So it’s the last day of week two of my Healthy Hair segment and today it’s all about drying the hair. I’ve already established how important it is to take care when handling wet hair but I’ll say it again. Correcting any bad habits you may have with the way you dry your hair now will make a huge impact on your haircare routine. Some people use the blow dryer every time they dry their hair; others let it dry naturally, and maybe you have your own routine. Regardless, I think it’s so important to prep your hair for whichever way you plan on drying your hair.

I take several steps before drying my hair. Sometimes I blow dry it and sometimes I let it dry naturally (when I feel like having wild curls). Either way, I do this same “hair prep” initially.

Step One- Pillow Squeeze

Straight out of the shower I squeeze out excess water with a pillow case. Yup, a pillow case. The terry material that most towels are can actually cause the cuticle scales to stand up, especially if you are rubbing your hair with it (Never do that!). A cotton pillow case is much better and reduces the frizz factor significantly. I just sort of blot my hair dry, never rubbing or pulling in any way.

Step Two-Air Dry 

I let my hair dry for about 20 minutes naturally while I do my makeup, etc. I like to get it about 50-75% dry before really handling it.

Step Three-Comb

I always use a wide tooth comb and comb my hair in sections, starting at the ends and working my way up to the roots.

Step Four- Protect

At this point I will apply my split end repair serum to the ends of my hair, mousse or gel, and a heat protectant (if blow drying). These are the products I have been using lately. You can click on the images to buy.

 

 

 

 

 

After prepping my hair, I can either let it dry naturally or use my hair dryer. Having a good hairdryer is really important. I credit a lot of my hair’s shine to my hairdryer. I have an Elchim 2001 horsepower dryer and it does a great job of getting my hair dry and frizz-free. It was around $80 and I’d definitely recommend it.

Which do you prefer, to dry your hair with a hairdryer or to let it dry naturally?