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ErinLeigh
January 11th, 2014, 07:35 AM
I just wandered over to natural haven blog and they were discussing a study about blow drying hair was less damaging than air drying hair.

Has as anyone ever heard of that and what are your opinions.
If you google "natural haven heat damage" you will see the article.
I can't seem to copy paste link without it going to just the blog address.

ErinLeigh
January 11th, 2014, 07:39 AM
I can't figure it out. They discuss the blow dry thing on one blog and while some think its not true it's not proven to be wrong. It does seem they haven't dis proved blow dry on lower setting to be damaging .
Then there is a whole other article on heat damage. I swear the internet can make a person insane.
Now I have to figure out the temperature of my blow dryer on the low setting. How does one find that out ? It says bubbles come at 100 C /212F from steam. Surely blow dryers don't get that hot so why no blow dryers?

I need help understanding this if anyone knows anything

lapushka
January 11th, 2014, 07:44 AM
Now I have to figure out the temperature of my blow dryer on the low setting. How does one find that out ?

If you can hold your hand in the airstream for a long time without it burning, then that's good for the hair!

ErinLeigh
January 11th, 2014, 07:46 AM
That makes sense! Meanwhile I'm running g around looking for hair dryer thermometers. Haha
:). Sigh common sense.

Rio040113
January 11th, 2014, 08:21 AM
I know what you mean, I've been miserably air-drying all Winter, only to come across the same thing, sigh. I've gone back to blow drying on cool/low and I have to say, I've missed it a little! :o

lapushka
January 11th, 2014, 08:40 AM
We mix air drying with blow drying. Actually we use several techniques. Turbie towel (15 min.), air drying (1 to 1.5 hours) then blow drying (diffusing) for 5 minutes only. And it gets the hair dry. But I do need the blowdryer. I hate wet hair that just will not dry. Who wants to go around for days with wetness on their head and in their neck. Can't be good for you.

meteor
January 11th, 2014, 08:40 AM
I just wandered over to natural haven blog and they were discussing a study about blow drying hair was less damaging than air drying hair.

Has as anyone ever heard of that and what are your opinions.
If you google "natural haven heat damage" you will see the article.
I can't seem to copy paste link without it going to just the blog address.


It's a really popular study out of S.Korea. Summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229938/

I referenced the complete article somewhere on the LHC, but I'm still looking for the link.

The idea is that even though the cuticle gets minimal damage from slow drying times and no blow drying, CMC (Cell Membrane Complex) of hair shaft gets optimal results from NO-heat (cool) drying from a good distance. CMC doesn't do well if it remains wet for too long, as the internal "glue" deteriorates.
(Low temperature blow-drying - 47°C or 117 F, held at a distance of 15 cm or 6 inches away from the hair)

meteor
January 11th, 2014, 08:48 AM
It's a really popular study out of S.Korea. Summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229938/

I referenced the complete article somewhere on the LHC, but I'm still looking for the link.
Here it is: "Hair Shaft Damage from Heat and Drying Time of Hair Dryer" in the Annals of Dermatology
http://synapse.koreamed.org/DOIx.php....2011.23.4.455

"The CMC was damaged only in the naturally dried group. This result was quite unexpected, because increased temperatures generally led to more hair damage. It took over 2 h to dry the hair tress completely under ambient conditions. The hair shaft swells when in contact with water, as does the delta-layer of the CMC. The delta-layer is the sole route through which water diffuses into hair, and so we speculate that the CMC could be damaged when it is in contact with water for prolonged periods. Longer contact with water might be more harmful to the CMC compared to temperature of hair drying."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229938/

After researching this issue, I think using a floor fan or an ordinary fan at a big distance from hair and drying hair in a warm room is probably best. I like drip drying, as I don't want any textiles other than silk/satin or other very sleek materials in contact with my hair.

spidermom
January 11th, 2014, 09:31 AM
One of the best stylists that I ever had told me this. My hair is porous and soaks up water like you wouldn't believe.

My test is to direct blow dryer at my neck. If fine there, fine for hair.

