How do I prevent frizzy hair when blow drying?
Good question.
Maybe you’re wondering this because whenever you apply the heat your rogue strands become an absolute mess of frizz?
Yeah mirror don’t lie.
It’s a sometime painful reflection of reality you may not want to see – frizz and all.
Ouch!
Well, chances are you’re so blessed because you might be unaware of the essential tricks for getting a near perfect home blowout.
Is that possible?
Lucky for you we dug deep and found just what to need to eliminate that frizz-fest once and for all!
Imagine being outside all day without even a hint of frizz. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
To get there here’s what we’re uncovering. You can jump to whatever catches your eye or take this all in in order.
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Blot to Damp Trading In Your Terry Cloth Towel For This
Eliminating Mr Frizzy all starts with getting your mane to “not soaking wet” quickly. This is otherwise known as a rough dry.
The process usually involves a towel and then your blow dryer in that order.
Do this wrong, and by wrong I mean letting the blow dryer whip your sopping wet locks all over right away, isn’t going to help cut down the frizz. What it will do is cause the hair cuticle to lift which just invites split ends, tangles, and of course, frizz.
Not to mention you’ll be exposing your hair to more heat longer which is only damaging it further.
Instead most beauty smarties will want to follow a two-step process that starts with a towel. But not just any towel.
Yeah, once you’re out of the shower you want to blot your hair with a towel until it is no longer dripping wet.
That’s right, gently squeeze your hair into your towel to get rid of the excess water.
Do this only after you have detangled your locks carefully with a wide tooth comb.
But I did just mention not just any towel, didn’t I?
Tip: It’s best to always use a micro fiber or clean t-shirt instead of letting anything terry cloth near your tresses.
Here’s the three advantages MarieClaire pointed out to using a microfiber hair drying towels
- They absorb dramatically more water than terry cloth
- You start out blow dryer time with hair that’s less wet which minimizes heat exposure
- Cuts down on the frizz risk – which is the point here, right?
If you’re stuck for which one to pick you probably can’t go wrong with this highly rated, yet affordable, towel from DuraComfort found on Amazon.
Tip: Never ever rub your hair with any towel even gently much less vigorously. You’re just asking for trouble and frizz before you’ve even fired up the hair dryer because doing that will rough up the cuticle.
The idea is to avoid friction which can wreak havoc by manhandling the hair shaft making it frizz prone.
Problem is that’s exactly what coarse texture of terry cloth towels do. (If you want to find out even more here’s everything you ever wanted to know about why micro fiber towels are superior to terry cloth.)
Phew. Got a little carried away railing against the problems with terry cloth.
Still the BIG idea is to gently squeeze the water out of your strands, not scrub it out with your towel.
Once you’ve squeezed out as much water as you can wrap your hair to let the towel or tshirt to continue to absorb the water.
This shouldn’t take all day. You just want to suck out the excess water which would be like 10 minutes at most. Otherwise leaving your hair wrapped in the towel risks flattening the roots.
Or you can pat your hair with your favorite T-shirt for three to five minutes letting it suck up what moisture is left.
Better Late Than Never Tip: Remember whenever you wash your hair apply the shampoo to the roots. On the scalp. Avoid applying any to the ends ever! No need. Plus it risks drying the ends out more than they already are.
Got it? Then let’s back up a bit and take a look at another important step in your frizz free journey.
A Little Help From Your Friends Products
Luckily frizz when blow drying is a problem products can definitely help solve – if you choose the right ones for YOUR hair.
Also if you want smooth strands one battle you can’t afford to lose is the constant one waged against humidity.
To come out ahead you will want to find the best leave in conditioner, serum and/or hair mask to keep your mane hydrated. Argan oil can’t hurt either.
I’m not saying you have to use all of these. The idea would be to go minimalist and only use what you need to do the job.
But I also want to point out some do find all of those are required to keep their locks properly moisturized.
Deep Conditioner: I’ve seen this product, It’s a 10 Silk Express Miracle Silk Leave-In, mentioned in this context of taming frizz when blow drying more than once in Youtube videos.
