To those of you who use a blow-dryer...

[Anya15]

I am at my wits end with my hair, LHC! Besides being a frizzball no matter what I do (which I've accepted), it takes 8+ hours to dry on wash day! The humidity is very high here. And because I can't just leave it loose for 8 hours or so, I have to pin some sections back or it'll get in the way. Those sections that are pinned back take longer to dry and they look odd after drying. I also got a head cold after my last wash. So I am thinking of investing in a blow dryer.

I want to use it to speed up the drying process at my roots, at least. But I am concerned about damage, and do not wan't to blow dry my hair straight (I want to retain the curl). I know some of you use blow dryers so what kind do you use? How do you use it? Do you use it on the lengths or just the roots? How do you retain the curl? Have you noticed any significant damage?

[Cg]

In deepest winter I use a blow dryer after some air drying, on roots only. I alternate between the least heat setting and the cool shot button, more time with cool shot. My hair is straight anyway, so it doesn't matter, but I would think if you hit just the scalp your curls should stay. I get no heat damage.

[reilly0167]

I have curly hair, in winter time, I use a diffuser, dries with out blowing hair all over the place.

[Groovy Granny]

I use the warm to cool setting with a diffuser on my scalp; a Remington Pro Air Dryer and the Conair Universal Diffuser..

My ends dry very fast even just air drying, but my scalp in back takes forever....and I hate a cold head any time of year :p

Occasionally in Summer if I want to define the curls and speed the drying I diffuse the length too.

I have never seen damage (no additional products used).... and I have fine silver.

[poli]

I use hair dryer regularly. I hate wet and cold scalp and getting colds because of it. I usually use warm setting and dry my roots upside down to give myself some volume. The ends dry pretty fast so sometimes I just let them air dry. The thing that was causing me some damage was using round styling brush. I don't get any damage from blow dryer by itself.

[Arctic]

A big diffuser than hugs the shape of your head might be best for scalp drying without disturbing your curls. Just place the "bowl" against your head and keep it still for a while, then gently lift it and place it on a spot next to the previous one (maybe turning the drier off while you change places so you hair won't blow around). This way your ends would be left to air dry, and could keep the natural curl, while you'd get dry scalp hair.

Diffuser (one with big, bowl-like attachment) would work on drying your curls too, then your would want to cup your hair section in the bowl and place it against your head (so the section of the hair would be held between the diccuser and your head).

I personally use the thin nozzle to dry my roots the most but I am not aiming to keep my waves most of the time. I use it to dry my lengths too, but it definitely disturbs the wave pattern. And no damage that I can notice; I use cool to warm air, low to medium speed, I save the brushing to special occasions so there isn't any agressive brushing or stretching on my daily life, and I hold my lengths with my free hand to keep it from whipping around.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

My ends dry fast so I only need the dryer on my roots.

I dry my roots upside down on a warm setting and don't hold the dryer close to my hair. I have never seen damage from doing this. Just don't have the heat high or too close to your hair, and keep the dryer moving rather than concentrating on the one area of hair for too long, you should be fine :)

[lapushka]

I typically wear my t-shirt towel for 30-45 min., take it off, style (LOC method) then clip it up (CG method), even the length and let it airdry for 2-4H. After that all it takes is a short diffusing time of 4-5min. (roots dry, very ends dampish).

If you use a blow dryer, make sure you can hold your hand in the airstream comfortably for a long time (blow dryers tend to heat up after some min.) - that is a good temperature. And it won't harm the hair! I have classic length, been diffusing since... forever. No white dots, no splits.

My hair takes 8H+ to dry as well, if left to its own devices. But I do devote time to airdrying, as it makes the diffusing process that much faster.

[Anya15]

Thanks for all the input! Currently, as I wash in the mornings, it's a wash and go situation - so I don't leave it in the t shirt turbie for more than 15 minutes - I don't have time. This helps get a good amount of the water out. So I have been thinking I can just blast some cool/warm air on the roots so that they dry faster.

My lengths air dry in about 6 hours, but it's the roots that bother me.

Since my hair is layered hip and is taking 8+ hours, I am really wondering what would happen when I have a longer length with no layers. Even if the humidity isn't as high, it takes 6+ hours...

[Groovy Granny]

Thanks for all the input! Currently, as I wash in the mornings, it's a wash and go situation - so I don't leave it in the t shirt turbie for more than 15 minutes - I don't have time. This helps get a good amount of the water out. So I have been thinking I can just blast some cool/warm air on the roots so that they dry faster.