I also have a bonnet dryer.

spidermom
January 11th, 2014, 09:31 AM
One of the best stylists that I ever had told me this. My hair is porous and soaks up water like you wouldn't believe. To minimize water damage, best get it dry.

My test is to direct blow dryer at my neck. If fine there, fine for hair.

I also have a bonnet dryer.

ravenreed
January 11th, 2014, 09:38 AM
Hmm. I have been air drying my hair for nearly 25 years. Since my hair is so long now it takes at least five hours and sometimes overnight before it is completely dry. I can't say that I have noticed a problem. OTOH, I haven't noticed a problem from my occasional sessions with a blow dryer either. The only reason I stopped using it was general impatience and that it frizzes out my hair. I got out of the habit when it was much shorter and never quite picked it up again. I suspect that for most people it isn't a huge issue. Unless one's hair is very damaged or very delicate, I don't know that I would worry about it overly much.

Llama
January 11th, 2014, 12:40 PM
Blow drying my hair always makes it feel dry and frizzy. When I air dry, that never happens.
It only takes an hour or 2 for my hair to completely air dry though so I don't usually need the aid of a blow dryer anyways.

JLeighs
January 11th, 2014, 03:07 PM
I tried to go heat-free (blow-drying. I don't use straighteners), but I style my hair the CG way which involves putting styling products into soaking wet curls and then scrunching out the crunch when it's dry. It takes way too long to air dry. So I invested in a good hair dryer (Solano) that has a truly low-heat setting as well as a cool setting (an actual setting, not those stupid cool shot buttons), along with the Solano diffuser. I use it mostly on the low heat setting and hold it away from hair. Works great and it is not damaging my hair at all. I have very fragile hair so I know right away when something is causing a problem.

Berlie
January 11th, 2014, 03:46 PM
I have been drying my armpit length hair naturally since Summer, or at least 80% dry, then I finish up smoothing it with the blow dryer. I would LOVE to be able to air dry 100%, but unfortunately my hair thinning issues won't allow it. I need to use thickening mousse and a straightening spray on it, and those are both heat activated.

patienceneeded
January 11th, 2014, 05:52 PM
There was a thread that discussed the science behind blow-drying on cool and how it actually benefit your hair. LuxePiggy was involved in it, as were many others. I'll see if I can find it.

Edit:Ha! Found it! There were 7 pages of threads that discuss this topic when I used the search function...

Luxe Piggy goes into the science of haircare once again to dispel rumors and myths about proper ways to grow long hair. YMMV!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=109230&highlight=blow+drying+cool

ErinLeigh
January 11th, 2014, 10:01 PM
There was a thread that discussed the science behind blow-drying on cool and how it actually benefit your hair. LuxePiggy was involved in it, as were many others. I'll see if I can find it.

Edit:Ha! Found it! There were 7 pages of threads that discuss this topic when I used the search function...

Luxe Piggy goes into the science of haircare once again to dispel rumors and myths about proper ways to grow long hair. YMMV!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=109230&highlight=blow+drying+cool

Thank you for linking that

ErinLeigh
January 11th, 2014, 10:02 PM
It's a really popular study out of S.Korea. Summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229938/

I referenced the complete article somewhere on the LHC, but I'm still looking for the link.

The idea is that even though the cuticle gets minimal damage from slow drying times and no blow drying, CMC (Cell Membrane Complex) of hair shaft gets optimal results from NO-heat (cool) drying from a good distance. CMC doesn't do well if it remains wet for too long, as the internal "glue" deteriorates.
(Low temperature blow-drying - 47°C or 117 F, held at a distance of 15 cm or 6 inches away from the hair)

YEA, thanks for posting.

bunnylake
January 12th, 2014, 12:31 AM
Blow drying on low takes so long :(
I've only been blow drying a couple times a week, if that. Can't be too bad, right?
I'm turning into the rebel of LHC lol

ExpectoPatronum
January 12th, 2014, 03:16 AM
When I'm home, I let my hair air dry unless something comes up and I need to leave the house soon after I was my hair.

