10 Hair Blow Drying Mistakes You Should Avoid

Nothing can be simpler than blow-drying hair and styling it according to your choice. Quick and simple, blow-drying allows you to dry wet hair in a jiffy. However, in recent times, the use of electrical styling products such as blow-dryers and straighteners has come under the scanner for their ability to potentially damage your hair strands.

From turning your hair dry and frizzy to making hair strands lifeless, blow-drying can be harmful when not done in the right way.

Advantages of blow drying

There are a few genuine advantages of blow-drying hair for sure. Let us have a quick look:

• Blow-drying helps you to streamline and quicken your hair care routine. While for many, blow-drying can be an added hassle, it can help your hair care routine to get a proper shape.
• Many of us, especially men, quickly rub their hair in a towel, improperly comb hair (while the hair strands are still wet) and rush out. This is not a proper hair care routine. Combing hair, when it is still wet, can damage the hair strands irreparably.
• Hair strands are fragile and vulnerable while they are still wet. It is important to completely dry them before applying any kind of cosmetic product or styling them. Here, blow-drying can come to the rescue. It can quickly dry your hair strands so that you can style them as per your choice.
• Blow drying forms the basis of styling. Styling cannot be achieved on wet hair strands. Whether you are straightening your hair strands or curling them, you need the hair strands to be completely dry. Blow drying is an effective way to dry your hair so that you can style it.
• Blow drying also helps you to achieve the perfectly groomed look that you find among celebrities. While a few of us are naturally born with perfect locks, many of us struggle with un-groomed hair.
• This also bolsters your confidence level by making your hair look stylish and attractive. Hair forms an important part of your overall appearance and having perfectly coiffured locks can help you look good.

However, simply incorporating blow drying into your hair care routine is not enough. One has to follow several techniques to blow dry your hair. This helps you to avoid damage to your hair and make it silky and smooth. Here are the things that you can do to avoid damage to your hair.

Here are the 10 Blow Drying Mistakes to Avoid to Not Cause Any Damage to Hair

1. Never allow hot air on your damp hair strands directly

   This may harm your hair. After washing, you should squeeze out the excess water with a cloth and then blow dry it. By doing this it takes a lesser amount of time blow drying as the hair strands have already been partially dried.

2. Avoid blow drying with hot air

   Most of the hair blow dryers come with two modes of airflow. The first mode is hot air. Hot air rapidly evaporates moisture leading to quick, dry hair. On the other hand, there is the cold air mode.

   This ensures that moisture is evaporated at a slower rate. While hot air mode is perfect for long, straight hair, cold air on the other hand is good for softer, gentler curls.

3. Never blow dry your hair from end to root

   This is because this process is opposite to the direction of hair growth. What this might do is to open up the cuticles of the hair shaft, encouraging tangles and frizz. Therefore, to tame frizz and prevent hair entanglement, always blow dry from root to end.

   This fuses the cuticles, adding a natural shine to your hair strands. After washing your hair, hold your blow dryer over your head and blow dry it from root to tip.

4. Never hold the blow-dryer on the dominant hand

   The dominant hand is the hand that we use while reading, writing, eating, and doing most of your daily chores. However, it is precisely for this reason that you must not use this hand to hold the blow dryer.

   Rather use this hand to hold the brush for brushing and styling your hair. Hold the blow-dryer in your non-dominant hand and the styling brush in your dominant hand. Of course, the dominant and non-dominant hand will differ from one person to another.

   While for some people, the dominant hand is the right, for others, it is the left hand. Therefore, choose your working hand carefully, while blow-drying and styling your hair.

5. Never pull your hair downward for detangling while using a blow-dryer

   Instead, always go for gentle strokes. Use a detangler on your hair. The market is full of beauty products that offer a detangling effect. Having used a detangling brush or a spray on your hair, blow-dry it for better results.

   Using too much force on hair strands, especially already damaged hair strands, will result in breakage.

6. Never hold the dryer too close to your hair and scalp

   This might damage the hair strands. Also, it might potentially burn your forehead. For best results hold your blow-dryer at a distance of at least 12 inches.

   That is usually the recommended distance for holding the dryer. Alternatively, read the user’s manual carefully to determine the length at which you need to hold your blow dryer.

7. Not sectioning your hair is another problem

   Usually, we blow dry the whole bunch of hair without sectioning it. This creates a mess, leading to entanglement and frizz. This also dries your hair very quickly damaging the natural moisture of your hair shafts that comes from the sebum on your scalp.

