Whether you are a fan of perfectly shaped red-carpet curls, sexy Victoria’s Secret beachy waves or silky smooth shiny hair, the shortcut to the hairstyle of your dreams is HEAT. It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the downside is that styling tools and blow-drying can permanently damage your hair and leave it dry, lifeless and fried… And even though it sounds scary, we still do it … and then we suffer and complain that our hair is misbehaving ?
Here are some rules that will help you to learn how to protect your hair while using styling tools and how to blow-dry your hair so that you don’t end up with damaged and brittle hair full of split ends.
We all know that the perfect and the safest way to dry your hair is to pat it with a towel and let it dry naturally… well as long as you don’t mind waiting and you don’t care how your hair will look after that.
The other option is the hairdryer. It’s a lifesaver when you want to quickly dry, style and add a bit of volume to your hair. But what about losing moisture? Moisture is as important to the hair as it is to the skin. It keeps the hair soft and resilient. The overuse of a hairdryer can rob the hair of its precious moisture, leaving it dry and lifeless.
How to dry your hair without drying it out
Use towel before using your hairdryer
When your hair is wet it’s extremely fragile and can easily be damaged or pulled. Avoid rubbing vigorously your head with a towel. Instead, gently start squeezing your hair with a towel to remove the excess moisture. If your hair is long, you might need to use a couple of towels.
Use heat protecting spray, serum or cream
It is essential to apply some sort of heat protectant to your hair before blow-drying your hair. A good heat protecting spray or cream will help to prevent split ends, breakage and damage.
Hopefully there are plenty of choices on the market. ? My personal favorite is the Phyto PhytoKératine Repairing Thermal Protectant Spray.
Using the Hairdryer
A good hairdryer should have separate controls for temperature and speed. Make sure to hold the dryer about 6 inches away and don’t blow-dry directly towards your scalp. Dry the back and sides of your head first, and work towards the crown and front of the head. Start on a higher speed and higher temperature, and then, as the hair begins to dry, gradually reduce the heat. If you use a brush for styling, use it gently, as a brush can do more damage than a hairdryer.
When the hair is almost dry, turn down the heat and reduce the speed because at this point damage is most likely to occur so be extremely careful.
A lot of people don’t know that blow drying hair from wet to damp does no damage, but drying from damp to dry can be hazardous.
If it’s possible the hair should be left damp as in that case, no damage will occur. However, if you need your hair completely dry then make sure to check the hair constantly and stop blow-drying immediately after your hair is dry because a few extra seconds (YES, seconds!) can dry out the natural moisture in your hair and lead to breakage and split ends.
Using Hair Styling Tools (Straighteners, Curling Irons, Curling wands etc.)
All styling tools are a potential danger to the hair and you should try to avoid using them very often. Try not to use styling tools more than once a week. All high-quality styling tools come with a thermostatic control which allows you to choose the right temperature for your hair.
Before using any styling tools take some time to examine the condition of your hair. Take a look at the different layers of your hair. For most women the top layer of the hair is the most fragile. This means that you will need to use lower temperature to get the desired results, and then increase the temperature while styling the rest of the hair.
Before you start styling your hair make sure that the styling tool that you are using is sufficiently heated. Don’t forget to use heat protectant.
You have to find the right temperature for styling your hair. Do not leave the iron on the hair for too long and do not pull excessively on the hair to straighten it. Experiment to find the perfect temperature to style you hair.
Please note that the temperature that you need to use for curling your hair might be different than the temperature necessary to straighten your hair. For instance if you have wavy hair it would be a lot easier to curl your hair than to straighten it.
Make the most of your natural hairstyle
Try to be gentle to your hair and work with what you already have. For example, if you have naturally straight hair don’t bother to curl it very often. Straightening relatively straight hair will take less effort and you will use less heat. On the other hand, if you decide to curl your naturally straight hair, you will need to use a lot more heat and higher temperature to get the job done. Don’t forget that more heat = more damage
Check out my YouTube video for more tips on how to maintain a healthy looking hair and how to grow your hair ?
Share with me in the comments your favorite heat protectant as this might be useful for other people as well ?
