To some, blow drying your hair may seem like something that doesn’t have to be explained, but believe it or not there is value in knowing the proper way to blow dry. The nature of kinky textured in of itself makes it easily prone to breakage when you are doing something as simply detangling your hair with a comb. So when you add heat to the mix, breakage can be easily increased. If you are use to seeing thousands of those tiny wispy broken off pieces of hair after you blow dry this post is for you. While I can’t say breakage will be eliminated completely because you will usually see some degree of breakage when you manipulate your hair, it will be greatly reduced.
Step One: Section your hair into 4 to 6 sections
Working with your hair in sections rather than attacking it all at once is always a good idea. Use some clips to secure into place.
Step Two: Apply a good heat protectant and thoroughly detangle
A heat protectant preps your hair for the heat so if you don’t have one in your arsenal already make sure you have one. I use the Chi Heat Protectant spray, easy to use and helps get me through the detangling process. Detangle using a wide tooth com starting from the ends of your hair and working your way up to the root. When you have finished detangling a section, clip the section away so you know which areas have been complete. Detangling will make the blow drying process much easier and it will reduce the snags you encounter.
Step Three: Use low to medium heat settings if you can
It’s always a good idea to use the least amount of heat possible to reduce over drying of the hair. If you can get the results that you are looking for with a medium or low heat setting go for it! I use the Silverbird Blow Dryer, which is a very sturdy tool (comb attachment is super secure) with low to high heat settings. My review of this dryer can be found here.
Step Four: Blow dry section by section
Again work in sections. If using a blow dryer with a comb attachment make sure you are combing from the ends of your hair and working your way up. Working section by section will also help you get a more refined result. This method will also reduce breakage and you playing tug of war with your hair. If you come across a section that is still a little rough to work with detangle with your wide tooth comb first then use your blow dryer. When you are done moisturize and style.
Hi! I have a quick question. I am a 4C and I recently tried to blowdry my hair but it was extremely fluffy, hard to part, and my ends weren’t straight like they used to be. I detangled before but still ran into this problem. Can I do something differently when blow drying it so my ends are more manageable?
I would say find a good conditioner, it will improve your hair’s manageability. When your hair is hard to get through it will make the process harder. Wash and deep condition for at least 15-30 minutes first. Conditioners I like include: giovanni, elasta, and more recently I have been using As I Am’s coconut co-wash.
Try this method from Reniece TV! My 4 hair came out smooth and shiny, and it lasted that way for over a week.
https://youtu.be/BKtjw6S-0HA?t=1m21s
Now your making me want to blow dry my hair!??
Hello,
Quick question.
If you blow dry and then moisturise, is the water gone before you’ve locked it in? If you moisturise before blow drying and use oils, would you fry your hair?
This post was super helpful! I love the tips on using a heat protectant and the low heat setting – I always worried about damaging my hair while blow drying. Can’t wait to try out the technique you mentioned for reducing frizz. Thank you for sharing such valuable advice!