To achieve 2021’s biggest hair trend, call your nan

“Face framing is really important in modern styles,” says Murphy. “You don’t want to curl all your hair when you’re embracing natural texture, just add a few bends. Old-fashioned tools give you that ability and are really easy to use.”

As the owner of a can’t-decide-if-I’m-keeping-or-leaving-it-and-therefore-too-long fringe, I felt like I’d discovered a genius piece of tech seeing these Reels, despite having always known about velcro rollers. They were used on me as a kid before my debut as a flower girl. I picked up a pack from Kmart for $6.

Since it launched in 2018, the Dyson Air Wrap has been the fanciest (and most expensive) home hair tool on the market. The curler works by creating a very sophisticated vortex of air that holds and curls the hair. It’s recently been released as a kit with a suite of attachments, retailing for $799.

The thing is, while very different in design and function, curlers powered by hot air aren’t a new thing. They’re an old thing. They’re your nan’s thing. Post the Air Wrap, brands have released their own hot air brushes, which do very similar, if not the same thing (something several YouTube beauty influencers have noticed).

A hot brush is usually a round brush, though the GHD Glide Professional Hot Brush, $240, looks like a classic paddle brush, and low-powered hair dryer, combined. “They’re best used on dry hair, spritzed to be lightly damp and set to the middle heat,” says Murphy, who’s a fan of the ’70s style Babyliss Classic Hot Brush, $109.

“It’s a great way of loosening up curls, or working out frizz to get a nice bounce in the hair. They are great for keeping some of your natural texture because while a normal hairdryer would break down all of your hair bonds, a hot brush will only change half.”

I distinctly remember my nana owning this tool. I remember the whirring sound it made when she used it. When I asked her about it, she told me that in the ’80s she even had a travel version that she would take on day trips to the city, so she could fix herself up after the car ride. A comb-up, for those who remember the term. It was powered by a butane gas pellet, like camping equipment. True to form, I bought one.

So how to use all these tools to get a modern retro look? If you like curls, Murphy recommends using your ceramic curler or a deep waver for a more irregular style, and then loosening up the look with a hot brush. Allow your hair to cool in a scrunchie or curling ribbon to create more interesting bends and to give your look extra longevity start the process with a prepping product like the salon results driven KEVIN.MURPHY BLOWDRY line.

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For me, the desired look is that of a round-brush blow dry à la Princess Catherine and seemingly all French women. My hair fell like this, without help, ’til I was 10. Straight and swingy is as close to my natural texture as anything else. A round-brush blow dry is impossible to perform on yourself, unless you have a third arm, and is out of favour in salons because they’re a serious workout. It’s early days, but the hot brush is giving me smooth sides, shine, and softly curled-under edges. I think I’ve found my answer, ironically, back at the start.

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