Best Blow Drying Techniques for Healthy and Damaged Hair

There’s a Technique?

You may be thinking right now, “why do I need a technique when I blow dry my hair?” I understand this completely. After all, most people probably don’t have a technique when blow drying their hair in the comfort of their home. But, think about this for a minute. Whenever you do decide to blow dry your hair, does it usually turn out the way you expect the first time you do it or do you have to go in for seconds? You may experience some wet patches of hair, frizz, excessive heat and other things that go into improperly blow drying your hair. Therefore, it’s essential to implement a strategy when blow drying, otherwise you could be suffering unknown consequences every time you do it. When you’re dealing with different types of hair, you’ll get different results. That is especially true when you try to blow dry your hair using the same routine as someone else. It is essential to learn your hair and discover what techniques work best for it. I will be discussing a hair technique suitable for healthy or damaged hair. When dealing with damaged hair, you need to be considerate of the hair your hair feels. That is right! Your hair has feelings and preferences, just like you do. Once you learn what those feelings are, you will be able to cater towards your hair’s needs. You will also be able to assess what mistakes you could be making along the way. Let ’s get into that first! When implementing a new technique, it is best to evaluate the old one for mistakes for improvement for the future.

Mistakes You Might be Making When Blow Drying

Is Your Hair Is Too Wet?

Yes, there is such thing as hair that is way too wet and damp. Most salon professionals would agree that your hair needs to be mostly dry before attempting to blow dry your strands. A good 70 percent dry can suffice. Pre-drying your hair is less damaging to the strands because the strands won’t pick up as much heat. Towel dry or air dry your hair for a little while and then use the blow dryer. Always start at the ends of your hair! Starting at the root can cause even more damage.

Are You Using the Correct Brush?

Different brushes give different results. The results you want are volume, body, and softness. The bigger the brush, the smoother the hair. If you have a round brush that features metal in the middle or a metal core, it can provide a sleeker appearance. Unfortunately, these types of brushes also heat up like an iron. We don’t need any more damage than what is already there. If your hair is more on the coarse side, I say skip those type of brushes altogether. Coarser hair is more prone to heat damage, and the ones with metal tend not to have as many bristles and therefore don't provide as much tension for a smooth "pull." Opt for a traditional boar or nylon bristle brush.

Are You Using Your Products Correctly?

There is a correct way to use hair products! Maybe you are not the type to read the directions, but they are there for a reason. Too much or too little can determine how much your hair will flourish. If you are anything like me, you are a product hoarder. For some reason, most of us get a rush out of putting a bunch of product in our heads. Maybe, we believe our hair does better the more we put in, but that’s not necessarily true. If we want our hair to look voluminous, we have to use more product towards our roots, than all throughout the head. If we use product heavily throughout the head, then we could be weighing our hair down, making it easier to blow dry. Allow for even distribution of the products you use and use them sparingly. The idea is to use the products the right way, only when necessary, and where we need it.

Are You Using Your Blow Dryer’s Detachable Nozzle?

Okay, so I am guilty of this too. I have a fantastic blow dryer that came with a few extra pieces that I never use. I didn’t exactly see it as wasting money since I knew I wouldn’t use those pieces anyway. But, you know that little attachment that comes with it that you forget about under your bathroom sink? Maybe, you used it once or twice, but you couldn’t understand its purpose. We need those. Who knew? The nozzle is there so that the heat concentrates in one section of your hair. If you do not use it, the warmth will blow all over your head causing excessive heat. To get a smoother look, you may want to consider taking that nozzle out of hiding.

Are You Letting Your Hair Set?

What do I mean by “set”? I am talking about letting your hair cool down after you blow dry it before you decide to move on to the next section. By doing this method, your hairstyle will last much longer because it had more time to set! So, unless you love doing your hair every morning when you wake up, I think you should choose patience and just let your hair cool down for a moment. It takes away from the frustration of having to do your hair consistently. Also, you will not have to make many trips to the salon because you will be able to get the same results at home! Who likes to save money? I know I do!

Let’s Get Down to Business

You know what you don’t need to do. Hopefully, you assessed your routine and discovered that you need to take better care of your beautiful hair. Let’s get into what we have to do. To maintain the healthy strands we have to minimalize damage as much as possible. It is best to follow a routine that your hair can get used to every time you do it! This tactic will maintain your healthy strands, every time!

