Now that you have correctly washed and conditioned your hair, you will probably want to dry it. The secret of safe drying is good timing, and every second counts. The ideal way to dry your hair is to pat it with a towel and then let it dry naturally. This is fine as long as you don’t mind getting up at 5 a.m. every day or how it looks when dry.
The obvious alternative is to use a dryer, but you have probably heard that all dryers dry your hair out and split the ends. Furthermore, you have probably blamed the dryer for dandruff, hair fall and an itchy scalp. The poor hairdryer! It has a much maligned and completely undeserved reputation. As with so many things in life, it’s not what you do but the way in which you do it that matters, or, in the case of hair drying, it’s not what you use but the way you use it.
Moisture is as important to the hair as it is to the skin. It is moisture, not oil, that keeps the hair soft and resilient. Overuse of a hairdryer can rob the hair of this precious moisture, leaving it dry, dull and brittle. The easiest, most popular way to dry hair is with a hand-held blow dryer, and once you know how to use it, you can do it both quickly and safely. Try to follow these few, simple steps.
Towel Drying
After showering, resist the temptation to vigorously rub your head with a towel, as this can break your hair and possibly pull it out. Instead, press your hair with a towel to remove excess moisture, then carefully ease out any tangles with a wide-toothed comb, starting at the ends.
Choosing the Right Hairdryer
It should have separate controls for temperature and speed. Anything stronger than 1200 watts is unnecessary. Special diffuser attachments that fit over the nozzle spread the heat over a wider area. The wider the attachment, the better the heat is diffused. However, for fast drying don’t use an attachment.
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| Choosing The Best Hair Dryer |
Using the Hairdryer
- Hold the dryer about 6 inches away.
- Dry the back and sides of your head first, and work towards the crown and front.
- Start on a high speed and high temperature, and then, as the hair begins to dry, gradually reduce the heat.
- If you use a brush for styling, choose one made of soft, pliable plastic and use it gently, as a brush can do more damage than a hairdryer.
Finishing Off
When the hair is almost dry, turn down the heat and reduce the speed. Check the hair constantly. It is at this point that damage is most likely to occur, so care needs to be taken. It is odd that to counteract damage, many people allow their hair to dry naturally until damp and then blow dry to finish it off–and finish it off they might!
Blow drying hair from wet to damp does no damage, but drying from damp to dry can be hazardous. Ideally, the hair should be left damp, but if you need your hair absolutely dry, it is vital to stop blow drying at the right time. That extra few seconds can dry out the moisture content in the hair cells and lead to brittleness, dullness, breakage and split ends.
Adding Volume
If you have limp, thin or straight hair, as you finish drying, bend over and, still using the hairdryer, let your hair hang down towards the floor. Gently brush or comb your hair in this direction with the dryer following behind. This gives the hair more lift and bounce, decreases the likelihood of tangles, improves scalp circulation and generally increases volume and body.
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| Adding Volume Using the Hairdryer |
Choosing Rollers
Look for smooth or foam-covered rollers without spikes and, preferably, without a Velcro-like covering. Such rollers can not only tangle the hair, but can also be impossible to remove without breaking off some hair.
Do not roll the hair too tightly: this is a frequent cause of hair breakage and hair loss. People with fine, limp hair often believe that a style will last longer the tighter the hair is rolled. This may be marginally true, but it creates a vicious circle, as the tighter the rollers, the more likely it is that hair will be pulled out and broken, causing the hair to thin and, in turn, leading to the use of even tighter rollers in an attempt to disguise the thinning.
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| How To Use Hair Rollers |
And of course never go to sleep with rollers in your hair, as this will almost certainly damage it and lead to hair loss. Rubbing hair between rollers and pillow as you change position during the night will pull on the hair roots and can also result in lethal tangling.
CURLERS
These are similar to rollers but are not often used these days, except in permanent wave kits.
If you are tempted, the old-fashioned curlers consisting of felt-wrapped pliable wire are the best. The hair is wrapped round one end and the other end is twisted back over to keep it in place.
To use the modern type of curlers the hair is wrapped round the centre and then held in place with a clip. Be careful that the clip is not too tight.
Whether using rollers or curlers, always remember not to roll too tightly, and do not over-dry with a hairdryer.
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| Free Rollers To Style Hair, Shark Tank Hair Curlers |
HEATED ROLLERS
Unlike curlers, these are becoming more popular. They are convenient and quick to use and are a great morale booster. They should be used after shampooing or to freshen up a style on dry hair. However, just because they are easy to use, do not overuse them, as this can result in dried and split hair. Following the correct procedures will minimize the risks.
