If you are always on the run, blow dryer would surely be your best friend. How else could you quickly dry your hair and get running then? But this probably is not the first time you hear about how blow dryer can harm your hair. Does it really?
Direct heat would cause a definite damage. There’s no doubt about that. Blow dryer, curling rods, flat iron can all harm your hair. Blow dryer is harmful when you use it often and when you don’t use it the right way.
Ways to use your hair dryer without damaging your hair:
Invest on a good hair dryer:
Blow dryer basically just blasts out hot air- why spend lots on it? Don’t grab the least expensive ones from the market. Buy only a reliable brand of hair dryer with enough heat settings. Get one that has attachments to evenly spread the air in your hair. If you want to save your hair, forget about saving money by buying cheaper hair dryers without many heat settings.
Use a heat protection serum:
If you plan to set your hair with a proper blow dry, never skip the heat protection serum. Choose a good heat protection serum or spray. Apply it on your hair before you use the blow dryer to comparatively reduce the hair damage due to heat.
Choose the right settings:
As far as possible, skip the highest heat settings in your hair dryer. Use a good nozzle to blow out warm air in a medium or low heat setting on your hair.
Keep it short:
Remember not to focus your blow dryer on the same area for a long time. Spread the heat evenly. These are just ways to minimize the damage that a blow dryer can cause. Remember that it can still harm your hair in the long run.
How should you dry your hair then?
Air drying and towel drying are the other options you have if blow dryer should be avoided. But towel drying might make your hair frizzy. And a coarse towel can also damage your hair. When it comes to hair drying, this method might sound totally harmless. But wet hair swells. So leaving it wet for long can increase the risk of damaging the hair protein. So how should you dry your hair without damaging it?
Remove excess moisture from your hair. For this use a soft towel. There are special hair-drying towels available in the market. You could also use a microfiber towel. Some even swear by how effective wrapping your wet hair in an old T-shirt can be. Once the excess moisture is removed, let your hair air dry a bit. When it is almost 70% dry, use your blow dryer. But remember to use it in the lowest heat settings. Never keep the blow dryer too close to your hair. Also remember to partition your hair into small sections when you blow dry it.
General Hair Care:
On days you don’t use a blow dryer, keep your hair healthy. Do not wash your hair too often. Use a good moisturizer every time you shampoo. Use a leave-in conditioner or heat protection spray every time you do any heat treatment on your hair. All these are ways to minimize the damage done to your hair. But the fact remains that blow dryers do harm your hair in the long run if not used the right way.
