Item (Er, Place) of the Day: Drybar

When it comes to matters of hair, I can sum my locks up in about three bullet points: natural brunette, hair long and straight enough to hit the middle of my back and growing a little bit closer to mermaid status length every day, and perpetually never having enough time or patience to really get my hair looking on point every day of the week.

What’s my magic two-word phrase most mornings when I wake up? Bun it. Gonna be a hot ‘n sweaty day outside? Bun it. My hair won’t curl with my curling iron fast enough? Bun it. Wanna continue lying in bed underneath the stockpile of warm comforters and pretend it’s the weekend for 10-15 more minutes? We’re bunning it. But lest you think I get out of doing my hair too easily, I also have bangs. Pretty much every morning of my life with bangs is struggle city to get them to look like they haven’t taken a beating on my pillowcase all night long.

So here’s where I hit an interesting hair dilemma for myself: it was time for a change in my ‘do but I didn’t want to dye my hair (I feel like I would only be into a new shade for about a week tops), streak it (samesies), or chop it all off (because despite my routine I really do like it long). What I wanted was to think outside of the bun and get this hair styled to the nines. No big occasion other than just because I felt like it needed either.

It was time for a blowout. It was time for a trip to Drybar!

Here’s a heads up on what the experience is like for all the first timers in the house.

1) This is not a salon. It’s a blow dry bar and that is not the same as going to an actual hair salon. The Drybar motto is strictly here for the blowouts – no cuts or color included. So if you want one of those two things, you might need to skip going until you’re ready for just a day of stylin’.

2) Their blowouts are for every hair type. Long or short, curly or straight, the Drybar menu (yep, they have little menu books at each styling station to look through) has great looks all named after famous and fabulous mixed drinks. I’m here for the Cosmo, which is packed full of crazy voluminous curls that my ordinarily super straight hair can’t achieve naturally on its own. You can also pick the Mai Tai (beachy locks central), Hot Toddy (shout out to all the ladies with short hair who want to keep it sassy and cute), and the Manhattan (elegant and sleek, just like its namesake).

3) Every blowout is the same price – $40. A few charge extra, like the UpTini, or if you want a “hair shot” added to your shampoo to treat dry or color-treated hair. You can also become a barfly and grab a monthly blowout membership there – I seriously can’t imagine a better place to keep a tab at!

4) Complimentary mimosas. Oh, you can pick from a selection of complimentary beverages but if you’re heading to a Drybar first thing in the morning on Saturday and aren’t driving like I did, you’re definitely all about that mimosa life while your hair is being styled on.

5) The vibe is ridiculously deluxe. Every Drybar is designed with the same bright yellow and ivory coloring and layout and they play super girly movies and music all day long. I was ready to set up camp there and declare it my living space approximately 0.01 seconds after I walked in – this was well before the mimosas kicked in.

6) You’ll be a smitten kitten after going for the first time. I was so in love with my Cosmo styled curls the moment my stylist spun my chair around to face the mirror – so much bounce! I felt like I had found a missing puzzle piece to myself that had been there but was just stuck somewhere underneath my bun. It was a really excellent feeling.

And this is why I think that when you feel sad, you shouldn’t turn to sweatpants or ice cream to give you comfort. Good hair bolsters your confidence levels and everyone is just kind of irrestible when they have fabulous locks. It’s a total fact. I like to mix a quote of Hillary Clinton’s, – “If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle.” – alongside that bit Nora Ephron had about being the heroine of your own life. Go on and treat your inner heroine to a blowout – it’s always worth it!

Image courtesy of Drybar.com.