MEGA BeautyCon 2024: Suyen Salazar’s Guide to Blowouts, Beach Waves and Sleek Buns

MEGA BeautyCon 2024: Suyen Salazar’s Guide to Blowouts, Beach Waves and Sleek Buns

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The founder of Studio Suyen led a masterclass as attendees got the inside scoop on foolproof hair techniques for volume, waves, and a sleek bun

At MEGA BeautyCon 2024, beauty fans attended a hair masterclass that had them hanging on every strand of knowledge. Taught by Suyen Salazar, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Studio Suyen, this masterclass tackled all about turning hair from flat to fab with three foolproof styles. Armed with her trusty tools, Suyen worked her magic on muse Nicole Anderson, showing attendees how to tackle everyday hair with pro-level finesse.

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mega hairstylist suyen salazar beautycon 2024
Suyen Salazar

Volume Blow-Dry: Big Hair, Big Energy

Volume blow-drying is like turning the volume up on your favorite track. Suyen began by stressing that patience is key: hair should be 90% dry before a brush even touches it. “By the time you get to the brush, you’re not battling the moisture,” she explained, creating the perfect base for a voluminous blowout.

mega suyen salazar nicole anderson beautycon 2024
Suyen asserts to brush in the opposite direction to gain volume for your desired place

The tools are a round bristle brush and a blow dryer. The key is to brush away from the direction of your desired volume. For that extra oomph, flipping your head upside down can work wonders, but Suyen kept Nicole upright, instead focusing on using the bristle brush to lift hair right from the scalp—“Don’t be afraid to dig in there!” she advised.

To top it off, she showed how a little hairspray and a front swoop create a face-flattering contour. This technique not only amps up volume but also shapes your hair in a way that frames your face beautifully.

Beach Waves: Embracing the ‘Undone’ Look

Next, Suyen unraveled those perfect beach waves that work relaxed yet styled. It’s all about keeping things easy and uncomplicated: two sections of hair are all you need for that effortlessly wavy look. Using the T3 Micro one-and-a-quarter inch curling iron, Suyen stressed the importance of alternating curls—some away from the face, some towards. She always asserts to start at the top for a “full wave”, instructing, “Almost near your scalp, but you just always want to be careful.” The result is a tousled, lived-in texture that’s not too structured but definitely polished.

mega suyen salazar nicole anderson beautycon 2024
Practice using an off-curling iron so as to not burn, and always start from top to bottom for a full wave

Her biggest tip is to practice with the curling iron off to master the motion and avoid the dreaded burn marks (we’ve all been there). And for those final touches, straightening the ends after curling gives that casual, carefree finish.

Sleek Bun: The Polished Power Move

For the final style, Suyen turned to a sleek bun—a go-to for when you need a no-nonsense, chic look. The secret to achieving this minimalist yet impactful style is starting with wet hair. Using a fine-toothed comb, she created a precise middle part before pulling everything into place with a float boar bristle brush.

how to style a sleek bun suyen salazar studio hairstyle hair care
Split a middle part and run pomade through your fingers for that stylistic touch

Pomade is the hero product here, perfect for smoothing down baby hairs and giving the style that sleek finish. As she worked the product through Nicole’s hair, Suyen emphasized that using bobby pins to secure stray strands can make all the difference in achieving a tight, clean look. It’s the fastest way to go from bedhead to boss-ready in minutes.

Hair Wisdom from Suyen

Throughout the masterclass, Suyen dropped some golden nuggets of hair wisdom. One of her top tips is to choose the right shampoo as that can either make or break your hair. “Think of shampoo as cleansing your scalp, not just washing your hair,” she explained, advising the audience to use volumizing shampoos to avoid the buildup of oil, especially in humid climates.

Muse Nicole Anderson, celebrity hairstylist Suyen Salazar, and host Micha Gayle

Her other must-haves? A good texturizing spray to “bake” your style into place. It’s not just makeup that benefits from setting—your hair deserves to stay put too. With Suyen’s techniques and advice, attendees left the masterclass armed with everything they needed to have their best hair days yet!


Photographed by GRANT BABIA and EXCEL PANLAQUE
Special thanks to AIVEE SKIN, Y.O.U. BEAUTY, LUXE BEAUTY & WELLNESS GROUP, FAIRY SKIN, BARENBLISS, PINA SKINCARE, DAZZLE ME, REAL PERFECTION, RPS AESTHETICS, GLUTAWORKS, ZIONNE, LAVOJOY, ASUL, SMARTER DOSE, and GORGEOUS GLOW

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