Ellie asks:
I usually don’t have the patience to blow dry my hair completely. But my hair dresser told me it is better to dry the hair roots completely than half blow drying the hair and then let it dry by itself. Is it true?
The Right Brain responds:
We think this idea is kind of silly but we’ll avoid the temptation to just tell you to get a new hair dresser and instead we’ll try to present both sides of the story.
Technically Speaking…
It’s more damaging to blow dry or towel dry your hair than it is to let it air dry. It’s as simple as that. That’s because heat from blow dryers can mess with the natural lipid distribution in your hair AND degrade the intercellular cement that holds the hair’s protective cuticle in place. And the physical abrasion from towel drying not only loosens healthy cuticles but can actually wear them away! So if you dry your hair a lot you’ll end up with less shine and more split ends.
Stylistically Speaking…
We assume a hair dresser would argue that blow drying keeps your hair sleek and smooth and that air drying makes it frizzy. But we don’t want to make the wrong assumption. Are there any hairdressers out there reading this? Post a comment with your opinion on this notion of partially drying hair.
So, Ellie, it looks like the answer to your drying dilemma could come down to what’s more important to you: avoiding damage or fighting frizz? Only you can decide that. (But, hey, if you’re THAT worried about frizz you can always use a good smoothing product after you dry your hair. You can buy an entire CASE (!) of this effective frizz fighter for only 20 bucks!
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
You found Towely! He is so high…
At the cosmetology school I attended, we were taught that while heat is more damaging than coloring, we were still expected to partially blow dry hair for styles that didn’t need product and to completely dry hair for styles that did. Customers expected you to dry their hair unless you were charging extra for it and some salons required one to show off one’s proficiency at drying before hiring.
Personally, I haven’t used a blow dryer on my own hair in about 20 years, shampoo with the cheap stuff and my hair is silky and shiny. My daughter, who uses the $20/bottle shampoo and conditioner, dries and straightens her hair daily and pours on the color and product regularly, has hair like straw. I suspect if she lays off the heat, she can also save on the moisturizers and shine conditioners, but hey, she only hears “mom” say that!
I used to be an avid user of blow dryer and towel (as well as hair color) and I also had the “straw hair” thing going on. I’ve grown my hair out since then, and I have chopped off all the damage and I have to admit that my hair is in much better condition then it was when I was doing this. I just shampoo it, and then put in a tiny bit of conditioner, that’s it!
Recently I have gone back to using one of those microfiber/super absorbent towels to dry my hair before styling and it seems to work in terms of getting lots of the water out. I don’t rub I just squeeze if that makes any difference.
I have naturally wavy/curly, fine and sometimes frizzy but healthy hair. I work hard at keeping my long locks healthy and barely ever blow dry or straight iron my hair (maybe six times a year). Anyway, I stopped going to many a hairdresser bc they insisted on fully drying and flat ironing my hair prior to cutting it. I always felt like they were pulling my hair out with the rough round brushing and stretching.
Why is it so hard for hairdressers to just cut wet hair? It’s not like I have a complex hair cut and I really hate the “hair handling”.
It makes me wonder if they do this just to cause more damage and make you keep getting regular cuts!
You might be onto something there! Regular customers keep hair cutters in business.
JCS said: It makes me wonder if they do this just to cause more damage and make you keep getting regular cuts!
I have to deal with split ends and frizzies all the time. I would love to find an easy way to keep them at a minimum as I know I will always have them. I stumbled upon this hair dryer at http://www.promolife.com/beauty/far-infrared-hair-dryer/prod_582.html
Has anyone ever used one of these? It says it drys at a lower temperature, so it kinda makes sense it will cause less damage. I would love to hear if anyone has experience with one and see if it helped.
I’m a hairdresser. And I always advise my clients to let their hair dry naturally. To keep frizz at bay, I think using a serum would be best. Apply a little serum to wet or even dry hair. Works every time.
wow, JCS, it’s the first time i’ve heard this. In Europe they never cut your hair when it’s dry. Unless some bangs perfecting few cuts. If they do something I don’t like I tell them. For that I have been called bossy quite some times, but i don’t care, I am bosy when it comes to my body
It’s funny because in a japanese beauty magazine they said it’s better to blow dry the hair instead of air dry. Blow drying hair and curling it is everyday routine. Personally I just don’t have time to let hair dry naturally before I go to sleep so I blow dry with cool blast setting. But I also condition with a moisturizing conditioner everyday plus use leave in hair condition twice a week. My hair is fine and looks great everyday.
A trick I’ve learned from long hair forums is to dry hair with an old T-shirt (soft cotton) instead of a regular towel. Its amazing. The T is absorbent but not rough like a towel and consequently your hair doesn’t need the blowdrier to smooth out the cuticle. I also add a small bit of serum or coconut oil for sleekness as it airdries, because my hair is very coarse and dry.