Step One: Quality Over Anything else always Matters

Quality matters in this situation. When blow drying your hair, you do not want to use just any old thing in your head. If your hair’s health means anything at all to you, then you will need specific tools that help your hair flourish. Therefore, you need to purchase a quality blow dryer. Do not use the old one in the bathroom drawer that you have had since 2008 that is collecting dust and randomly turns off in the middle of using it. If you can’t afford a high-quality blow dryer, buy a high end one from your local beauty supply store. Most of the ones you will see at the beauty supply store have a dial that will let you control the temperature. We will get to temperature control in a second. If you do end up buying a cheaper blow dryer, make sure it has more than one temperature setting. Also, make sure you keep the attachments that come with the blow dryer.

Step Two: Time to Discuss Temperature!

Okay now that I talked a little bit about temperature control let’s get into it. You must adjust the temperature depending on your hair type. That seems pretty self-explanatory. Generally speaking, thinner hair will overheat and burn more quickly, so you want to dry thin hair at a lower temperature. Thicker, curly, or coarser hair might require a higher heat setting to get the job done, but don't over-expose any hair to heat. It may be a little better to try and keep the temperature for coarser hair at a lower temperature than to use high heat. Otherwise, you could hurt your hair strands and cause excessive damage.

Step Three: Heat protection is always a must!

Heat protectants are precisely that. Their job is to protect your hair from the heat you are exposing your hair too! Pre-treat your hair with protection products before presenting them to the excessive heat from your blow dryer. Use your fingers or a wide tooth comb to distribute the product evenly throughout your hair. Take a trip to your local beauty supply store or even just a regular grocery store, because there are so many hair brands that offer heat protectants. Depending on your preference for distributing hair products, they come in a range of delivery methods, from creams to spray. Let yourself try out a few different kinds of products to figure out what works best for you. I know you probably do not want to go broke doing this, I do not blame you! But, it is important to note that your hair is worth it.

Step Four: Section, section, section

Sectioning out the hair can be stressful at times, so my job is to make it as easy as possible for you. Separate your hair into sections. Most people in need about three or four parts. But, depending on the thickness of your hair, you may need more or less. You also don't need to separate your hair physically, but at least mentally plan out how to plan to dry your hair. You might begin with the hair on the left side of your face and work around the back to the right, or you might begin with the bottom layer of your hair and work your way to the outer layer.

Step Five: Aim high, but start low

Start blow drying your hair at a lower temperature. Make sure to work your way through the hair sections you sectioned out in the last step. Work through your hair until it's about 60 percent dry. While doing this, massage your scalp at the roots to encourage it to take on volume. Flip your hair upside down by bending forward, and direct the airflow at the back of your head to more easily dry the bottom layer of your hair.

Step Six: Time to take out the Diffuser! You didn’t lose it yet, right?

Okay, now get out that nozzle and attach the diffuser to your blow dryer. As I mentioned before, the diffuser will help spread the more intense heat over a larger and more concentrated area, which will decrease the possibility of excessive heat damage.

Step Seven: Continue the Process, it is Almost Over!

Make sure when blow drying you continue blow drying your hair on medium or high heat. A practical way to use a diffuser is to drop your hair into its fingers and letting the air blow up through to the roots. Thicker roots take a little longer to blow dry. Keep going until your hair is about 90 percent dry.

Step Eight: Chill out for a second, man!

The time has come to let your hair cool back down finally. Cooling your hair back to a reasonable temperature keeps it from getting frizzy, and also feels great on your skin after you just blasted yourself with hot air for a while. Give your arm a break. You worked hard today! Also, did you purchase the blow dryer with the different settings? If so, flip the heat setting on your dryer to cool. Run the cold air through your hair until it is cool. Allow it to air dry the rest of the way. Now, feel the difference in your hair! Can you believe what a little TLC can do?

Remember: Your Hair is Worth the Time and Trouble

I know that was a lot to take in, and you are probably wondering If any of this is worth it. After all, a salon trip is nothing! Just keep in mind that if you want to learn how to take care of your hair, these techniques could be worth the trouble! Blow dryers make your hair look great, but all that exposure to heat is quite damaging to your hair. Your hair can end up feeling dry, frizzy, and you could end up with a lot of split ends. What’s your hair story? Do you usually blow dry your hair or would you instead go to a salon? Let me know in the comments!