First, let your hair dry naturally, about 70-80% of the way dry. Then, with your dryer on the coolest setting (don't touch that hot setting!), blow your hair dry, keeping the dryer about 6-inches away from hair at all times and moving it around continuously. Voilà: gorgeous, healthy hair, without the heat.
Air-drying your hair can be a great way to give your locks a much-needed break from heat-styling. However, if your hair is on the thicker and coarser side, it may be best to start with a protective product and use a blow-dryer to keep your hair from absorbing too much moisture and causing breakage.
So while direct, excessive heat can cause damage to the surface part of the hair strands, air-drying can cause trauma to that inner layer. When the cell membrane complex layer swells, it can weaken the hair over time, explains Dr. Longsworth. It can also cause something called hygral fatigue.
Towel-drying your hair is important to help remove water, so hair can dry faster. Yet, the wrong technique can result in extra frizz, tangles, and poufiness. The right ways to air dry hair include gentle drying techniques. It's best to use your towel to squeeze water out from your hair.
One of the best & easy ways to dry your hair after washing, rather than waiting hours, is to leave it alone until it's about 75% dry. Once you've let nature run its course and your hair is slightly damp, grab your hair dryer and blow-dry your hair the remainder of the way.
There's no denying that towels can be harsh on your skin. This can lead to unwanted redness and can especially irritate those with sensitive skin. Air-drying your face allows you to ditch the rough, irritating towel and give your skin a much-needed breather with no rubbing required.
Air drying gives your hair a natural finish but makes it frizzy, while diffusers help you get a more defined curl. Air drying eliminates heat damage, but high-porosity curls take painstakingly longer to dry out.
Though sleeping with wet hair won't give you a cold, Dr. Shah says that it does increase your risk of developing a fungal infection of the scalp. Fungi, such as Malassezia, can lead to conditions like dandruff or dermatitis, according to Shah, who recommends going to sleep with dry hair when possible.
The coarse texture and dryness of a cotton or towel can cause damage to the hair. Wait what! Yep it's true, cotton towels can worsen split ends and cause small craters along the hair shaft, weakening the hair and creating frizz. Frizz is a major indicator of damaged, dry hair in need of moisture.
How Much Should You Wash? For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. “There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there's flaking due to dirt,” those are signs it's time to shampoo, Goh says.
Braid your hair before going to sleep. This old trick works every time and is one of the best ways to wear your hair when sleeping. It not only protects your hair – stopping it from tangling and breaking – but also gives you gorgeous beachy waves the next day and cuts down on frizz.
After washing your hair, most people rub their hair dry to remove excess water, or wrap a towel around the top of their head. This is not the best practice. Instead, gently pat your wet hair with a towel and loosely wrap the towel around your hair keeping it on for several minutes to remove excess water.
Timed dry is best for:
Because the automatic dry setting only uses as much heat as needed, it is a great way to save money and energy, Ashby says. It can also help prevent damage to any clothes, as it won't dry clothes any longer than needed.
Dr. James says any time there's an increased presence of moisture (like when you're not fully dry after a shower) can create a potential breeding ground that's favorable to yeast.
Using a soft t-shirt is a great lifehack, but make sure it isn't made of cotton and that it's very soft. Another great alternative is using a microfiber hair towel, which is ultra-absorbent and soft as well.
“Braiding your hair when damp or tying your hair in bun and letting it air dry, will give your hair texture and soft natural waves,” recommends Oberoi. “Braiding holds the hair taut, which helps it dry smoother and minimises frizz.
When you blow dry your hair every day post hair wash, the heat robs your hair of moisture making your hair dry and brittle. Plus, you should know that wet hair is already sensitive and has higher chances of breakage. So make sure you steer clear of blow drying, especially after a hair wash.
Ideally, you want to leave the towel in for at least 10 minutes. When you unravel the hair towel, squeeze your hair gently to remove any leftover water.
When hair is wet, proteins form weaker bonds (hydrogen bonds), than when the hair is dry (protein-protein bonds). This makes the hair easier to damage. That's because when damp hair is combed, it stretches. Unfortunately, when hair is stretched, it doesn't snap back into shape like a rubber band can.
Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don't sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so. Some people should wash their sheets even more often than once a week.