A salon hair blowout is a beauty indulgence for which a certain subset of women will eagerly fork over $50. (Exhibit A: Drybar's 67 locations.) Maybe it's because getting a blowout from a professional is worth avoiding an arm workout that rivals planks. More likely, it's because doing a salon-quality blowout requires a combination of commitment, expertise and execution that's crazy-hard to master.

But there is a third option besides buying a stake in your local blow-dry bar or DIY-ing the damn thing: Fake it! With a little ingenuity, and a styling tool or two, you can mimic a salon-blowout look without ever picking up a round brush and blow dryer.

Click on for nine genius hacks to fake a blowout.

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If you're a hairstyling novice with little spare time in the morning, a bun is one of the fastest ways to get a blowout look. Nexxus Celebrity Stylist Lona Vigi recommends twirling slightly damp hair into two buns on each side of your head with snag-free elastics and letting hair air-dry. "This may take an hour or so, but in the meantime, you have a cute bun hairstyle," she says. "When your hair is dry, take it down and brush." She recommends Nexxus Oil Infinite Nourishing Oil Hair Treatment to make hair look extra-smooth and shiny.

Ryan Trygstad, stylist at West Hollywood's celebrity-frequented Nine Zero One Salon, tells his clients to gather hair into one "sleek top bun" before bed or a long-haul flight to create waves and body. He recommends securing the bun with corkscrew-style Goody Simple Styles Spin Pins instead of a hair elastic. "This will keep the volume and movement without making the marks of a ponytail," he says.

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Of course, not all women can get a blowout look from a simple updo. "Unfortunately, if you have thick or curly hair, you're going to have to manipulate the hair with heat," says Christyn Nawrot, national educator for Phyto.

"Use a curling iron to smooth your hair out and add wave," suggests Nicole Leal, master stylist at Nine Zero One. Adding curls will give coarse hair smoothness, control and style in a few minutes. The key is to use a large-barrel curling iron; the bigger the barrel, the faster you'll get this thing done.

If you've just washed your hair, rough-dry it and add a styling cream like Devacurl B'Leave-In. Then, take a section of hair and clamp a large-barrel curling iron (think: 1.75 to 2 inches) at the very ends; roll the curls all the way up to your scalp, release, and let them cool. Make sure to wait a few minutes before breaking up the curls with a brush and applying finishing spray.

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Styling with a curling iron is a great way to fake the blowout look, but if your hair is fine or naturally pin-straight, your faux-blow might not stick around. If that's the case, make your curls and body last with a set of large foam rollers. A drugstore set costs about $5, and they'll help lock in your hairstyle all day.

If you've just washed your hair, add some mousse or styling cream, then air- or blow-dry. After rolling up each section of hair in the curling iron, release it and immediately wrap it around a sponge roller. Leave in the curlers as long as possible while you go about your routine. Then, take them down, brush or finger-comb the curls, set them (with hairspray) and forget them.

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A basic flat iron is another great tool for cheating a blowout, especially if you prefer sleekness to curls. If your hair doesn't have a lot of natural texture, you may not even need to iron all of it, Leal points out. "Smoothing just the top sections can give the illusion of a salon blowout," says Leal.

The key here is to not pull the hair straight down with the iron; instead, rotate your wrist as you pass over each section of hair. This will mimic the bend and movement you'd get from a paddle-brush blowout. When you're done ironing, add fluff and fullness by applying dry shampoo or volumizing powder at your roots.

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