My lengths air dry in about 6 hours, but it's the roots that bother me.

Since my hair is layered hip and is taking 8+ hours, I am really wondering what would happen when I have a longer length with no layers. Even if the humidity isn't as high, it takes 6+ hours...

IMHO ...Layers do speed up drying a bit.
When I grew my layers out to all one length at hip it took more time to dry (even being as fine as it is); more so in the back/scalp area.

[lapushka]

Thanks for all the input! Currently, as I wash in the mornings, it's a wash and go situation - so I don't leave it in the t shirt turbie for more than 15 minutes - I don't have time. This helps get a good amount of the water out. So I have been thinking I can just blast some cool/warm air on the roots so that they dry faster.

My lengths air dry in about 6 hours, but it's the roots that bother me.

Since my hair is layered hip and is taking 8+ hours, I am really wondering what would happen when I have a longer length with no layers. Even if the humidity isn't as high, it takes 6+ hours...

If you barely have time as it is, don't use "cool". Warm is perfectly acceptable (as I've explained above), just be mindful of the temperature. Drying upside down helps get to the root area!

[Arctic]

Also if time is an issue, diffusers take considerably more time than concentration nozzles (which, I believe take more time than no nozzle at all, but I'd never use a drier without a nozzle).

[Anya15]

Yes, I will look for a dryer with adjustable heat settings! Don't want the awful HOT air that they use at salons when I used to get my hair cut :(

Do dryers increase frizz? I have a curly haired friend who says she never blow-dries because she ends up with a big frizzy poof. These days, my hair has poof/frizz even if it's 3rd day hair...and combing seems to increase the frizz rather than tame it...yes even fingercombing :lol:

[animetor7]

Could you try to switch to washing in the evening so that you can spend a bit more time with it in a t shirt and can use the cooler settings without worrying as much about it taking longer?

[Anya15]

Could you try to switch to washing in the evening so that you can spend a bit more time with it in a t shirt and can use the cooler settings without worrying as much about it taking longer?

I wish I could! I've tried, but my hair ends up still damp the next morning and gross looking :(

[LadyCelestina]

Yes they do increase frizz slightly, but nothing terrible. It's about the same as the frizz you get in air dried hair when you move it around a bit and it frizzes but still looks pretty nice. At least for me, but I only blow dry until it's not really wet but kinda damp with mostly dry roots. And I blowdry 80% of time. I love having a blowdryer, it makes my hair-life so much easier and more comfortable.

[lapushka]

How many times a week do you need to wash, anou? Maybe if it's once, try doing it on a Sunday, and make a day of it (at least half a day).

[Hurven]

I use a diffuser occassionally (a few times a month) on the hot setting, mostly on the roots. I haven't noticed any damage at all, but my hair is very resilient, so I guess YMMV.

[Anya15]

How many times a week do you need to wash, anou? Maybe if it's once, try doing it on a Sunday, and make a day of it (at least half a day).

Twice a week is a must for me (usually it's Sundays and wednesdays). my wash days get shifted around too because sometimes I'm working on sundays and if I'm running late, I postpone the washes a little..

[Decoy24601]

For me anyways, when I used to blow=dry my hair occasionally on the high-heat setting, it would give me insane amounts of frizz. That's one reason why I never used a blow dryer. I haven't tried it on the cool setting, so I'm not sure about that, but even using a fan on my hair gives me a bit more frizz than if I just let it air dry or towel dry it.

[lapushka]

Twice a week is a must for me (usually it's Sundays and wednesdays). my wash days get shifted around too because sometimes I'm working on sundays and if I'm running late, I postpone the washes a little..

Any chance you can manage early evenings for washes? Then you can wrap it in a towel for 10-30 min., airdry a bit, and then blowdry, before going to bed. Beats doing all of that in the morning!

[melesine]

Use a diffuser with it, and a heat protectant if you will use anything warmer than the cool setting.

[melesine]

Thanks for all the input! Currently, as I wash in the mornings, it's a wash and go situation - so I don't leave it in the t shirt turbie for more than 15 minutes - I don't have time. This helps get a good amount of the water out. So I have been thinking I can just blast some cool/warm air on the roots so that they dry faster.

My lengths air dry in about 6 hours, but it's the roots that bother me.

Since my hair is layered hip and is taking 8+ hours, I am really wondering what would happen when I have a longer length with no layers. Even if the humidity isn't as high, it takes 6+ hours...

When my hair was that length it took forever to dry too. It still takes hours now. I make it a point to wash in the afternoon or evening when I don't have to go anywhere. Especially in winter.

