Style Test Drive: Drybar (No Cuts. No Color. Just Blowouts.)

With several weddings lined up, I find that I've been having blowouts on the brain. But I refuse to spend upwards of $60 at a high-end salon for a standard blowout. Between engagement parties, bridal showers and the actual nuptials, buying gifts for your blissfully happy friends can put quite a dent in your wallet. Then again, getting my hair styled at a discount chain has left me with less-than-stellar results in the past. So what's a girl to do?

I've been hearing good things from friends in the industry about a new specialty "anti-salon" called Drybar for a while now. Plus, it's a go-to for celebrities like Nicky Hilton, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Zooey Deschanel. Rose McGowan loved the place so much that she became an investor! Their motto is "No cuts. No color. Just blowouts." All blowouts (wash included) are only $35. Sounds too good to be true! But what better time to see what the buzz is all about than now?

When I arrived at their Studio City, Calif., location (there are currently nine Drybars in SoCal; two more will open in NYC in the fall), it wasn't just the incredibly affordable price that blew me away. From the themed décor to the great service, the total experience was amazing.

First of all, the hair stations are set up to look like an actual bar. Cool! I was also charmed by the quirky yellow blowdryer chandelier in the entryway. Another highlight? The "menu" of hairstyles had cute names like Cosmopolitan (loose curls), Straight Up (signature blowout) and Shirley Temple for kids 10 and under.

Aside from the lookbook, patrons could also get inspiration for their hairstyles from the black-and-white pictures of hair icons, like Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe, on the walls and from classic girlie movies that they play. Sixteen Candles was on while I was there.

Yes, it did get a tad warm what with all of the blowdryers in use, but the AC eventually kicked in and there were two friendly "bartenders" who often asked if I needed another drink, such as water, mimosas and white wine.

Mimosas, please! As for my hair order, I conveyed to my adorable pixie stylist Maggie Page that I envisioned a mixture of the Cosmopolitan and lots of Southern Comfort (volume). Long story short, I really loved how my hair turned out. It had lots of shine and bouncy curls, and the volume lasted all throughout the wedding and reception. I am still shocked that it cost me only 35 bucks to get a beautiful blowout in such a girlie and fun environment!

Here are some important blowdrying tips from Page:

• Try not to wash your hair often. The more oil hair produces as a result of lots of washings, the less likely the blowout will last. Page says to cut back on washings to every other day to get used to the new routine.

• Try to get 80 percent of the water out before you touch the hair with the brush. If you start blow drying your hair with the brush while it's soaking wet, it will pull your hair and stretch it too much and end up damaging it.

• You can get a lot of the water out by "rough drying" it. Rough dry means messing up the hair with your hands and the blowdryer and making sure it's dripping wet.

• Take sections of your hair and clip them so that the hair you're not dealing with is completely out of the way.

• Spritz on L'Oréal Extreme Lift before you start to blow dry to help give you that desirable volume and help the curls to stay. At the end of your blowout, spray L'oréal Freezing Mist to keep everything intact for the rest of the day.