When I'm back up at school though, that's another story. The climate is a lot more cold and wet. This means it takes FOREVER for my hair to dry. Like...an annoyingly long time. So when I'm there, I hit it with the blow dryer to take the 'wet' out. Maybe until it's about half dry, though occasionally I'll do a little more. At least then, it'll be mostly dry when I go to bed. I always use my blow dryer on the low setting. Temperature-wise, I mostly use it on cool, though if I'm feeling really cold I'll use it on the warm setting (which isn't very hot, I can definitely hold my hand to it for a while) until I warm up and then switch to cool. Now I don't blow dry it every day...Seriously maybe once or twice a week at most. It just depends on what my schedule looks like and if I have the time to let it dry.

I've not noticed any damage so far. But I've only been doing this the last couple of months so only time will tell.

ErinLeigh
January 12th, 2014, 04:17 AM
Blow drying on low takes so long :(
I've only been blow drying a couple times a week, if that. Can't be too bad, right?
I'm turning into the rebel of LHC lol

I switched to travel size and this new way of doing it. I use the higher speed (its not intense at all on travel size but gets job done) but constantly switch and forth with cool shot so the average temperature never gets hot, but it drys quicker using the higher speed air. This is working the best for me and I am blowdrying 5-6 times a week and hair is getting better every day instead of worse so until that changes I am sticking with it. I think the heat helps some of my oils penetrate. OR ..the damage will show up later who knows..if it does I will simply trim it off and figure out something else. I noticed the steady cool shots helped a lot in having frizz free hair, something I used to struggle with when I used high and hot full size dryer.

I stopped using cones and still have noticed no bad effects from dryer (I do use other things however) so I am leaning towards believing the study that blowdrying isnt that bad. I know my dryer isn't reaching steaming heat so I really am not worried.

Kinda bummed though as I had JUST bought my hot pink ionic hair dryer when I ended up using an old travel size on a trip and stuck with it after getting better results.

And I wouldn't worry if I were you. Your hair is so gorgeous it would take a LOT to make it not shiny wonderfulness.

Rio040113
January 12th, 2014, 04:27 AM
Welp, I think all this is a very good reason (excuse, ha) for me to invest in a nice new hair dryer :lol:

ejking2
January 12th, 2014, 04:57 AM
I blow-dry fairly often. I measured the temperature by blowing air into the thermometer (an inch or less away) for a few minutes. I use the cool setting (50 degrees C) and the cold shot (35 degrees C) on low. I doubt those temps are universal but I use the Babyliss Pro Tourmaline Titanium 3000.

Thank you patienceneeded for linking the thread as I was going to do. Based on the studies, I do think leaving hair wet for extended periods of time may be more damaging than blow-drying on cool. Blow-drying makes my hair feel nice and silky although it does tangle it a little bit.

YamaMaya
January 12th, 2014, 06:20 AM
In the winter time, it's probably best to get it dry as quickly as possible. Personally, I don't wash my hair unless I know for a fact I'm not going anywhere when it's this cold out.

melesine
January 12th, 2014, 08:49 AM
It's a really popular study out of S.Korea. Summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229938/

I referenced the complete article somewhere on the LHC, but I'm still looking for the link.

The idea is that even though the cuticle gets minimal damage from slow drying times and no blow drying, CMC (Cell Membrane Complex) of hair shaft gets optimal results from NO-heat (cool) drying from a good distance. CMC doesn't do well if it remains wet for too long, as the internal "glue" deteriorates.
(Low temperature blow-drying - 47°C or 117 F, held at a distance of 15 cm or 6 inches away from the hair)


The study assessed changes in the ultra-structure, morphology, moisture content, and color of hair after repeated shampooing and drying with a hair dryer at a range of temperatures.



I'd like to see the study done without the shampooing. That would be the only way to separate the effects of shampoo from the effects of method of drying.

Berlie
January 12th, 2014, 08:55 AM
My YouTube gal, beautyklove, drys her BL hair with a fan!

sourgrl
January 12th, 2014, 09:02 AM
I started a thread about this article back in October. I think it is another one of those things that will be better for some and not others. I agree with the idea that if you can hold your hand in the heat of a dryer it is probably not doing much if any damage to your hair. For me damp bunning helps my ends so I do not use a dryer.

tigereye
January 12th, 2014, 09:36 AM
I'm reading that ambient drying is better for preventing mechanical damage, blow drying and ambient are equal on the cortex and cuticle (though the likelihood of damage would likely increase with mechanical damage exposing the cortex over time since that's how splits form), while ambient drying is worse for CMC than cool blow drying.