   For best results, always section your hair separately with duckbill clips. Then use your blow dryer on each section, while styling your hair at the same time. Not only will this make the process of styling easier, but it will also prevent tangles.

8. Do not wrap your hair strands with a towel for a long time

   This leads to friction, creating frizz and entanglements. Cotton towels absorb moisture at a faster rate, thereby leading to dryness and frizz. You should wrap your hair with a microfiber towel for up to 10 minutes. When your hair is relatively dry, then you should use a blow dryer to dry your hair.

9. Do not forget to use thermal protection

   Hot dry air tends to dry up your hair strands a bit too quickly, thereby making it frizzy and stringy. Always use beauty products that contain thermal protection or moisture-locking properties.

   These include shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, unrefined coconut oil that contains lauric acid. These provide a protective cover to your hair strands. Once you have heat protection in place, then you can use a blow dryer. This will prevent your hair from getting too dry and frizzy.

10. Do not forget to use the flat nozzle piece

    The flat nozzle piece that comes with the blow dryer is there for a reason. It is meant to provide direct concentrated heat on your hair strands, making your damaged hair shiny and adding volume to hair strands.

How to Blow Dry Your Hair in Simple Steps?

Hair blow drying is not rocket science. It is a simple process, if you follow our advice and the simple steps below:

• Wash your hair with your favorite shampoo. Using a shampoo is essential before you blow dry hair as this will clean both your hair and scalp.
• Always use a conditioner to make up for the loss of moisture while using a shampoo. A conditioner locks moisture and offers shine and volume to your hair.
• Squeeze out the excess water from your hair strands and wrap around a microfiber towel to dry your hair partially. Once you have dried your hair partially, follow the steps mentioned above to blow dry your hair.
• Follow it up with a styling gel or virgin coconut oil to get the benefits of coconut oil including extra shine and bounce. Unrefined coconut oil or virgin coconut oil works well for all hair types. However, do be careful to use only a small amount, as using an excess amount of oil will make your hair strands oily and sticky.
• Next, style your hair as per your needs.

Conclusion

Blow drying hair is a common part of all hair care routines. However, very few of us do it correctly. Following the steps above and avoiding common mistakes while blow drying your hair will only make your hair shafts shiny, bouncy and voluminous. This will not only help in correcting damaged hair; it will also promote the growth of thick hair.

If you are worried about your hair and want the best hair care regimen, visit our hair experts at Advanced Hair Studio. We will do a thorough check of your hair and suggest appropriate hair treatments so that your hair stays shiny and healthy!

FAQs on Hair Blow Drying

What should I put on my hair before blow drying?

Using a small amount of coconut oil on hair and scalp can prevent hair fall and damage due to excess heat from the hairdryer. Coconut oil contains all the essential fatty acids that make the hair bouncy, shiny and voluminous. Coconut oil is a natural oil that contains no chemicals and helps in preventing moisture from escaping.

Is Blow drying your hair bad?

Blow drying is equally suited for all hair types. Typically, we find that for straight hair type, it works better. However, for curly hair and wavy hair, a blow-dryer can be used if you follow the steps mentioned above and are careful.

Should you let your hair air dry before blow drying?

Hair should be wrapped in a towel before blow-drying. Once you have soaked up the excess amount of water from hair strands with the help of a towel, you can then start using a blow-dryer. Air drying your hair on the other hand will lead to further loss of moisture, thereby making the hair extra dry, frizzy and entangled. This has the potential of damaging your hair strands as well.

Can you apply hair oil before blow drying?

Blow drying should always be accompanied by the use of hair oil as it prevents excessive loss of moisture. Use it before blow drying your hair to lock in the moisture and the sebum. However, on the other hand, you can also use other beauty products like an artificial serum to give your hair a moist, dewy look.

How do I smooth out my hair after blow drying?

After blow drying, smooth your hair strands with a brush. A wide-toothed brush is better for smoothing out hair strands. On the other hand, a rolling brush should be used for detangling and smoothing out the frizz.

How do I stop my blow drying hair from frizzing?

Frizzing hair strands is a common problem faced by people daily. The main reason why frizz occurs is because of a loss of moisture. To prevent frizz, use a conditioner on your hair regularly. Also, go for hot oil treatment for deep conditioning.