Julie Chung isn’t your conventional good looks wealthy person. She’s an eye fixed surgeon grew to become cofounder of T3, a hair equipment logo that has revolutionized the best way we good looks connoisseurs consider styling and drying gadgets. Chung, who’s Korean American, went from being a UCLA graduate in Physiological Sciences to a seasoned clinical skilled with a prestigious fellowship on the UCLA Stein Eye Institute, prior to founding T3. Her résumé is indubitably as spectacular because the flawless blowouts she provides herself.
Translating the precision essential for eye surgical procedure into good looks innovation may sound like an abnormal trajectory. But for Chung, haircare is all within the science. Her product line—which incorporates the T3 SinglePass straightener and roller, plus a game-changing hair dryer within the Aire IQ—respects each your hair and your time (no frizz, no harm, simply superb shine). Developing those equipment required severe analysis, some artful engineering, and a slightly of genius. Below, Chung stocks her experience within the hair equipment realm—and divulges some secrets and techniques on the right way to get a salon-worthy blowout.
Give us just a little background on how your educational {and professional} trail resulted in the introduction of T3.
I grew up in Southern California, attended UCLA as a Physiological Sciences main, then went to UCSF School of Medicine. I had a residency at Cullen Eye Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, and a glaucoma fellowship at UCLA Stein Eye Institute. I began T3 with my boyfriend (now husband) Kent Yu in 2004, when I used to be in clinical faculty.
I noticed a void available in the market the place hair equipment might be superbly designed, performance-based and advertised aspirationally as good looks merchandise. I sought after to create equipment which might be non-damaging and that remedy girls’s hair issues briefly and simply.
What roughly analysis went into creating the product? Did you deliver on engineers to assist deliver the concept that to existence?
Yes, we employed engineers and examined our thought of Soft Aire with them. Basically, we made the primary technologically complex dryer that no longer best dried your hair in no time but additionally maintained hair moisture—so no frizz. We discovered that air does no longer must have prime warmth and prime pace to reach nice effects. Lower-velocity, larger-volume air with well-distributed warmth was once key.
You mentioned T3 hair dryers don’t harm your hair up to common blow dryers do.
The Aire IQ makes use of much more “Soft Aire” (40 % greater than our different dryers) to have an excellent sooner blow dry whilst keeping up hair’s moisture. Regular blow dryers depend on prime warmth, prime pace for drying, that could be efficient for styling however strips hair of moisture and creates the glance of bad, frizzy hair. Our dryers create the very best mixture of warmth, air velocity, and air quantity that may lay the cuticles flat, developing shine, and handle moisture to lower frizz. The result’s healthier-looking hair. And through the years, you’ll actually inform the variation.
What is your personal hair sort, and which warmth equipment do you utilize to blow out your hair?
I’ve coarse, thick, and wavy hair—I used to automatically get Japanese straightening perms in my 20s, after which switched to keratin. I now not want to do any of most of these remedies since the usage of both the Airebrush or the comb attachment at the Aire 360. The Airebrush is a straightforward and fast approach to easy hair at domestic with out the usage of a spherical brush and dryer, which is extra bulky for me, has too steep a studying curve, and is time-consuming. Sometimes, I’ll use a flat iron to complete smoothing my glance, however that’s in most cases no longer essential. I’ve bangs and can use an iron on them day by day to easy them out.
Break down your procedure for a salon-perfect, at-home blowout.
I get started through washing my hair with my favourite Roz Foundation shampoo and conditioner. Once per week, when my hair wishes an additional dose of moisture, I deal with it to the Davines OI Hair Butter masks; I’ll depart it on for approximately 10 mins prior to rinsing it out totally. After that, I gently wrap my hair in a T3 microfiber turban towel to soak up extra water with out inflicting frizz. Once I’m dressed, I mist on a warmth protectant—in most cases a mixture of Kenra Thermal Styling Spray and The Potion Studio’s Rose Bomb leave-in conditioner—prior to doing a handy guide a rough rough-dry with the T3 Aire IQ.
Even regardless that my hair is brief, it’s slightly thick, so I love to segment it off for a extra actual blow-dry the usage of the T3 Round Brush to easy and form. To end, I heat a tiny little bit of Bread Beauty Supply hair oil in my palms and run it throughout the ends for a cultured, outlined glance, then practice with a light-weight serum like, Roz Milk, for a comfortable, touchable end. If the humidity units in the next day to come, I’ll do a handy guide a rough refresh with the Airebrush Round and upload a slightly extra hair oil to deliver the entirety again to existence.
Which hair merchandise are in your radar and in consistent use?
I take advantage of L’Oréal EverPure sulfate-free moisture shampoo and Davines OI Conditioner, which is slightly expensive however completely price it. For warmth styling, I depend on Kenra Thermal Styling Spray, which protects as much as 428 levels whilst giving company dangle and keep an eye on—superb for maintaining curls. Since I’ve thick and coarse hair, I end off my styling regimen with a hair oil. When it involves brushes, I’m obsessive about my La Bonne Brosse. It’s a French logo I found out at John Bell & Croyden in London, and it’s no longer best beautiful however extremely practical. The boar bristles are keratin-rich and paintings wonders on my hair.