The drop in moisture seems likely to me to be down to using (albeit diluted) shampoo and no moisturising from any conditioner. I also think that may skew the colour results.

As a science student, The reasoning for CMC damage, however, makes me wonder whether long conditioning treatments or henna, left on for hours, have a similar effect on CMC, and whether the effect returns to normal over a period without washing, since the hair likely came from a person (in order for tests to be accurate, though it doesn't actually say) and would likely have had either cuticle damage or CMC, or both from previous washings (since I don't know many people outside the LHC who dry on cool, but you never know), but there is little sign of either. It would be interesting to see more studies looking at these things.

It seems to me logically that damage to the CMC would cause issues with moisture loss, but many of us combat that with leave-ins or oils. Is it worse or better than mechanical damage? (Since most of us concentrate on mechanical damage as that's the kind we can see as splits eventually) Does one make the other more likely? Hmm...

dulce
January 12th, 2014, 10:22 AM
Not for me! Blow drying made my curly hair frizzy and took forever to dry my butt length hair and tired out my shoulders and hands..Drying with a floor fan reduces my frizz,leaves my hands free to watch tv or peruse the net on my computer plus my hair is dry in 15 minute,yes,15 minutes and of course no heat damage.

Berlie
January 12th, 2014, 10:50 AM
So you use a fan too? I feel like giving it a try. But aren't you cold while you're using it?

meteor
January 12th, 2014, 12:50 PM
I'd like to see the study done without the shampooing. That would be the only way to separate the effects of shampoo from the effects of method of drying.
But all the hair was both shampooed (without any conditioner) using the same method, so the differences in results they obtained are due to the different methods of drying.

The problem I have with this study is that the washing and drying was done every day for 30 days and it was done on hair samples, I believe, not on actual people (where you'd expect some sebum to be produced between the shampooing & drying to protect the hair). In real life, only people with oilier scalps/hair shampoo hair every day, so maybe they wouldn't see so much damage if some sebum was involved.

I don't understand why some people conclude from this study that "blow-drying on cool is better". Blow-drying on cool produced more cuticle damage than air-drying, but air-drying produced some CMC damage (whereas blow-drying didn't), due to hair drying over 2 hours, according to this study. Unfortunately, they didn't quantify the damage, so I can't figure out if it's a little or a lot.
I think this means: do avoid heat, but create some ambient ventillation (fans) to dry your hair quickly.

meteor
January 12th, 2014, 01:03 PM
I'm reading that ambient drying is better for preventing mechanical damage, blow drying and ambient are equal on the cortex and cuticle (though the likelihood of damage would likely increase with mechanical damage exposing the cortex over time since that's how splits form), while ambient drying is worse for CMC than cool blow drying.
Well, the study says the cuticle was damaged by any blow-drying, but more so at higher temperatures.
The cortex was fine under all circumstances, so the researchers concluded that the cortex was being protected from all damage by the cuticle.


The drop in moisture seems likely to me to be down to using (albeit diluted) shampoo and no moisturising from any conditioner. I also think that may skew the colour results.
I totally agree. The drop in moisture in ALL cases was interesting, I think every time we re-wet and re-dry our hair, it risks losing moisture. Hygral fatigue?
I found the brightening of colour findings very interesting. The melanin was the same, so they suspect the brightening of color is due to damage from daily washing and drying. Something that daily washers should be aware of!



As a science student, The reasoning for CMC damage, however, makes me wonder whether long conditioning treatments or henna, left on for hours, have a similar effect on CMC, and whether the effect returns to normal over a period without washing, since the hair likely came from a person (in order for tests to be accurate, though it doesn't actually say) and would likely have had either cuticle damage or CMC, or both from previous washings (since I don't know many people outside the LHC who dry on cool, but you never know), but there is little sign of either. It would be interesting to see more studies looking at these things.

