Elevating The Art of Hairdressing: Blo Blow Dry Bar Opens in Manila!

Blo, North America’s original Blow Dry Bar has finally hit Manila! Currently, Blo has two branches in Manila: Powerplant Mall and Serendra. The first one to open was the Powerplant Mall branch, and I was invited for a firsthand experience!

 Much like Nail Salons, Blo is dedicated to another salon service, which is what most people would consider as an extra to the usual and major treatments such as hair cut, hair coloring, hair perming, and the likes: Blow Drying. At Blo, Blow Drying is not just a service-it's an art that’s why their Blo-ers (their fancy term for Hairdressers) must take a Ph.D. in Blow Drying at Blo (U)niversity (Blo’s training camp for aspiring Blo-ers) before they start working in any of Blo's salons: In here, the students are being trained to artfully and skillfully blow dry and style hair, as well as to master Blo’s signature hairstyles and techniques. At Blo, the unsung hero of salons, the Blow Dry person, is the star-no cuts, dyes, and perms to be found in here!

Interior

The salon has this fresh, happy, and ultra feminine vibe--No deep, dark, serious colors to be found in here because Blo’s all about having fun!

Looks to me, the brand swears by TriDesign’s hair products.

It’s totally new to me, and it is very interesting because all its products match the normal pH balance of human hair. I will probably try it soon.

Okay! Let’s now go to the much-awaited part: Blo’s services!

Blo has two major services:

Blo Out- a menu of Blo’s ready-to-wear hairstyles. You can also opt for other add- ons with your Blo-Out hairstyle: Deep Conditioning Treatments and Bonded Extensions. Price is P500.00 per hairstyle

A La Carte- customized blow drying and styling. Bring a picture of a particular hairstyle that you want to achieve, and the Blo-ers will do it for you!

They also offer Blo- Bro (for dudes), bridal packages, party packages, and Hidden Assets (Hair Extensions) among other services. For those who can’t drop by in any of their branches, they have Book A Blo, an on- location service wherein the Blo-er will go straight to where you are and transform your hair from drab to fab.

I went for Holly Would, one of the hairstyles from the Blo-Out menu. Click READ MORE and see the step-by-step procedure!

First, my hair was rinsed using TriDesign’s products.

After toweling, my Blo-er for the day had used TriDesign’s heat protectant/reconstructing mist to protect my hair from all the heat.

My hair was then blow dried for the mist dry up quickly.

Getting ready for my hair transformation! :)

Here are their tools. They’re all of quality, especially the hair iron, which curls hair effectively in a matter of seconds! They’re armed with a wide range of hairstyling paraphernalia from different sets and sizes of clips to various hair brushes and combs as well. Needless to say, the salon is quite complete with tools needed for professional hairdressing.

The curling part: I was keenly observing how my Blo-er curls my hair: I had noticed that she has various curling techniques that I've never seen before. She has also asked me if I want bigger curls as she's trained to give customers any kind of curl thickness they prefer. I told her that she could try, but my fine hair is a natural rebel and it will not yield to any hairdresser and hair tools-it won't even yield to me!

Well, I had underestimated my Blo-er! I asked her to give my hair medium volume, (she also claimed to give my hair vavavoom volume if I wish) and she did it! In this photo, it seems like I have thicker hair strands, ergo thicker hair.

For the style Holly Would, you can opt to leave your hair like this, sans the big, umbrella bangs, or you can go all the way and totally imitate the actual hairstyle.

In here, I asked my Blo-er to complete the Holly Would look by adding the umbrella bangs.

Voila! Too bad, I didn't have any party to go to that time so to make the most out of my wonderful hairstyle, I pleaded mom to go out on a dinner date with me! :D I would like to say as well that my curls don't look artificial in here!

P.S. The outcome of the Blo-Out hairstyles will still depend on the texture and condition of your hair, but rest assured, the Blo-ers will do their best to give it to you!

For people who have no talent and patience for hair, Blo is definitely the place to go for your ultimate hair transformation. This is the best place to have your hair done before major parties and special events. If you're also pressed for time but you have to look gorgeous, I would recommend this salon as well because the Blo-ers work pretty fast-my Holly Would hairstyle only took less than 30 minutes to make, although it would still depend on your hair and the style you're going to choose so I think it's safe to say that in just 45 minutes, your hair's done and ready to strut!

Meet the owners of Blo's Philippines franchise, Edward Lee (to my right) and Howard Uy (to my left). Yes, folks, the owners of Blo Philippines are manly men! :D Being a curious cat, I asked why they decided to put up a girly business, and they simply said that they believe so much in the concept, and they are confident that every hair- savvy Filipino will benefit from the uniqueness of Blo's services. Howard also said that they admire Blo's culture. He quips: "Hairdressing is not left to chance here at Blo. From the blow drying, styling, and to the techniques, everything is exact and measured, and the Blo-ers are well- equipped with professional knowledge and Blo-exclusive techniques in hairdressing. We aim to elevate the Blow Dry person at Blo."

Here's a preview of Blo's signature Blo-Out hairstyles:

Executive Sweet

Red Carpet

High Society (ala- Aubrey Hepburn!)

Hunt Club

Sex, Hugs, and Rock & Roll

Boho Braid

Blo Powerplant Mall branch opens at 7 A.M. So if you need some serious hairstyling for morning events, do drop by!

What hairstyle are your loving? I wanna try Red Carpet and Boho Braid next!

Please visit BLO BLOW DRY BAR ASIA on Facebook for more information about their services.