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Hairstyling

Hairstyling is the finishing step that turns a good haircut into a complete look, using heat, tension, or hands-on technique to shape hair into something polished, voluminous, or precisely smooth. Our hair styling salon PIED-DE-POULE works across cold, hot, and air techniques, building the right shape for your hair type and whatever you're dressing for. Book at our South Kensington or Oxford Circus salon.

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Instant Polish

Hair looks finished, camera-ready

Shape That Holds

Style lasts the whole day

Volume on Demand

Fuller, bouncier, without extensions

Occasion-Ready Look

Right shape for the moment

What Is Hairstyling?

Hairstyling is the process of shaping already-cut hair into a finished look, using heat, tools, or hands-on technique rather than changing the cut itself. It differs from a quick wash-and-blow-dry in how deliberate the shaping is — a stylist builds specific volume, direction, and hold rather than just drying hair flat or straight. Your stylist plans the approach around your hair type, how long you need the result to hold, and whether the look is for everyday wear or a specific event.

Hairstyling Techniques, From Cold-Set to Full Blow-Dry

Cold styling shapes hair with fingers, combs, and setting spray rather than heat, which is the gentlest option but holds for the shortest time. Hot styling uses tongs, wands, or straighteners to build curl or smoothness that lasts through a full day or evening. Air styling relies on a hair dryer and brush work to build volume and shape from the roots, and it’s the technique most everyday blow-dries are built on.

How a Styling Appointment Works

A simple blow-dry with root volume takes about 30 to 45 minutes. A more elaborate style with curling or setting work runs closer to an hour. If you’re building toward a specific event, a trial appointment beforehand is worth booking so the shape and hold are confirmed before the day that actually matters.

Who Hairstyling Suits

This service earns its place whenever your hair needs to do more than sit there — before a big event like Prom night, before photos, or simply on a day you want to feel put together without doing it yourself. Long hair holds the most elaborate shapes, but short and medium lengths take styling just as well with the right technique. If you’re after something more structured than a blow-dry, hair braiding builds a shape that styling alone can’t hold on its own.

Session Options and Timing

Standalone styling appointments run without a cut or colour attached, which keeps the visit short and focused on the finish alone. Hair that’s dry, over-processed, or resistant to holding shape styles better after a course of Olaplex, so it’s worth asking your stylist whether that’s worth adding before a big styling day.

How a Hairstyling Appointment Works at PIED-DE-POULE

Consultation

Your stylist discusses the look you want, your hair type, and how long you need the result to hold, then recommends cold, hot, or air styling based on what will actually work with your hair.

Wash and Prep

Hair is washed and treated with the right products for the technique ahead, whether that's a heat protectant for hot styling or a setting lotion for cold styling.

Sectioning

Hair is divided into manageable sections, since styling one piece at a time keeps the shape consistent across the whole head.

Base Styling

The foundation goes in first, whether that's a root-lift blow-dry, a smoothing pass, or a cold set, matched to the finished look you're building toward.

Shaping

Curls are set, ends are smoothed, or volume is built at the crown, using heated tools or brush work to bring the style into its final form.

Finishing and Hold

A lightweight product locks the shape in place, and your stylist checks the finish from every angle before you leave.

Service Results

Time to preen your feathers

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Treatment Benefits

LASTING SHAPE
Heat or tension resets the hair's temporary structure, so curls or smoothness hold through a full day instead of dropping within hours.
BUILT-IN VOLUME
Directional drying and root lifting add lift right at the base, so fine or flat hair reads fuller without any extensions.
CONTROLLED FRIZZ
Heat and the right brush work smooth the hair cuticle down, so flyaways lie flat and light reflects evenly off the surface.
EVEN TEXTURE
The same technique is applied consistently across the whole head, so there's no flat patch at the crown or frizzy section at the nape.

FAQ

What does hair styling include?

It’s the process of shaping already-cut hair into a finished look using heat, tension, or hands-on technique, separate from cutting or colouring. Think blow-dries, curls, updos, and smoothing — anything that changes the shape of your hair rather than its length or tone.
What hairstyling services does PIED-DE-POULE offer?

Styling covers everyday blow-dries, event-ready curls and updos, and specialist looks like braiding or wedding hair, all built around your hair type and the occasion. Your stylist talks through the options at consultation rather than working from a fixed menu.
What's trending in hairstyling for 2026?

This year leans toward polished, glossy blowouts with volume that looks purposeful rather than piled on, alongside a real embrace of natural texture and lower-heat drying. The common thread is intention — hair that looks shaped and considered rather than either overworked or completely undone.
How long does a styling appointment take?

A simple blow-dry with root volume takes about 30 to 45 minutes. A more elaborate style with curling or setting work runs closer to an hour.

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