It seems to me logically that damage to the CMC would cause issues with moisture loss, but many of us combat that with leave-ins or oils. Is it worse or better than mechanical damage? (Since most of us concentrate on mechanical damage as that's the kind we can see as splits eventually) Does one make the other more likely? Hmm...
Yes, I'd love more studies in this area too! I wonder if CMC damage would not have happened if the wetting and drying didn't happen EVERY DAY. I mean, of course, the hair protein changes a lot after a wash, but if you do it weekly instead of daily, doesn't hair have time to readjust, including the CMC "bulging" - and is that "bulging" really damage? or does it come back to the original form after a while?

I suspect hygral fatigue happens similarly as it does on skin or nails: you just want to make sure you don't keep them wet for too long, and avoid any mechanical stress on your skin/hair/nails while they are wet.

SunlightShines
January 12th, 2014, 01:23 PM
I've tried air drying, cold only blow drying, fan drying, and low heat blow drying. And my hair responds best to the low heat. I have a lot less shedding and healthier looking hair. I think it just depends on the type of hair we have. and I'm really glad I found mine! :)

JLeighs
January 12th, 2014, 05:32 PM
It doesn't make any sense at all to me that blow-drying your hair with warm air causes heat damage. If that was the case, many a head of hair would be fried by the end of August just by spending time outside.

Rio040113
January 15th, 2014, 09:08 AM
I think what I'd most like to know is, is there an optimum drying time?
(For example, quicker than 30 minutes being too quick and stressing the cuticles (?), around an hour being the optimum and being a nice balance and over 2 hours causing damage to the CMC.)

If airdying only damages the CMC because it's kept wet too long, then I'm thinking that longer time in a towel + maybe using something like a microfiber towel, may cut down air drying time enough that I can continue to skip out on my hair dryer and reduce the possible cuticle damage it can cause. Anyone understand my rambling? :lol:

lapushka
January 15th, 2014, 09:34 AM
The way we do it here is, 15 min. in a turbie, then it's damp, air dry for 1h to 1.5h, by then it's dry in patches, then blow dry for 5 min. (diffuser). That way I have nice dry roots, with still dampish lengths, but it's mostly dry where I want it dry. This to me is optimal. I guess it varies for everyone, but this works great for me!

Rio040113
January 15th, 2014, 10:15 AM
Thanks lapushka :)

I'm thinking 10 - 15 minutes in a towel, 30 - 45 minutes air drying and then 5 minutes on low/cool with the blow dryer should work well for my thin(ner) hair... now to test it!

meteor
January 15th, 2014, 10:37 AM
I think what I'd most like to know is, is there an optimum drying time?
(For example, quicker than 30 minutes being too quick and stressing the cuticles (?), around an hour being the optimum and being a nice balance and over 2 hours causing damage to the CMC.)

If airdying only damages the CMC because it's kept wet too long, then I'm thinking that longer time in a towel + maybe using something like a microfiber towel, may cut down air drying time enough that I can continue to skip out on my hair dryer and reduce the possible cuticle damage it can cause. Anyone understand my rambling? :lol:

Yes, I'm curious about all of this, too. In the study, it took over 2 hours to air-dry the hair. The hair drying time really depends on how long, thick, porous, coarse the hair is and what products are coating it, not to mention the temperature and humidity in the environment.
I think there are 2 aspects in hair drying to address:
- WIND: for example, fanning, blow-drying on low temperature;
- HEAT: for example, air-drying in a very warm room close to a heater.
Both of these cut down on drying time.
Wind potentially can cause mechanical damage and tangling (the famous tattered flag example).
High heat quickly causes cuticle damage, BUT it's the artificial heat that we can get from heat tools (flat irons, curlers, blow-dryers), NOT normal environmental heat, otherwise, people wouldn't be able to keep their hair in hot climates.

I somehow feel that air-drying in a well-ventilated warm room is best, because it seems "natural" and something that long-haired women did for centuries. With a blow-dryer, you can accidentally bring the blow-dryer too close to hair and scalp, turn the heat a bit too high without feeling it on your skin, etc...