Yes, You Can Make Your Blowout Last Three Weeks — And Look THIS Good

When we met freelance videographer Nora De Broder, the first thing we noticed was her thick, long, and gorgeous hair. De Broder looks like she should be in front of the camera rather than behind it (full disclosure: we actually asked her if she was secretly a professional ballerina). After getting to know her a bit, De Broder confided to us her secret for keeping her long locks in line with minimal effort: she gets occasional professional blowouts, and when she does, she makes that time and money go a lo-o-ong way by making each blowout last for days — even as long as three weeks at a time. For real.

"I started officially getting 'blowouts' in my bathroom as a kid, by my mom," says de Broder. Now that she lives in NYC, De Broder delegates the blow-drying skills to the pros — specifically, those at Seagull Salon in NYC's West Village and Dramatics Salon on Fifth Avenue. The first trick to setting your locks up for a long-lasting blowout, according to De Broder? Ask your stylist to shampoo your hair two or three times to make sure that you're starting with an extremely clean canvas.

A few days into the blowout, De Broder relies on rewashing only her hairline after a few days: "Drag a comb low around your front hairline, like a headband. Pin up the rest of the hair behind this 'headband' section, and put a shower cap over it. Shampoo your front section like crazy, and then blow out this section with a round brush. There's so little hair, it won't be heavy or difficult." For de-frizzing, De Broder relies on tiny drops of classic Moroccanoil Treatment; for extra texture, she uses Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray.

When hair does eventually turn a little flat or greasy (hey, it happens), De Broder has developed serious plaiting skills to mix it up. "There are a ton of gorgeous hairstyles out there that involve braids," says De Broder. "Do variations of milkmaid braids in the last moments of your blowout, when your hair shows the most oil and flyaways. There are so many options, and the best part of a blowout is its soft versatility, which makes styling so easy."

So, when does De Broder know when to call it a day and finally give her hair a good shampoo? "You just know when you know," says De Broder. Trust your instincts, and listen to your locks. "When you want to change it up — say, for a special day or just to have that clean-hair feeling again — go with that instinct and wash it." We may not all be as blessed in the hair department as De Broder, but with these tips, we'll be able to fake it (at least for a few extra days).