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endlessly
March 20th, 2015, 10:39 AM
While cleaning out a closet the other day, I found a hair dryer I purchased probably 5 years ago and haven't used for at least 3 years. Just out of my own morbid sense of curiosity, I decided to blow my hair dry last night after letting it air dry for about an hour. I made sure my hair was 100% tangle-free, used low heat on the lowest speed setting, and even used a diffuser just to make sure I wasn't going to turn my hair crispy.

Long story short, it was actually pretty nice. My hair was the straightest it has ever been (I have a slight wave when my hair air dries), and it was actually surprisingly soft. I actually couldn't stop running my fingers through it! Now, the likelihood of me continuing to use a hair dryer every time I wash my hair is slim, but I kind of like to have the option now especially with how humid summers can get where I live - FYI, it takes FOREVER for my hair to dry.

So, as far as damage is concerned, I don't feel I'm causing very much since I'm still moisturizing my hair like normal. Any thoughts? Is it okay for me to use every once in a while to dry faster or should I once again hide it in my closet?

missblueeyes
March 20th, 2015, 10:46 AM
Occasional blow drying on low heat settings is definitely fine. :) I've seen various members do it before, even regularly.

Chocowalnut
March 20th, 2015, 11:02 AM
You should be fine. I blow dry sometimes on the cool setting for a change. You should share pics if you want :)

Nadine <3
March 20th, 2015, 11:05 AM
My rule of thumb is, if ou can hold your hand in the air stream without burning yourself, you're hair should be fine. I do this fairly often and my hair is fine. It actually tangles less if I blow it dry, and it does feel softer too.

Arctic
March 20th, 2015, 11:06 AM
I blowdry regularly. While my hair is not long yet, and I am not aiming for super long, I have never noticed any damage from it. I use low heat and use the cool button a lot. I keep a distance between the dryer and my hair, and keep the dryer moving. I use concentration nozzle (and did use diffuser before that part broke) and aim the air flow from root to tip to not distrupt the cuticles. I first do a - what hair stylist call - rough drying (which is not really rough to your hair dispite the name), where I aim to get my hair about 80 % dry and only use my hands, and concentrate on roots first. Only after that point I do the actual styling. On everyday basis I don't even use a brush, but when I do use it, it's only to give final touches and smooth canopy.

Auburngirl
March 20th, 2015, 11:44 AM
I blow dry mostly in winters, otherwise I'd get sick (the apartment is not well insulated and I don't intend to spend that much to insulate a rented apartment). If you don't use the very hot setting, it's alright... sort of. I also used to use hot air when I really want more volume to my hair, but it can be kind of drying if you do it regularly. Which sucks, cause I wan more volume to my otherwise thin, fine hair. So I have to decide which I want more on the moment. But I usually use medium (lukewarm) to balance.

I've seen that professional hair styling dryers usually have a special button for 'cold air shots', which is used in styling, so I guess there is a big difference in the effects that hot and cold air can give to your hair. I seemed to notice that using the lowest setting, takes out volume, makes the hair soft and nice to the touch, but otherwise pretty limp, and straight.

Did anybody else notice that?

kidari
March 20th, 2015, 11:50 AM
I used to use heat sometimes then completely stopped for a while as I was majorly obsessed about avoiding damage, to the point that it was counter intuitive. I've been using my blow dryer once or twice a week for a couple years now and my hair is fine. In fact, I would say it's made my life easier. I have a fancy ceramic ionic whatever space age one that I use on low and high speeds on cool or medium (never high) heat. Basically I just let my hair air dry a little then flip my head upside-down and get my roots dry (my ends always dry faster so I avoid letting the air touch my ends). Once, it's almost completely dry, I just bun it up. After two years of doing this once or twice a week, my hair has not suffered at all for it. I think you'll be fine. It's only if you do it improperly or abuse it that you should worry.

kidari
March 20th, 2015, 11:54 AM
I've seen that professional hair styling dryers usually have a special button for 'cold air shots', which is used in styling, so I guess there is a big difference in the effects that hot and cold air can give to your hair. I seemed to notice that using the lowest setting, takes out volume, makes the hair soft and nice to the touch, but otherwise pretty limp, and straight.

