When it comes to styling naturally curly hair, celebrities including Ego Nwodin, Leslie Jones, Mia Thornton, Star Jones, and Sherri Shepherd turn to salon owner and educator Jada Jenkins.
To transform curls and spirals into shiny, bouncy, red-carpet blowouts, Jenkins uses the "Four Corners Technique," a thermal round-brush blowout that creates a a polished finish.
This method involves sectioning with intention, controlling tension, and using heat strategically on each section from four different angles. It straightens hair and reduces frizz while protecting the integrity of the curls, so they will bounce right back when the hair is washed.
Jenkins relies on the mantra "Tension and heat must meet" when blowing out curly hair.
Four Corners Technique Using a Thermal Round Brush
- Section: Section the entire head of wet hair into bantu knots in a brick-lay pattern (staggering seams) with ends tucked in. This retains moisture in the hair, especially in the ends which dry out the fastest, and the brick-lay pattern prevents hard lines in the final style.
- Choose a Brush: The size of the thermal round brush depends on the length of hair and what the style will be. Hold a brush up to the section being dried to gauge the correct size. Don’t pick up any more hair than the size of the brush.
- Four Corners Technique: Insert the brush on top of the section at the root, angle the dryer for maximum smoothness, and count to 8 while just drying the root area. Make sure to directionally blow dry where the hair should fall and lay. Go to the next side and repeat, position brush underneath and repeat, and then angle the dryer at the final side and repeat. Do that rotation twice per section until completely dry.
- Dry Strategically: First dry the root, then the mid-shaft, and lastly the ends, preserving the integrity of the hair by minimizing the number of passes with the brush and dryer.
- Bevel the Curl: Once all the hair is dry, use the brush to round it out. On the last pass, roll the section around the brush and let it sit for a bit before unwrapping hair, rolling it up and clipping it to cool in order to set in the curl. Repeat around the entire head. The longer the clips are left in, the tighter the curl will be.
- Finish: Take all clips out, emulsify nourishing product in hands, apply most to the ends, and work the rest gently through the finished blowout.
Here is a full demonstration of the technique:
Jada Jenkins is owner of L'amour de Rose Salon in Largo, MD; a Sam Villa Ambassador, and a Mizani Artist. Learn more about Sam Villa Education here.