Choose steam-producing, thermostatically controlled rollers.
It’s best to use heated rollers after shampooing and conditioning the hair. If you need to use them unexpectedly between shampoos, protect the ends of the hair with a little tissue paper before putting in the rollers.
Heated rollers tend to be heavier and bulkier, so take care not to leave them in for too long.
As with all other curling methods, do not roll the hair too tightly.
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| How To Use Hot Rollers The Right Way |
HAIR STYLING TOOLS
HOT IRONS
If handled incorrectly, hot irons are a potential danger to hair, although if they are used with care, the damage they cause is minimal. There are two kinds of hot irons: one for curling hair and the other for straightening. Both types can be bought with a thermostatic control, but to ensure they do their job properly, make sure they are sufficiently heated. The heat required to temporarily realign the shape of the hair is considerable.
For irons to work effectively the hair should be fairly dry; in this way the natural moisture content of the hair is used to create a new style. However, if care is not taken, you can make your hair brittle.
Steam-producing irons are less likely to dry out the hair, as these provide moisture; Teflon-coated irons are best.
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| How to get any type of curl |
Hot Irons develops a residue from the impurities in water (distilled water should be used) and from scorched hair cells. As this is
unavoidable, all irons will eventually need to be replaced, otherwise they will stick to the hair and cause problems. Do not be mean about this–throw them away as soon as ‘stickiness’ occurs.
Do not leave the iron on the hair for too long and do not pull excessively on the hair to straighten or curl. Also, try not to go too near to the scalp–burns are painful and can become infected.
HOT COMBS
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| How To Use Hair Brushes The Right Way |
Fortunately, hot combs are less popular now. They are mainly used to straighten tightly curled hair, particularly Black hair. To soften the hair a hot pressing oil is applied and a hot comb repeatedly pulled through the hair until it is straight. Hot combs can be difficult to control, and unless the utmost care is taken, severe breakage can result.
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Hair brush guide
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PINS AND CLIPS (AND SORE SCALPS)
If you are wondering why your hair is damaged or your scalp is sore, pins and clips may be the culprits.
Do not go to sleep with pins and clips in your hair, as the metal cuts into the hair shaft and the scalp.
If you are using them for curling, be careful when drying your hair. The heat of the dryer warms the metal, which can then damage the hair and scalp. The metal retains heat even after the dryer is removed, so you should move the dryer rapidly over your head in order to avoid over-heating any one area.
If you use a hood dryer, remove it frequently to allow the hair and scalp to cool.
ELASTIC BANDS AND BARRETTES (CLASPS)
Bands and barrettes are normally used to keep hair off the face, but barrettes are often used to add hair, like in a chignon, which adds false hair to that already there. Usually the hair is pinned at the crown to add a ponytail or to mask a flattening on the top of the head and give extra height. They are very effective but they can also be lethal, many times causing bald areas of traction alopecia. Great care needs to be taken to avoid this. They should not be attached tightly to hair that has been pulled taught away from the scalp. Nor should they be slept in, as the metal clip will rub on the scalp, causing a sore and the hair can be rubbed away too.
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| Trichorrhexis Nodosa (due to a tight elastic band) |
Choose your barrette carefully. Inspect the metal edges for sharpness, and, as an added protection, wrap a thin strip of tissue or tape round the grip.
Elastic bands are most common of all. Normally used to put hair into a pigtail, if too tight, they cut into the hair shafts, resulting in Trichorrbexis Nodosa–a breakage of the hair, which when viewed under the microscope looks like two shaving brushes pressed together.
Also, pulling the hair too tightly back from the forehead can lead to a traction hair loss all along the front hairline and temples, or at least to a severe breakage in these areas. Young girls are most at risk–and, of course, ballet dancers, who also tend to have a degree of traction loss along the parting.
The worst culprits are the uncovered elastic band repeatedly twisted around the hair. When it is removed, it also removes some of the hair. Use a thick, fabric-coated band instead and smear a little conditioner along it for added protection.
To achieve the gorgeous looks, most women style their hair with heat multiple times per week on average. You have shared very useful tips, would like to contribute one more suggestion for all the gorgeous ladies is adjust the temperature of your best professional hair styling toolsbased on the quality of your hair i.e., for thin hair keep the temperature under 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and for thicker hair set the temperature between 200 and 300 degrees because your hair has to pay the price for these gorgeous looks.
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