Did anybody else notice that?

yes!!! a million times yes! I'm like you- I crave volume. That's why I do use the warm setting sometimes, but I aim it only at the roots, avoiding the length. That's where you need the lift and where your hair takes longest to dry anyway. Seriously, when I have it on the ionic setting and use cool air, my hair is smooth and shiny but completely limp and flat! For years I always just used any readily available heat tool I found at the drugstore but once I tried a "nice" one, I was blown away. I feel like heat styling tools are truly worth the investment. They really do work better. You only need to buy it once for a very long time and they usually have amazing warranties and customer service.

StellaKatherine
March 20th, 2015, 12:22 PM
I do not use hair dryer. Never used, not even before LHC. Well I did use couple of times , when was in a huge hurry, but my hair hates hair dryers. It becomes HUGE and fluffy and gets TONS of unwanted volume :D Wish I would get that smoth efect so many are talking about....

DreamSheep
March 20th, 2015, 12:25 PM
I usually don't use it, but I don't think there is a problem in using it as long as it doesn't burn you as other members have pointed out.
I know for sure other members do use hairdryers regularly :)
I usually opt not to because I like the wave I get without the hairdryer.

Arctic
March 20th, 2015, 12:29 PM
I do not use hair dryer. Never used, not even before LHC. Well I did use couple of times , when was in a huge hurry, but my hair hates hair dryers. It becomes HUGE and fluffy and gets TONS of unwanted volume :D Wish I would get that smoth efect so many are talking about....

It's a learnable skill. I didn't know how, either, but read and watched tutorials and practiced, and now I am pretty good with smooth look. Voluminous blowdry not so much, as I haven't been practicing it.

meteor
March 20th, 2015, 12:37 PM
Yes, it's not a problem. :)

Everything depends on HOW you use it though. If you keep it at a good distance and use cool setting and don't use those aggressive styling brushes, you're fine!

In the past, I used to blow-dry my hair regularly, and it was fine, even though I used the highest setting. Of course, a lot depends on your hair type, especially average diameter of your hair shaft (the coarser the hair, the more damaging practices it can take). I don't blow-dry anymore because it takes forever and gets tiresome.

It's important to remember that letting hair air-dry over a very long period of time is not a good thing either, due to hygral fatigue considerations and some internal Cell-Membrane-Complex damage shown (in only one study, so we need more research!) - Hair Shaft Damage from Heat and Drying Time of Hair Dryer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229938/ while there is also cuticle damage (cracking/chipping of outside cuticle) that can accumulate with long/frequent blow-drying on high settings. So there is a bit of a trade-off.

So the ideal way of drying hair would be both fast and heat-free. So I vote for fanning hair out in fresh air or next to a fan! ;)

Rapunzel_to_be
March 20th, 2015, 12:38 PM
I used to blow dry my hair everyday back in the days , and did so for several years , and as far as I remember my hair was healthy and had no split ends , until I started using the flat iron ,thats when I understood the meaning of split ends, as it used to be a foreign word to me before that .. Ive recently stopped using the flat iron ,and let my hair be in its natural state, my routine now is to let it air dry almost completely , and then blow dry maybe five minutes in the end ... does anyone else do this ? And have you noticed any damage by doing so ? Im guessing it will be fine since i used to blow dry all the time before and then on completely wet or just towel dried hair... but now im more cautious and I dont want to risk damaging anything because I really want it to grow long and be healthy.

omidaverde
March 20th, 2015, 01:02 PM
I blow dry my hair but sparingly. First I leave my hair to dry naturally as long as I can while I do other stuff (pack my bags, breakfast etc.) then I use it on a low heat away from heat for 1-2 minutes, leave it, go do some other small chore then come back, repeat for 1-2 and so on until its about 80-90% dry, then I leave the rest to air naturally on my way to wherever I'm going.

I don't have any damage from it so far, so I'd say if it works for you, go for it. You can always stop if you start to notice more negatives than positives.

lapushka
March 20th, 2015, 01:28 PM
If you use it on cool/warm, it's fine! If you can hold your hand in the airstream for a long time, comfortably, without it burning, then it's fine to use on the hair. My hair's been diffused weekly since it was short (shoulder), and it's TBL+ now, doesn't have white dots or splits.

