The Heart-Shaped Blowout: A Romantic and Sexy Valentine's Day Hairstyle

Searching for fun Valentine’s Day hair ideas? Look no further than the “heart-shaped blowout,” perfectly on theme for the holiday on Saturday. As popularized by Kim Kardashian, who showed off the hairstyle for a Skims Valentine’s Day photoshoot, the voluminous, glossy blowout is a simple yet sexy way to wear your hair whether you’re celebrating with your valentine or your galentines. But what is a heart-shaped blowout and how do you recreate it? A hairstylist expert weighs in with all the details ahead.

The heart-shaped blowout was created by celebrity hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos for Kardashian. The way it’s open around the face and falls closely to the neck gives it that heart shape. Think of a heart-shaped face, which is characterized by a wider forehead and cheekbones and a more narrow, tapered chin, like an upside-down triangle. This blowout gives a similar effect. “It’s the new sexy blowout,” says New York hairstylist Vanessa Ocando. “The name alone makes you want it.”

A post shared by Dimitris Giannetos (@dimitrishair)

Though beach waves have reigned supreme as one of the most popular hairstyles in recent years, people are switching over to more voluminous, polished looks instead, and this blowout is a reflection of that. “It’s a shift away from textured waves to more sculpted and more intentional,” says Ocando. “The shape bubbles out beautifully when your hair is tucked behind a jacket or robe, giving that lifted silhouette. It’s sleek at the top, voluminous at the bottom, and frames the face in a way that feels both romantic and editorial.”

If you’ve fallen in love this Valentine’s Day with Kardashian’s hairstyle, the good news is that it’s incredibly possible to recreate it at home for yourself. Starting with damp hair, make sure to choose where you want to part your hair before styling (a middle part is best to mirror Kardashian’s style) and generously apply heat protectant like Bed Head Some Like It Hot Heat Protection Spray ($21). With a small round brush, “Smooth the hair with minimal root lift to keep volume low at the crown,” says Ocando. “Blow dry section by section.”

As you blow dry, use “as little tension as possible by wrapping the hair up and down the brush instead of pulling the brush through the hair,” says Jordan M, stylist at Beauty Supply New York City.

At your hair’s part, “Blow dry that area in the direction you want it to fall to create a clean, defined line,” Ocando says. “Around the hairline, especially if you have layers, blow dry inward to hug the face.”

After this, you can either just let the hair fall or “wrap it up in large Velcro rollers,” says Jordan M. “For the top section you’re going to roll the first section closest to the forehead towards the face. For the remaining sections on top, I will wrap my sections going back away from the face and set them in Velcro rollers.”

And that’s pretty much it. It’s all about using the hair dryer in the correct direction to create the ideal shape and then letting it set (more on that next).

If you have longer hair around the same length as Kardashian, Ocando says to finish with a texture spray “to add movement and fullness.” Try Tresemmé Dry Texturizing Spray ($14) for volume and hold. Once you’re done styling, “Use flat clips to cool the hair close to the face and lock in that shape,” she adds. It’s important to keep as much volume as possible “on the hairline to give it that heart shape silhouette,” notes Jordan M.

After the hair is cooled and you remove the clips, “Turn your head side to side to let the hair fall around the face and neck; this adds softness and a slimming effect,” says Ocando. “The front pieces can be swept to the sides and sprayed into place to frame the décolleté.” If you’re concerned about your hair falling flat, spritz some hairspray like Chris McMillan The Major Hairspray ($36) which will add more hold and soft shine to get that reflective, glossy hair that Kardashian has.

Bonus: Wearing a jacket, robe or sweater will “push the hair forward, creating that signature bubble effect,” says Ocando.

Kardashian has an oval face shape and her hair is medium-to long-length in the photos. While hair length matters for this style of blowout, face shape does not. The blowout “works best on people with long full hair that has a lot of layers,” says Jordan M. As for face shape, “this look flatters every face shape because the styling changes the silhouette of the face,” Ocando adds. “The way the hair curves around the face and neck creates a custom contour effect.” The contouring makes it universally flattering.

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