreate at home.
Rest assured, you won’t have to learn a whole new playbook of tricks. “All the techniques we did are simple,” he says. “Focus on the T-zone. Just do the parting, leave the rest out. You want really low maintenance hair that looks good.”
Good foundations
Everything starts with a great blowdry. “The Dyson Supersonic is fantastic,” he says. It has a powerful digital motor for fast drying, and intelligent heat control to help protect your shine.
Bradshaw advises that you get hair to 80 per cent dry first to take the wetness out. Then, you can start styling with your brush and Concentrator attachment. “I like this for curly hair. It’s lightweight, holds well and aerates the hair as it dries. The secret to diffusing hair is low heat, low speed and keep it moving. Give yourself 10 minutes to do it,” he advises.
The fact the Supersonic comes with a variety of styling attachments is a big plus. “The new Flyaway attachment is brilliant too,” he says, adding, “It really suits Irish women’s hair which can be frizzy and rebellious.” Plus, it’s good for the sort of hair that can be prone to static from a blowdry.
“I’d also recommend it for women who’ve just had a baby and have that new growth, or those with grey hair. Those short hairs can stick straight up. The Flyaway attachment is great for making them disappear,” he says.
Once you have that smooth base to work from, you can create simple, impactful styles in minutes with your Corrale.
Fabulous flicks
Here, Bradshaw focused on the front of the face for ease and impact. “It’s ‘70s bangs to the front – very Farrah Fawcett-inspired,” he explains.
“For this simple styling technique, all I did was take the Corrale and pull it towards myself and make a half turn with the hair. I wasn’t trying to make it curl, we’re not trying to create lots of bends on the end of the hair. You can keep it as loose and soft as you want,” he says.
Bradshaw explains that the Corrale allows you to create definition and shape any way you want. “If you’re using it to create movement or curl or root lift, the thing to remember is the larger the section of hair you take, the softer the effect will be. Likewise, the smaller the section, the curlier it will be. It’s the same principle for blowdrying.”
Used cord-free or corded, the Corrale is the only straightener with flexing plates that shape around your hair. With this, the hair sits onto the straightener, and the flexing plates hold the hair to prevent splaying.
“The manganese copper alloy used in the plates makes it easy to glide through the hair,” Bradshaw says. And lower heat means less damage. “Realistically, most hair only needs a temperature of 165 degrees,” he says. “Stubborn hair can go to 185 degrees, while 210 degrees is best for very curly or coily hair.”
Lastly, to finish the look, Bradshaw gently combed the ends out to make a more defined shape around the face.
Wavemaker
For his second look, Bradshaw has created an easy flat wave, also using the Corrale. It is a step forward from the boho wave we’ve been seeing for quite some time. “I love beachy hair - but it’s time to move on from the beach,” he smiles.
“This is a very natural look. It’s like the beachy wave but you don’t see any curl, you don’t see texture or twist. It’s great for people with a lot of hair who are afraid to curl their hair and make it too big. Especially if you’ve got a lob length, you tend to feel the hair is too wild,” he says.
The other advantage to this style is that it doesn't add texture to the hair. "The difference is that it reflects light and looks shiny - it's a great little cheat," Bradshaw says.
It’s simple to achieve too. “Feed the hair in section by section, in one direction first. Then feed it in the opposite way, and that’s how you get the bend, it’s so easy to do,” he explains.
Discover the Dyson Supersonic and Corrale gift editions in Fuchsia and Nickel at Dyson.ie