How to style hair with just a blow dryer

While some people find it hard to believe that a blow dryer is all you need to style hair, it really is. With a good blow dryer on hand and the right technique to use it properly, you can easily make your hair look like you just walked out of a salon. These are the steps you should follow:

1. Prep your hair.

A good blow dry begins with well-prepared hair. You can choose to wash it with regular shampoo, but you can also use a moisturizing shampoo to give your hair extra moisture. After washing, you need to dry your hair using a towel. You shouldn’t towel it off completely, but just to make sure that there’s no water dripping. You can try using a microfiber towel so that the moisture is absorbed better and it will take you a shorter period of time. Avoid rubbing your hair with the towel so as not to cause unnecessary frizz. After towel drying, you can also apply a heat protectant to your hair for some added protection from heat damage.

2. Divide your hair into smaller sections.

If you’ve ever had your hair done in a salon, you’ll notice that the hairdresser usually divides hair into sections. You should do exactly that even if you’re doing it at home because the larger the section is, the longer it will take for your hair to dry. This is especially important if your hair is the type that’s thick and long. Dividing it into sections will make the drying process easier and help you accomplish it faster. It also keeps your hair from being tangled. Generally, you can try dividing your hair into quadrants. If your hair is really short, however, dividing it into 2 sections would do the trick.

3. Dry your hair.

Pointing the blow dryer downwards and a brush on your other hand, use a downward motion when drying out your hair. It’s important that you maintain a safe distance between the hair dryer and your scalp so that you don’t dry out your scalp and cause some unwanted damage. About 6 inches from the scalp is okay. Starting from the roots, move the dryer and brush all the way to the tip, and repeat the motion until you’re satisfied. You should work on the sections separately or one at a time until you’re done with all the sections.

4. Give it a cool shot.

You should also remember that you don’t have to use hot air the entire time you’re drying you hair off, and in fact, you should stop before your hair gets completely dried out. You don’t want to end up with dry looking and brittle hair, so you shouldn’t abuse your hair dryer as well. Instead, with just a little bit of dampness left, you should just finish it off with a blast of cold air using the cold shot button. This helps lock in the shine and keeps your hair looking moisturized and smooth. As a nice finishing touch, you could also try placing some moisturizing serum at the end.

These steps are typically what you would follow to give your hair a normal blow dry, but there are some variations that you could do for different styles. For instance, you can try flipping your head over and drying your hair while your head is bent. This will create more volume and a more textured, “messy” look. If this is the look you’re going after, you don’t even need to divide your hair into sections. All you need is your blow dryer and brush (or even fingers). If you want your hair to be wavy, you can also use rollers or even braid your hair while it’s damp then use the heat of the blow dryer to dry it out and lock in the waves.

Experiment with the heat settings of your hair dryer, as well as with the attachments that come with it. Know what setting works best for your type of hair. If your hair is thick and coarse, you will most likely need higher heat settings for the dryer to work. On the other hand, if your hair is really thin and fine, you’ll be okay with the lower heat settings. For curly hair, using a diffuser would help because it will add definition to your curls that a normal dryer nozzle could not.

Image Credit: MyStyleBell.com