For that reason I felt I’d mention it too.
This is a light weight hydrating product that your strands may drink up. The downside, if there is one, is the fact some complain it’s highly fragranced. If that’s a concern the original version on Amazon may be a better choice.
But a leave in like this can definitely help keep your hair from drying out.
Smoothing Serum: Some admit if they could use only one product on their wet hair the choice to try first would be John Frieda Frizz Ease. If you need convincing you can check out what Allure magazine had to say about it for yourself.
Again more moisture and added smoothness.
Hair Mask: Frizz fighters to the end there are many to choose from. Here are 8 Vogue felt were worth your consideration.
Argan Oil: Applied before blow drying and used as a smoothing serum it can help tame the frizz too. Run a few drops through damp hair for a sleeker, smoother finish. Gives you super soft strands with no greasy feel.
Better Late Than Never Tip: Unlike with shampoo and since you’re going for sleek it’s usually best to concentrate products like these on the ends. Or no higher than mid strand or ear high?
Still Playing Rough
That brings us to the second rough dry step – blow drying.
Know that any rough blow dry involves fingers only. That’s right it’s still not time to whip out the brush. The idea to get your mane to about 75-80% dry.
Once there, NOW, it’s serious tool time. You’re ready for the dryer and brush to work together to produce the sleek polished look you’re going after. This is where your technique should kick in.
Not to lot more to say. Check out the videos below if you need more help on how to do this.
Ionic Dryer, Please?
Is your hair dryer streaming negative ions?
Know why you might want it to?
Science.
Yeah the science behind this says ions clinging to water are positively charged. When they meet up with negative ones shot from an ionic blow dryer the droplets are both scattered and get smaller.
Okay so the droplets are literally blown up and that makes for faster dryer time because smaller droplets just dry faster. Faster drying time means healthier hair.
That’s reason one.
Reason two?
You might also discover, as others have, you’re left with a sleeker, more polished finish. Not to mention shinier strands, along with less frizz, because all those negative ions reduce surface tension per Modern Salon magazine.
Which is to say, anyone serious about staying frizz free should at least consider ionic hair dryers. Because don’t you deserve a blowout without frizz?
Time to Concentrate
Next it’s time to dig out that concentrator nozzle thingee lurking somewhere in your bathroom vanity (hopefully). It’s a must use if you have any hope of a frizz free blowout.
For one the nozzle provides a safe distance between your hair and business end rim of the dryer which is where it’s the hottest.
Tip: That said, you still don’t want the nozzle nuzzling up against your hair. It’s probably best to keep at least three inches of distance from it and your mane. The idea is to smooth and make shiny not fried.
Two you’ll notice that that the end of the nozzle quite thin. That helps it to concentrate the air flow to avoid dynamiting your locks all over the place like some inflatable tube men you’ve seen dancing at auto dealerships.
Tip: Also depending on how you hold your dryer the concentrator should be attached or oriented like on a clock face from 12 to 6 rather than 9-3.
The point here is you want to focus the air on the hair just behind your brush across the width of the brush. Not running the entire length of the section your working.
Here’s what you need to know about concentrators but didn’t know who to ask.
Do pay attention to what he points out about suffocating your hair and why you don’t want to to that!
Just say no to thermal brushes
You might want to see if avoiding thermal brushes makes a difference with your frizz situation.
And I know. I know. Thermal brushes are promoted as essential blow out tools.
Maybe. Maybe not.
You see the barrels of too many of them get too hot which results in more, not less, frizz. Not to mention less than satisfying smoothing.
Then there’s those stiff plastic bristles. If you think terry cloth is hard on hair think what those little suckers can do as you rake them through your vulnerable hair shafts snagging as you go.
Too harsh.
So if that’s out what’s in? Ideally a mix of boar and SOFT nylon bristles according to Self Magazine. Or something synthetic for grip with a natural bristle to smooth the strands down.
Density matters too. You want the bristles packed close enough together so the brush gets a firm grip on the hair – again as the videos below clearly show.
Here’s an example of a dual bristle brush listed on Amazon that gets high marks.
