Drybar Reviews | Everything You Need to Know

Ever heard of a blowout? You probably have, because most salons offer it. Ever heard of Drybar? Well, you probably should have heard of that, too. In fact, the two are synonymous. Drybar is the original blowout company, servicing women across the United States.

Drybar Company Background

Drybar was founded by Alli Webb, along with her husband Cameron and her brother Michael Landau. It was all sparked by the entrepreneurial spirit of Alli and her passion for doing hair. She started the company out of the back of her car. She would go to women’s homes to do affordable blowouts.

Then, there came a point when she could not keep up with demand. She had to start turning people away. The idea to open a brick and mortar shop came when she asked her clients where they went when she had to turn them away. The response was universal. These women would either do without or go to their local salon, where they would be pressured about getting other services, like hair coloring or a cut.

This is when Alli realized there was a market for what she was doing. Even though the local salons could do blowouts, women sometimes felt uncomfortable going because either the customer service was not that great or they were stressed out by turning down a haircut, when all they really wanted was a blowout.

So, Alli approached her brother to see if he would go into business with her and financially fund the opening of a shop. This request could have gone sideways, since they had been in business before and it did not go well. However, that partnership was when they were both much younger and immature. Over the years, they were able to gain respect for one another and formed a successful partnership. They were able to identify their strengths and stick to that – pretty much stay in their own lane. So, Alli had her talent with hair and her brother’s financial backing. Now, she brought on her husband, Cameron, as the creative force behind the brand. With his vision and marketing, Drybar was born.

Drybar took off like a rocket. The store was soon overwhelmed, and they could not keep up with the demand. They needed more stylist and more locations. It took the expertise of her and her partners to train stylists and open additional locations. On a normal day, one of her salons can see upwards of 100 clients. She could not even answer the phones at the shop. It was too loud, and they were too busy. To remedy this problem, they hired someone offsite to take the calls and make the appointments and then communicate back to Alli and her team. Additionally, they had to stop taking walk-ins. They were so busy that they did not have time to service a woman that did not have an appointment. They had to go by appointment only. There were so busy that they were worked all the time, 7 days a week. They barely had time for anything else.

What Drybar Offers

Alli and her team have stuck to doing one thing well, blowouts. While she did not invent the blowout, she forged it into a business of its own. She does not offer other traditional services, like a cut or perm. She only offers a handful of varieties of blowouts, the option for an updo, the addition of a braid, and the option to have the stylist add on customer supplied clip-ons. By focusing on these services, she can be the best at what she does and does not dilute her brand.

When you come to a Drybar, you receive a shampoo (with conditioner) and then proceed to sit in one of the chairs lined up down the salon. The stylist asks questions about what the customer is looking for and any concerns, including allergies that they might have. Stylists face the client away from the mirror until they are finished, allowing the client to be surprised by how great they look.

Stylists can make your hair sleek with a shine by straightening using a flat iron, gently curled, or a little bit of both. The stylists will shape your hair during the blow dry and create a look especially for you that can give you a feeling of luxury and confidence. The styles are named after drinks and include the Old Fashioned, the Straight Up, the Manhattan, the Cosmo, the Mai Tai, the Cosmo-Tai, the Southern Comfort, the Dirty Martini, the Uptini, and the Shirley Temple.

Drybar Pros and Cons

Drybar’s significant advantages and strengths are two-fold. First, they were the first to the market with a salon only offering blowouts. This was new and trendy, while traditional shops were not meeting a new-found need of the modern woman.

While there are other brands out in the market now, Drybar was the first and is well-known, allowing them to continue to enjoy success. Secondly, they have specific training so that every stylist does each style the same. Alli used to train all the stylists, but with over 100 stores, it is impossible for her to do this any longer. However, the blueprint for the styling was and continues to be established by her. She is dedicated to keeping the brand identity and staying local to the model she, Cameron, and Michael began with years ago.

A weakness, or disadvantage for the company, is the fact that they made this niche in the hair industry so popular that other companies want to copy it. Furthermore, one could say that another weakness is the fact that because they are so large, the personalized attention by the founders is no longer a reality. It is impossible for the founders to have hands-on experiences with each shop. However, they do set the standards and put management in place to make sure these standards are adhered to.

Sound business decisions and hiring allow Drybar’s leadership to create a consistency and continuity in all their stores. Without this, they might lose some of their identity and subsequently some of their customer base. A woman wants to know that she will receive the same level of service whether she is in California or Georgia.

Drybar Products

Drybar is also offering their own line of products, some of which that are offered at Sephora, such as dry shampoo and triple sec 3-in-1. They offer hair product and tools, like blow dryers. All their products, including all their stores revolve around their trademark colors of yellow, gray, and white. This is their brand and is adhered to on all levels, even down to the color of the flowers displayed in the shop. Each shop operates the same way, using the same equipment and the same products.

Drybar Company Culture

Alli and her team have survived an expansion of their business and were subjected to many changes and struggles. It is hard to work so hard to build something from its infancy and then be forced to relinquish some control and hire outsiders. But, this is what Alli had to do. She had to face things like hiring a professional CEO and put faith in him that he was not going to try to change everything. She had to face not being able to train all the stylists. She also had to make sure she hired the right people and trusted her decision-making.

Fortunately, Alli and her business partners (her husband and her brother) have been able to more or less continue to keep their brand strong at their many locations, sustaining their company’s success.

It is noteworthy to state that Alli has an open door and welcomes emails from anyone in her organization. She feels that her employees should always be able to reach out to her. By being open to feedback, she can stay on top of things that happen in her company.

When it comes down to it, Alli’s vision was to help women feel good about themselves. And she accomplishes this: Not only do clients swear by her business, they spread the word and consistently bring in new clientele. Even with competitors, Drybar has been able to explode into many new markets and continue their success.