[Larki]

I have a cheapo Conair blow dryer with a cool switch (as opposed to the button that you have to keep holding down) and I blow dry on cool until my roots and bangs are mostly dry (about five minutes).

[Anya15]

Any chance you can manage early evenings for washes? Then you can wrap it in a towel for 10-30 min., airdry a bit, and then blowdry, before going to bed. Beats doing all of that in the morning!

I could do that perhaps... I'll have to see though. That I don't do it on a rainy day.

[Flipgirl24]

I am at my wits end with my hair, LHC! Besides being a frizzball no matter what I do (which I've accepted), it takes 8+ hours to dry on wash day! The humidity is very high here. And because I can't just leave it loose for 8 hours or so, I have to pin some sections back or it'll get in the way. Those sections that are pinned back take longer to dry and they look odd after drying. I also got a head cold after my last wash. So I am thinking of investing in a blow dryer.

I want to use it to speed up the drying process at my roots, at least. But I am concerned about damage, and do not wan't to blow dry my hair straight (I want to retain the curl). I know some of you use blow dryers so what kind do you use? How do you use it? Do you use it on the lengths or just the roots? How do you retain the curl? Have you noticed any significant damage?

Using a diffuser will help maintain the curls. Use the coolest setting. Also use a thermal protectant, like an oil or spray. L'oreal has good products. Reduce the frequency of washing your hair. If I want to blow dry hair I usually wait until it is at least halfway there. But I guess that would be 4 hours for you!

You could also try one of this towels that dry hair more rapidly. I think the brand is Aquis? Or you could just do a scalp wash and not get your whole lot of hair wet. I put my hair in a loose bun of sorts and washy scalp using one hand and holding the bun up with the other hand. Some people wrap their length in a bag or shower cap. There is something that you can buy for this purpose but I cannot remember what it is called.

[mizukitty]

I feel your pain, girl! My scalp can't stay damp for long periods of time or it'll get really itchy. So I used a diffuser on the blowdryer (it's really good for preventing frizz) and a cool/medium setting on high. The medium I use quickly, mostly like I move it around my scalp and don't really hold it in one place, so it's good right at the beginning. Then I just use cool. As long as you moisturize and remember to prevent dryness, you should be okay. Good luck!

[lapushka]

I feel your pain, girl! My scalp can't stay damp for long periods of time or it'll get really itchy. So I used a diffuser on the blowdryer (it's really good for preventing frizz) and a cool/medium setting on high. The medium I use quickly, mostly like I move it around my scalp and don't really hold it in one place, so it's good right at the beginning. Then I just use cool. As long as you moisturize and remember to prevent dryness, you should be okay. Good luck!

I have been able to stretch the airdrying time to 2-4H (more like 3H usually). But then it really needs to get dry.

You don't have to use cool, especially if you have itchy roots, a little warmth will do you good, trust me. I have SD and use the one setting next to the cool setting (warm). If I hold my hand in the airstream for a long time, it won't burn, and that means it is a *good* and great temperature to use on the hair - it won't harm it, not one bit.

[Upside Down]

Another vote for the diffuser, AND dry your hair upside down. I got best curl results when I let it airdry (scrunched to shape more curls) till ~70% dry and then flipped my head upside down and used a diffuser.

[lapushka]

Oh yeah, definitely fan of a diffuser here as well! It gets to the roots perfectly, especially head down. I typically scrunch my hair and lengths up in it and hold it to the root. After a long airdry, it no longer needs that much. Just a blast of 30 sec. per section (yeah, I time or count).

[vampyyri]

I use one if I take a shower too late at night to dry out my roots and some of my length before braiding it for bed. I use a diffuser head with a warm heat on a low speed setting—just did this last night. You still wake up with some damp spots, but it dries out within an hour of being up.

[HairPlease]

I use one every once in a while. I "fluff" my hair as I blow it dry, I don't brush or comb through it except with my fingers. I don't put the dryer close to my hair and use the cool button liberally. It dries the hair up very nicely and retains plenty natural wave.

[Groovy Granny]

I use one every once in a while. I "fluff" my hair as I blow it dry, I don't brush or comb through it except with my fingers. I don't put the dryer close to my hair and use the cool button liberally. It dries the hair up very nicely and retains plenty natural wave.

That's what I do :thumbsup:

I mostly concentrate on my scalp which takes the longest to dry; by the time it is 80% my ends are dry on their own.

All this takes just 1-3 minutes for me; depending on how long it was in the towel, how long it was down before using the dryer, and how humid the air is.