Blow drying your hair seems pretty straightforward (and it is!) but there’s always something we can do to minimise heat damage and keep your locks as safe as possible when using a hair dryer. By now, most of us know that heat styling can take a toll on our hair – especially if you’re not taking steps to look after those locks! While we know that air drying is a less damaging method, let’s face it, it can take a *long* time – especially if you have a lot of hair. Today we’re going to give you the best tips and tricks for blow drying your hair while causing minimal damage.
Prep is key
You know what they say – if you fail to plan, you plan to fail! Ok, maybe they weren’t talking about your hair, but we certainly think it still applies. Prepping your strands is *essential* when it comes to minimising the damage caused by blow drying. Prep can start all the way back in your shower as you wash your hair. This means choosing a nourishing and hydrating shampoo and conditioner that will keep your locks feeling good (as heat can really dry your hair out over time!). It’s also great to choose products that are eco-friendly and don’t contain harmful ingredients.
Post shower, it’s always important to be gentle with wet hair as this is when it’s most vulnerable. A soft, microfibre towel is a great choice for drying as it’s more gentle on those strands. Now it’s time to really protect your locks! A blowout cream that doubles as a heat protectant will help you to minimise damage as well as ensure your hair looks amazing at the end. Now that we’re prepped and ready to go, it’s time to start blow drying.
Split your hair into smaller sections
You might think this will take longer but splitting your hair off into sections will help you to have more control over how much heat you need, as well as preventing you from going over sections that are already dry – a surefire way to cause more damage than necessary!
Keep the heat down
Having your blow dryer set to a medium heat is generally the best way to minimise damage as lower settings can extend drying time (and therefore extend the amount of time heat is being applied) and higher settings can really fry those poor strands. A medium setting is the way to go!
Don’t over-dry
We know what it’s like – you want to go over and over those strands until they’re perfect! Unfortunately, this can lead to over-drying and cause damage, frizz, and even breakage. Once your hair is dry to the touch, it’s time to put that dryer down and step away.