Nemain
March 20th, 2015, 01:33 PM
I use my blow dryer quite often, on the coldest setting (it's not freezing cold, but not warm enough to cause any damage). There is absolutely no damage visible to the human eye on my hair after doing this for years. Unless you use the warmest possible setting while flipping your hair around and causing huge tangles, it should be fine. :)

Anje
March 20th, 2015, 01:46 PM
I've been using mine more regularly than I ever have before, lately. I'm not drying it til it's dry, just hitting the back of my head for a couple minutes where my hair will otherwise stay damp for a good 2 hours on its own. I figure the roots can take it even if the length can't, and I've managed to cut my overall hair drying time way, way down just by hitting the spots that take the longest.

Frankly, I'm not going to bother blow drying it all the way. I've got better things to do (like, um, surfing the internet!) than spend 15 minutes trying to wrangle hair as long as my arms while blowing it around every which-way! But if 4 minutes of getting the soggy spots makes that much difference, it seems a decent trade-off.

lapushka
March 20th, 2015, 02:00 PM
Just 4 min. of diffusing here too, it's mostly dry then (just not the very tippy tips, but my roots are). Mine is dried after air drying for 1h, 1h30min. though, so that makes it easier to dry. And of course the turbie twist (15min.) before air drying helps hugely as well!

divinedobbie
March 20th, 2015, 02:47 PM
I use a blow dryer semi-regularly, on the cold setting. I've never noticed my hair going flat and limp, in fact I get very voluminous smooth lion mane hair that tangles a lot less. I don't think it's the temperature that's causing your hair to be flat after blowdrying.

Remi
March 20th, 2015, 04:47 PM
There are some members here, who use a blow dryer on cool setting. It's totally up to you.

nakima
March 20th, 2015, 05:49 PM
I blow dry mine on cool setting when in a hurry. I have not used heat in 15 years or so and your right it feels so good and although my Hair is pretty straight naturally it's even straighter when I blow dry.

Auburngirl
March 21st, 2015, 09:31 AM
I think it depends on the hair type, too. If your thread has normal to thick structure, then it might not go limp. Mine is very fine (thin threads, type i) so it makes a difference. That and the fact that I have to rub conditioner into my scalp, lately, to calm down the itchiness, which works very well. But the more heat I use, the more volume I get, even on a thoroughly conditioned hair, while with cold air, it just falls flat. Silky, but utterly flat and shapeless.
Maybe that's how it normally is, unless I dry it with heat, and it's the heat giving it more volume, rather than cold air somehow taking it out. Dunno.

Yes, and if dried with a blow-dryer, and it also loses the waviness almost completely. I gain it back with twisting into a cinnabun after I finish drying.

Auburngirl
March 21st, 2015, 09:50 AM
Right now, I just dried it with medium heat only at the roots, and left the length and the ends air dry. I want more volume next to my scalp. at the roots, and less puffy length and ends. I'm waiting for the results.

Update: Meh. Slight improvement, but nothing to get excited about. It's always the opposite of what I want: the lengths get frizzy and puff up, and the roots are on the limp side, the only time when it has enough volume on the top is when it's short and light. It's like my hair wants to spite me. :p

ShDiHa
March 21st, 2015, 10:26 AM
I just bought a hair dryer a few weeks ago, because I was fed up with staying up all night, waiting for my hair to dry! I get off work at 9 or 10 and I shower at night. I hate sleeping with wet hair, even when braided, it won't be dry in the morning and it will have this weird texture to it. I use a concentrator nozzle or a diffuser, on the lowest settings.

Five of Five
March 21st, 2015, 08:03 PM
I too use a blow dryer fairly regularly, on the warm setting. I think it damages it slightly (but then I have ultra fine hair), but it isn't really noticeable and the convenience is worth it to me.

I know most people think it is an old wives' tale, but in my experience I really do tend to catch colds if I let my hair air-dry in Winter, particularly at night. Also, as Meteor pointed out, letting it remain wet and loose for hours isn't ideal either.

EdG
March 21st, 2015, 08:15 PM
I use an electric fan heater to dry my hair when the weather is too cold for air-drying.

http://www.edgrochowski.com/articles/heater1.jpg

I sit at least five feet away. I can dry my hair in 30-60 minutes.
Ed

7thOfTheDamned
March 21st, 2015, 08:16 PM
I don't use hair dryers often - usually only when I'm actually styling my hair. (Maybe twice a month?) I have a cheap professional one that has the cold shot button. I use medium heat, high fan for my roots, then medium heat, low fan for the next 6-8 inches, and nothing but cold, high fan past that length. I don't notice a significant change from when I let it air dry, damage/texture wise.

meteor
March 21st, 2015, 08:18 PM
I use an electric fan heater to dry my hair when the weather is too cold for air-drying.

http://www.edgrochowski.com/articles/heater1.jpg

I sit at least five feet away. I can dry my hair in 30-60 minutes.
Ed

This looks like a perfect solution for cold winter months! :D

EdG
March 21st, 2015, 08:20 PM
This looks like a perfect solution for cold winter months! :DYes, this kind of heater works very well both as a hair dryer and as a room heater. :grin:
Ed

Kherome
March 22nd, 2015, 08:28 AM
Hide it away.

