What Are The Effects Of A Hairdryer On The Scalp?

Categorized as Hair Dryer Guide

Last Updated on March 27, 2022 by Rei

Whether we like it or not using a hairdryer has adverse effects on your hair. So it’s essential to know the different effects it has on your hair.

 But does it have any effects on your scalp? 

The answer is that it depends on the following factors, the length of your hair, distance, and temperature of your hairdryer. 

Keeping the hairdryer at a distance of 15cm with continuous motion would not damage your hair or your scalp.

The critical thing to remember when drying your hair is always to protect it as much as possible. You can do this by moisturising and using heat protectant products. 

Another thing that you can do to lessen the damage when using a hairdryer is to keep the temperature low and keep moving it around so that you are not over-drying a specific area of your scalp.

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Does using a hairdryer bad for your scalp?

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According to this study where they tested the effects of the hairdryer on the scalp on whether it damages it or not the result suggests that the surface of the hair acts as a natural barrier for your scalp.

The study suggests that as long as you keep the temperature low and the distance to at least 15cm, the damage should be minimal.

In fact, the results of the study found that it’s actually much better to dry your hair with a hairdryer compared to naturally letting it dry.

The reason behind this is not known yet and needs further studies to be conducted.

Can you burn your head while using a hairdryer?

This question depends on what you mean by your “head” is it your scalp? Or your hair?

If you’re talking about damage to the scalp, it’s very unlikely. As we mentioned above the hair acts as a natural barrier to your scalp.

If what you mean is your hair, then yes. It’s actually really easy to burn your hair with a hairdryer if you’re not careful when using it.

It’s considered to be one of the reasons how we physically damage our hair. Sometimes without even knowing it.

Before we talk about how to protect your hair when using a hairdryer, it’s important to know what other causes you might be damaging your hair.

There are two ways you can damage your hair — Physically and Chemically.

The physical causes of hair damage include:

  • towel drying
  • hair accessories
  • Washing

The main culprit on this is the friction we apply to our hair when using what I mentioned above. 

This is especially true when our hair is wet.

The Chemical causes of hair damage include:

  • bleaching
  • hair dyeing
  • perming

While this may not outright damage your hair with just one use, frequent use of chemicals on your hair will damage it.

Now back to the topic on how you can protect your hair from being damaged while using a hairdryer.

The key to preventing damage while using a hairdryer is moisture. Without it, it’s really easy to dry out your hair and crack your cuticles.

We recommend using moisturising products before and after using your hairdryer.

Also, we recommend that you use a heat protectant product to protect your hair further. 

Is air drying bad for your scalp?

Air drying or naturally drying your hair can be bad for your scalp if you leave it wet for too long. 

This is because leaving your hair wet for more than two hours can cause bacterias to grow and infect your scalp.

It’s best to limit the amount of time your hair is wet. 

We suggest pat drying your hair then using the cool shot mode of your hair drying to finish it off.

By Rei Garnet

I've been a hairstylist and worked for salons for over 8 years and I want to share my passion and knowledge with a wider audience. My goal is to give everyone the best hair they could possibly have.