Otherwise here’s three quick reminders about brushes:
You likely already know the bigger the brush the bigger volume. Oh and the longer your locks the bigger the diameter of brush you want to use.
Consistent tension when using the brush helps to stretch your strands just a bit which helps you straighten them properly. You want a brush that will tug at the root and pull every last strand silky smooth.
Then take care to insure the hair on your hairline gets enough attention. This area can make or break your blowout. If you there’s a frizz breakout around your face that’s all anyone will see.
Anyway, while it may not seem a brush can be that important to your blowout – it might be.
No Fail Technique Tricks
Obviously technique plays a role in how sleek and smooth your hair turns out.
First you’ll want to work with smaller sections. That’s very important. Fail to do that and nothing else that follows may matter.
Proper sectioning insures each and every strand is completely dry.
Tip: The width of any section should be no wider than your brush. Obvious perhaps but then again maybe not.
The other big idea here is to aim the air coming out of the dryer down the hair shaft. This is another not to be violated rule.
Blasting your hair with the air going downwards smooths the cuticles while adding shine. But if you find yourself blowing against the grain you’re just asking for frizz and flyaways.
Tip: See if moving out of your steamy bathroom when blow drying might not help. I mean think about it. Aren’t you like swimming upstream fighting all that moisture in the bathroom air to get your hair to dry after your shower?
Tip: ALWAYS focus on your bangs first since they tend to air dry quickly which can leave you with a frizzy mess.
Next it might help to look at your brush another way. Think of it like One. Huge. Velcro roller.
Yeah, so the idea isn’t to drag it repeatedly through your hair so much as to twirl (wrap) your hair (kept taut and under tension) around the brush as you move down from the roots to the ends followed by the concentrator that bathes your locks in the heat of the dryer drying as you go.
You’re gently stretching the hair which works to straighten it.
One more idea is to work the hair in the opposite direction it’s going to lay when done.
Tip: If you’re finding your hair refrizzes, (that’s a word isn’t it?) first are you sure your hair was 100% dry? Don’t confuse hot with dry as even a hint of moisture risks poofy hair once the humidity hits it.
Tip: When a given section is totally dry it’s not a bad idea to give it a cold shot to set the style. This can also help you find any strands that aren’t fully dry.
Tip: If you are drying it completely finishing hair spray may help. A good way to do it is to spray the hair spray on your brush then run the brush it through your hair.
Okay time to break out the popcorn and do a little binge video watching showing how to blow dry relatively short, mid length then long hair.
Video Time
You’ll notice three similar yet different techniques all of which gives you plenty of ideas to steal.
Four takeaways:
Little known trick – She buys box hair color sometimes just to get the conditioner that comes with it and uses that. In this case she used L’Oreal Excellence Creme #3 Hair Conditioner
She explains in detail what to look for in a brush and why.
Also take note of how she positions the concentrator so it runs the width of the brush behind the brush. Pay attention to how she twirls it while blasting away with the dryer.
Finally the cool shot not only seals the style but add shine.
Four takeaways:
With more hair sectioning becomes more important. Also rather than rough drying her entire head she does that section by section on the warm heat setting before starting the round brush work.
Again there is an emphasis on spinning or rotating the brush while applying heat.
Clipping up and away the hair you’ve already dried eliminates any chance of it getting damp again and exposing it to frizz risk. In other words make sure no wet hair is touching hair you’ve already dried.
The warm setting on your blow dryer is okay for hair that is hidden under, well, more hair. But use the hot setting on any hair that isn’t to minimize the potential for frizz.
This video shows an approach that does not rely on a brush. Just wanted to include it for those who may have long hair and not wish to use a brush to dry it.
There are two other noteworthy points she makes.
Detangle first with wide bristled brush or comb. The key is to start with the ends and work your way up not the other way around.
Otherwise note the angle of the nozzle. She too aims it down the strands as has been emphasized throughout this guide.
Then, hey, since you’re already here…
…you should definitely check out our Popular Pins board. Browse and see the solutions ideas and inspiration we share. Then pin what you want for later.
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