Last Updated on March 27, 2022 by Rei
To prevent your hair dryer from damaging your hair, you need to apply a heat protectant before blow-drying. Another thing to note is that certain hair types are more prone to a higher temperature — adjust your hair dryer’s temperature accordingly.
A good rule to remember is finer hair is more prone to heat damage, while thicker/curly hair needs higher temperatures.
Blow drying can have a lot of benefits and can give you the hair you want. But we should all be careful when using one. Heat damage from a hair dryer can lead to a lot of problems, like frizzy hair, brittleness, and split ends.
Our goal here is to provide you the necessary steps you can do to prevent heat damage. This is especially important for those of you who use your hair dryer every day.
Table of contents
The Prep
No cheap drugstore hair dryer
If you have the budget we recommend you buy a proper hair dryer that has all the bells and whistle you would ever need. We recommend ionic hair dryers because they are the most non-damaging based on our research. You can read more here.
Make sure that all the attachments like the concentrator nozzle and diffusers are included on the hair dryer you decided to buy. Using these attachments correctly would greatly improve your hair drying experience and reduce the chance of heat damage.
Use heat protectant
Using a heat protectant to ensure that your not going to overly expose your hair to unnecessary heat and risk damaging your hair. Buy one of those heat protectant that has silicone, this is especially good for minimizing the risk of heat damage.
Using the hair dryer
While using the hair dryer try to hold it to about 6 inches away from your hair. This would ensure that you’re not drying your hair too fast because that can lead to further damage. Dry the side and back of your head first, and work up towards the roots. Start by using the highest temperature setting for your hair type and gradually reduce the heat as you go along.
Make sure to also keep moving while doing this. Staying at the same spot for a long time would increase the chance of you damaging your scalp and roots.
If you plan on using a brush we recommend that you use a wide-tooth comb.
Needs Volume?
If you want more volume try putting a volumizing mousse. Simply put about a tennis-ball-sized mousse to your hair before blow-drying. Make sure you apply from roots to ends.
Now divide your hair into sections using hair clips to about 4-6 sections depending on the thickness of your hair. If you have thicker hair you can divide it to 10 sections.
When using the hair dryer, start at a lower heat setting first. This would ensure that your hair would not frizz.
While blow-drying use a round brush and wrap it around each section. Use a concentrator nozzle when doing this to direct the air on the brush.
Repeat this process to all the sections.
Tips and tricks
- Don’t ignore the concentrator nozzle. This attachment helps to concentrate the heat to a more precise location. This would help your hair from excess heat and would give you overall better hair health.
- Don’t over-dry your hair with towels. Make sure that your hair is about 50 percent dry before using blow-drying.
- Invest in an ionic hair dryer. Ionic hair dryers release negative ions that would reduce your drying time, leading to a lesser risk of heat damage.
- Don’t forget to use a heat protectant. Whatever hair type you have, it’s always a good idea to use a heat protectant before blow-drying. This would ensure that you don’t damage your hair. This is especially true for those who blow-dry every day.
