Nothing makes us feel as fabulous as a salon blow dry. Of course, we can’t visit the professionals as often as we like but we can rev up our blow dryers at home when we want to amp up our hair game. We give you some important blow drying tips to keep your strands healthy and safe while looking smooth and voluminous. Follow these and become a blow-drying whizz in no time!
1. Are You Using The Right Brush?
It’s important you use the right brush for your hair length while blow drying your hair.
For short hair – A flat brush with boar and nylon brushes to help smoothen the hair.
For medium length hair – A round brush with boar and nylon bristles is the best for blow drying medium hair because it helps reduce frizz and add bounce.
For long hair – A thermal round brush with a ceramic core is the perfect one for blow drying so it heats up to really help smoothen hair and curl those ends if you like, kind of like a curling iron.
2. Prep Your Locks before you blow dry
By now, you definitely know to never apply heat onto your strands without using any product first. We know, we know, we’ve nagged you about this enough times! But it’s so important as the product will act as a protective barrier between your locks and the heat. Add a dollop of shine serum through the length and ends before you blow dry them. If you’re looking for a lot of volume use a mousse or volumizer at the roots but not at the ends. For fine hair definitely make sure to use lightweight products before blow drying as you don’t want to weigh it down.
Also read: 9 Tricks To Dry Your Hair *Perfectly* Without Using A Dryer!
3. How Wet Should Your Hair Be for the perfect blow dry?
No, you should not start blow drying with sopping wet hair. Your locks should be about 60 percent dry before you start blow drying with a brush. After you’ve gently towel-dried, blast the air on your locks and use your fingers till your strands reach the right amount of dampness. That’s when you pick up your brush and begin blow-drying from your roots.
4. How Should I blow dry For Volume At The Roots
It’s important to use your hands to rough dry your hair under the hot air for a bit. Use your fingers to comb and lift your roots to bring that salon-like oomph before you start blow drying with a brush.
5. Start At The Right Place
Once your hair is 60 percent dry, it’s important to section it for a more professional like blow dry effect. Section off the top sections and clip them away. Begin from the bottom sections and work your way up with the blow dryer. Don’t simply run the brush down your length while blasting heat on it, that’s not going to be very effective. What you’ve got to do is pull your roots taut if you’re using a flat brush, point the nozzle at it and then work your way down to the ends. While blow drying with a round brush, wrap your roots around it and roll the brush down, follow its movements with the blow dryer, then take it back up to your roots. Do this a few times then wrap your ends around it a couple times to finish.
6. Be Hot And Cold
How much do you really use the cold setting on your blow dryer? Well, it turns out that it’s actually quite important. Once you finish with a section, definitely cool it down with a jet of cool air to help seal the cuticle and allow the style to last for much longer. One pro tip is to also allow your hair to cool down in the brush, especially when you’re using a round brush, before moving onto the next section.
Also read: How To Dry Your Hair Without Heat And STILL Look Salon-Perfect!
7. Bangs, Behave!
If you have bangs that just never seem to do what you want then try blow-drying them like a pro. For blow drying your bangs, using your brush, pull them straight out from your forehead, first towards the left, then the right then in front of you, while pointing the nozzle at the ends. This will help smoothen them and get rid of frizz.
8. Define Curls and Waves With A Diffuser
Most blow dryers come with a diffuser attachment that most of us forget about. If you have wavy or curly hair, this is life-saving tool. Attach the diffuser and place your ends in it and move it upwards towards your scalp. It helps distribute the heat and will give you more defined curls and hair that is less frizzy.
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