Auni
March 22nd, 2015, 08:30 AM
I used to blow dry my hair everyday back in the days , and did so for several years , and as far as I remember my hair was healthy and had no split ends , until I started using the flat iron ,thats when I understood the meaning of split ends, as it used to be a foreign word to me before that .. Ive recently stopped using the flat iron ,and let my hair be in its natural state, my routine now is to let it air dry almost completely , and then blow dry maybe five minutes in the end ... does anyone else do this ? And have you noticed any damage by doing so ? Im guessing it will be fine since i used to blow dry all the time before and then on completely wet or just towel dried hair... but now im more cautious and I dont want to risk damaging anything because I really want it to grow long and be healthy.
I do this about 4 times a month. My normal dry time is anywhere from 3-6hrs:(! I usually just wash , let it air ry for about 1 hour, then bun, braid, or twist it up, when I take it down, yep, inner hair still wet hours later, so I often opt to blow dry on low and warm for 5 minutes, then done!


Yes, it's not a problem. :)

Everything depends on HOW you use it though. If you keep it at a good distance and use cool setting and don't use those aggressive styling brushes, you're fine!

In the past, I used to blow-dry my hair regularly, and it was fine, even though I used the highest setting. Of course, a lot depends on your hair type, especially average diameter of your hair shaft (the coarser the hair, the more damaging practices it can take). I don't blow-dry anymore because it takes forever and gets tiresome.

It's important to remember that letting hair air-dry over a very long period of time is not a good thing either, due to hygral fatigue considerations and some internal Cell-Membrane-Complex damage shown (in only one study, so we need more research!) - Hair Shaft Damage from Heat and Drying Time of Hair Dryer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229938/ while there is also cuticle damage (cracking/chipping of outside cuticle) that can accumulate with long/frequent blow-drying on high settings. So there is a bit of a trade-off.

So the ideal way of drying hair would be both fast and heat-free. So I vote for fanning hair out in fresh air or next to a fan! ;)

I always wondered about wet hair for hours in that fragile state. Thanks for sharing! I want a fan like ED has now!

kidari
March 22nd, 2015, 12:08 PM
So the ideal way of drying hair would be both fast and heat-free. So I vote for fanning hair out in fresh air or next to a fan! ;)

I love your informative posts. This last bit of information is really good to remember! I love not washing everyday because on days I do wash I like to go outside and walk my dogs a bit. While they stop and sniff things I just sort of gently fan out my hair and by the time I get back it's completely air dried with the added bonus that I don't have to complain it was time consuming to dry it! One of these days I am going to try out Madora's method.

meteor
March 22nd, 2015, 12:42 PM
I love your informative posts. This last bit of information is really good to remember! I love not washing everyday because on days I do wash I like to go outside and walk my dogs a bit. While they stop and sniff things I just sort of gently fan out my hair and by the time I get back it's completely air dried with the added bonus that I don't have to complain it was time consuming to dry it! One of these days I am going to try out Madora's method.

Thank you very much, kidari! :flowers:
And thank you for mentioning Madora's fanning method - it's wonderful! :D
(If anybody is wondering how fanning hair works, it can be done like this (presented by LauraLongLocks): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbgB6WhMl4Y or adjusted for your own comfort. :) )

LauraLongLocks
March 22nd, 2015, 12:46 PM
In summer I use a fan, or go outside if there is a nice breeze. In winter, I use my blowdryer on cool/warm. I hate wet hair. As has been mentioned by others on this thread, I have fewer tangles and my hair is smoother/straighter when I blow dry. I use a fan or dryer EVERY time I wash. I think my hair is in excellent condition.

Edit: Oh, just noticed my video was posted. Yes, that's exactly how I do it, but now I section into thirds before I start drying. I dry the bottom third, then the middle third, then the top third. My hair gets dry even faster than you see in my video.