Buzz
Do you want salon-perfect blow-dried hair without spending a fortune? If you have curly or wavy hair and want to straighten it, it's crucial to follow the right techniques to avoid frizz or puffiness. With proper preparation and careful blow-drying, your hair can remain straight, smooth, and shiny for days.
Steps
Preparing Before Blow-Drying
Gather the right tools. The most basic tool you need to straighten your hair is a high-quality blow dryer with a concentrator nozzle to focus the hot airflow. This allows you to achieve smoother results compared to using a dryer without a nozzle. Most blow dryers come with a concentrator, but if yours doesn’t, you can purchase one separately at beauty supply stores. In addition to a blow dryer, you’ll need the following:
- A wide-tooth comb
- A large round brush with boar bristles
- Heat protectant spray or serum
- Hair oil or anti-frizz serum
Wash your hair. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual. Since you’ll be blow-drying your hair straight, consider using a straightening shampoo and conditioner to reduce frizz before styling.
Blot your hair dry. As soon as you step out of the shower, use a towel or an old t-shirt to gently remove excess water from your hair. Avoid wringing, rubbing, or twisting your hair, as this can cause frizz. Simply use the towel or t-shirt to soak up the dripping water.
Comb your hair. Use a wide-tooth comb to detangle and smooth your hair before blow-drying. It’s much easier to start styling when your hair is free of knots, as a round brush can get caught in tangles and cause damage.
Apply heat protectant. Heat protectants contain polymers that coat your hair and shield it from heat damage during blow-drying. Squeeze a coin-sized amount into your palm, rub your hands together, and distribute it evenly from roots to ends. If the product doesn’t adhere well, you can mix it with a smoothing cream or styling foam. Always check the product label for instructions.
- If you don’t have a heat protectant, you can use a leave-in conditioner or anti-frizz serum combined with styling foam or gel to help the product adhere. This is still better than blow-drying without any protection.
- Avoid using too much product, as this can make your hair look limp or greasy instead of smooth and shiny.
Gina Almona
Hair Styling Expert
Hair Styling Expert
Expert Tip: Using a heat protectant and a concentrator nozzle on your blow dryer are two essential steps to protect your hair during styling. Additionally, remember to section your hair into smaller parts before blow-drying.
Move to the bedroom. Humidity can cause curly hair to frizz, so blow-drying in the bathroom right after a hot shower isn’t ideal. For the best results, dry your hair in the bedroom or another room with a mirror and lower humidity levels.
Straightening Your Hair
Partially dry your hair. Instead of straightening your hair immediately, start by blow-drying it until it’s about 80% dry without using a brush. Hold the dryer at a distance and dry your entire head, running your fingers through your hair to ensure even drying. Stop when your hair is damp but not wet.
- This pre-drying step minimizes damage from the round brush and dryer. If you use a brush right away, each section of hair will undergo double the brushing. It’s better to complete most of the drying process without a brush.
- Always direct the airflow downward, from roots to ends, rather than upward. This technique helps seal the hair cuticles, leaving your hair smoother and shinier.
Clip the top section. Gather the top section of your hair and clip it up or tie it into a high ponytail. Start blow-drying the lower layers first, then gradually release the upper sections until your entire head is dry. This ensures even drying and straightening.
Wrap a small section of hair around the round brush. Select a section of hair near the roots and wrap it around the brush. Position the brush close to your scalp, wrap the hair around it, and let the ends hang down. This step helps stretch the hair while blow-drying, a crucial technique for achieving straight hair.
Turn on the blow dryer and hold it 5-8 cm away from the brush. Typically, you’ll use medium heat to minimize damage. However, for tightly curled hair, you may need the highest heat setting to ensure it straightens properly.
Direct the blow dryer downward while using the brush to stretch the hair from roots to ends. Hold the brush to tension the hair and comb through from roots to ends, simultaneously pointing the dryer downward and moving it along the length of the hair. The brush and dryer should move in sync.
- For flat hair, brush from underneath. If you want your hair to lie flat, brush downward.
- Regardless of the technique, always direct the dryer downward so the airflow moves from roots to ends. This flattens the hair shaft and prevents frizz.
- Move the dryer back and forth across your hair to avoid concentrating heat in one area.
Repeat the process until the section is dry. Usually, one pass is enough to dry a section. Continue blow-drying until the hair is completely dry and straight. Remember to brush from roots to ends while maintaining tension and directing the dryer downward.
Continue working through each section. Keep blow-drying until the entire bottom layer is dry, then release the next layer and repeat the process. Continue this method until your hair is fully dried and straightened from top to bottom.
Perfecting the hairstyle
Blow cool air into the hair. Switch the hair dryer to the cool setting and finish the top layer of hair by blowing cool air from the roots to the ends. The cool air will help the hair strands lie flat and prevent frizz throughout the day. This step also helps you identify any damp spots. Any remaining damp sections should be dried again.
Apply serum to keep hair shiny and smooth. Use an anti-frizz serum or argan oil to maintain smooth and straight hair. Rub a small amount of the product between your fingers and run it through your hair, focusing on the ends, which tend to dry out faster than the rest of your hair.
Use a flat iron if necessary. Wavy and curly hair can be challenging to straighten completely with a hair dryer. Your hair might look shiny but not perfectly straight. If you desire flawlessly straight hair, you can use a flat iron to straighten each section of hair.
Tips
- Avoid humid environments. Your hair may curl when wet, so strive to keep it dry and steer clear of water. Wear a hat when stepping out in drizzling rain.
- Clean your hair with dry shampoo. Achieving a perfect hairstyle through blow-drying can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but you can maintain your look for several days by ensuring your hair stays dry. The roots might need cleansing after a few days. Sprinkle dry shampoo or baby powder across the roots, wait 5 minutes for it to absorb oils, then brush your hair to smoothness.
Warning
- As with all electrical devices, exercise caution when using hair dryers and straighteners near water and/or children. Unplug the hair dryer or straightener after use and store the straightener in a safe place out of reach until it cools down to prevent burns.
What You'll Need
- Hair dryer
- Heat protectant product
- Round brush made of boar bristles
- Hair clips
- Serum
