Royal hairdresser Richard Ward tells us how to get that 'Chelsea Blow Dry'

You too can have K-Mid's bouncy locks, and it'll only cost you £25
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, February 2018.
AFP/Getty Images
Chloe Street7 March 2018

Can we take a moment to discuss Kate Middleton’s hair?

Sure, her soon-to-be-sister-in-law may be attracting much of the beauty lust list limelight of late, but we must give credit where credit is due, and Kate’s hair deserves an award.

And while she may have knocked a few inches off the length last summer, the voluminous, bouncy blowout, nicknamed The Chelsea Blow Dry, has been her signature look for over a decade.

But how does she get her tresses so glossy, so perfectly bouncy? We spoke to her personal hairdresser, Richard Ward, to find out.

Duchess of Cambridge (Getty)
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"The Chelsea Blow Dry is all about bounce and lashings of gloss, with lots of volume and movement through the ends," says Ward, who’s been cutting the Duchess of Cambridge and her family’s hair for over a decade.

The Duchess of Cambridge - style file

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“Products are important,” he says, “but having hair that’s in good condition thanks to regular trims, as well as a decent hairdryer with a nozzle and real bristle round brush are essential to making it look fabulous!”

Richard Ward in his Chelsea salon
Richard Ward

Here are his top tips for getting the look:

  • Apply a golf-ball size amount of volumising mousse to damp hair and brush through for even distribution.
  • Start rough drying hair in a controlled way, lifting and heating roots with your fingers – don’t shake the hairdryer about.
  • Use a medium-size round bristle brush to blow dry the hair smooth, then section and roll up into large heated rollers.
  • Allow the hair to cool for about 15 minutes and remove the rollers, raking through with fingers to break the curls up.
  • To finish, run a lightweight serum through the mid-lengths and ends for extra shine.

Need a step by step guide? Ward did a Chelsea Blow Dry demo for People magazine back in 2016, which you can watch here:

The Chelsea Blow Dry, £25 for 30 minutes, Richard Ward salon, 82 Duke of York Square, Chelsea, London SW3 4LY. Book here.

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