The Big, Bouncy Secret Behind Australia’s Most Famous Blow-Dry
forty years of great hair
By Kiri Johnston | 26th August 2026Big hair, serious shine and absolutely no interest in playing it safe. After four decades at the top of Australian hair, Joh Bailey is bringing his famous salon finish home.
Some beauty appointments become part of your routine. Others become part of beauty history. Then there’s the Joh Bailey blow-dry. Big, bouncy, glossy and glamorous enough to deserve its own entrance, the famous “Joh Blow” has adorned the heads of celebrities, fashion insiders and generations of impeccably coiffed clients.
Photography by Tony Potts.
Since opening in 1985, Joh Bailey has set the standard for Australian hair. His Double Bay salon became the place to go for hair with presence: polished, expensive-looking and never lacking volume. Because when it comes to great hair, more really is more.
The Joh Blow is no ordinary blow-dry. It’s soft volume, sweeping movement and shine that catches the light from across the room. It’s the kind of hair that demands dark sunglasses, diamonds and somewhere fabulous to be, even if you’re just heading home.
Ahead of a recent event in Sydney, I visited the Double Bay salon to experience it for myself.
Photography by Tony Potts.
From the moment I walked through the doors, everything felt considered and unhurried. Hairstylist Jasper Bailey created volume without stiffness and movement without making my hair feel overly styled. It was glamorous, but still felt like me, just with significantly better hair.
Hours later, it still held its bounce, requiring little more than a quick brush-through before I headed out for the evening. No frantic restyling. No emergency hairspray. Not a strand out of place. Suddenly, the decades-long devotion made perfect sense.
Now, the secrets behind that famous finish have been bottled with the launch of JOH BAILEY Haircare, Bailey’s first-ever product collection.
Photography by Tony Potts.
Years in the making, the four-piece range has been created to deliver the body, shine and staying power of the Bailey blow-dry between salon visits. There’s Blow By Blow shampoo, 10 Carat conditioner, High Society volumising mist and Second Wind dry shampoo, four suitably fabulous names for products devoted to very good hair.
Together, they cleanse, condition, lift and refresh without weighing the hair down. The outcome is maximum polish, plenty of movement and a blow-dry with enough longevity to survive dinner, drinks and whatever happens afterwards.
Photography by Tony Potts.
The collection arrives at exactly the right time. Big hair is back, and it has no plans to be discreet. Soft ’90s bounce, bombshell volume and glossy, brushed-out lengths have reclaimed red carpets, campaigns and our social feeds. After years of deliberately undone hair, glamour is once again having its moment. Of course, Joh Bailey never stopped believing in it.
Trends may come and go, but beautiful hair will always be beautiful hair. After four decades, his legacy lives in the unmistakable finish, the generations of loyal clients and the enduring belief that a great blow-dry can make everything feel a little better.
Bigger, bouncier and shinier? We’ll take the lot.
Photography by Tony Potts.
Bring The Joh Blow Home
Four essentials created to give your hair the volume, gloss and staying power of the famous Joh Bailey blow-dry, no Double Bay appointment required.
Joh Bailey Blow By Blow Shampoo A colour-safe shampoo that clears away buildup and yesterday’s styling without stripping your hair. Clean, light and ready for its next big moment.
10 Carat Conditioner Weightless conditioning for hair that’s smooth, soft and seriously shiny, without flattening all that hard-earned volume.
High Society Volumising Mist The main event. A blow-dry mist that delivers lift, body and lasting movement because flat hair was never invited.
Second Wind Dry Shampoo For the morning after. It refreshes the roots, absorbs excess oil and keeps a very good blow-dry going for just a little longer.
The Joh Blow may have been born in Double Bay, but now all that bounce, shine and unapologetic glamour can come home with you. Clear some room on the bathroom shelf, plug in the hairdryer and prepare to turn up the volume.
Go big or go home? Now you can do both.
