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whiteisle
May 24th, 2009, 05:49 AM
I have abstained from the dreaded blow-fryer for a couple of months now trying to be a better hair owner. But being my typical self, I get bored with the same-ol'-same-ol' and decided to dry my hair this morning after washing it. Wow! I have far fewer tangles and snags throughout my hair.

That has been my one of my biggest complaints air-drying. No matter what I use or put on my hair to help prevent snags it always dried rough feeling and with tangles even if I finger combed or used a regular comb. I was trying to be more gentle with my hair by air-drying and it's like it revolted on me. I go back to one of the dreaded sins of good hair care and my hair loves me! :rolleyes: I don't get it.

Heavenly Locks
May 24th, 2009, 06:02 AM
For me, air drying encourages the subtle waves/kinks in my hair to form. When I blow dry it (for finishing) it is straighter and smoother... I think that is why my hair seems less tangly.

When you air dry, are you wavier than when you blow dry?

whiteisle
May 24th, 2009, 06:41 AM
I'm a bit wavier in the front but pretty straight in the back when air dried. Things are definitely smoother all over though with blow-drying.

Elphie
May 24th, 2009, 07:11 AM
I use my dryer periodically on a cool/warm setting. I think if you're careful, that should be fine.

Carolyn
May 24th, 2009, 08:24 AM
Are you using a cone serum for blow drying? That could be giving you more slip. I think straight hair sometimes tangles and knots less than wavy hair.

misstwist
May 24th, 2009, 08:37 AM
I find just the opposite. But I tend to air dry in a bun or dry from lightly damp in pin curls. I don't just let it hang down my back to dry.

Themyst
May 24th, 2009, 08:43 AM
I always blow dry mine after I wash it. I don't get my hair really hot, if I use the hot setting, I keep the dryer farther away. I try to use the warm setting, and then I throw my hair upside down and give it a blast of cold. It gives my hair so much more body. If I let it air dry, it's flat to my head and blah.

I only wash my hair about two or three times a week though. If I washed it every day, I don't think I'd blow dry it every day. Maybe I would. I'd have to watch the condition to see if it looked abused.:hmm:

amaiaisabella
May 24th, 2009, 08:46 AM
I definitely find I have less tangles if I finger comb and alternate between a warm/cool setting. The only exception is if I air-dry without combing (leaving all waves) rather than combing and letting air dry. If I comb, I have straight hair, and without blow-drying, it gets hopelessly tangled. With waves, I don't have that issue :shrug:

spidermom
May 24th, 2009, 09:31 AM
Blow-drying reduces tangles for me, too. I wish it didn't take an hour!

shadowclaw
May 24th, 2009, 11:15 AM
I find that blowdrying usually makes me hair look and feel a bit nicer than with air drying. There are definitely fewer short hairs sticking out when I blowdry -- it seems to smooth them down.

I don't often blowdry, though, because I don't often have time to do so. When I do blowdry, I let my hair air dry most of the way, and then finish the job with a quick blowdry. I would like to purchase one of those ionic hairdryers. Supposedly they use less heat but dry your hair faster.

Unofficial_Rose
May 24th, 2009, 02:46 PM
Hmm, I'm another one whose hair looks much smoother blow-dried than air-dried. It looks shinier and thicker too.

I now hardly ever blow-dry in the hope of being able to trim less. But having seen Themyst and Spidermom's posts, well, I'm thinking that if they can blowdry and have hair as long and healthy as they do, then maybe I can get away with doing it a bit more often. ;) It would look SO much better!

whiteisle
May 24th, 2009, 02:56 PM
Hmm, I'm another one whose hair looks much smoother blow-dried than air-dried. It looks shinier and thicker too.

I now hardly ever blow-dry in the hope of being able to trim less. But having seen Themyst and Spidermom's posts, well, I'm thinking that if they can blowdry and have hair as long and healthy as they do, then maybe I can get away with doing it a bit more often. ;) It would look SO much better!


My thoughts exactly! ;)

Themyst
May 24th, 2009, 03:51 PM
Well, I'm truly honored to be mentioned alongside Spidermom's fairytale princess hair!:o

I think heat is the issue when it comes to drying. Just don't get your hair hot. I try to let mine air dry for a while before I finish it off with the blow dryer. And, I remember reading a tip a long time ago about not blow drying the ends - well, ends can be more fragile anyway, so maybe that does make sense.

Nypsy
May 24th, 2009, 07:49 PM
I'm the exact opposite. If I blow dry my hair it turns into a frizzy, poofy mess. Air drying makes it shiny and smooth. Are you being careful not to tangle your hair when it's wet? By piling it on top of your head, rubbing it too much, etc.

spidermom
May 24th, 2009, 08:29 PM
I'm the exact opposite. If I blow dry my hair it turns into a frizzy, poofy mess. Air drying makes it shiny and smooth. Are you being careful not to tangle your hair when it's wet? By piling it on top of your head, rubbing it too much, etc.

Oh yes, I'm very careful about washing and keeping my hair "in order" while I let it air-dry. Problem is that I have all-mixed-up hair, from straight to spiral curls. When I let it air-dry, the curly bits grab onto each other, and I get snarls like you wouldn't believe (although it can look really pretty). If I blow-dry it (using warm near the scalp and cool near the ends), it smoothes everything out so that it's less grabby, and it stays smoothed out all the way to the next wash.

To avoid the poofy/frizzy mess, I leave some conditioner in my hair and use a coney serum or oil over that. I like the coney serum best. I finish on low speed and cool, combing through all my hair. If it looks a little too poofy when I'm done, I make a segmented ponytail (pony-holders all down the length spaced about 2 inches apart). After about an hour, I can take that out and all the poofiness is gone.

Tangles
May 24th, 2009, 08:56 PM
Spidermom, do you honestly think it's possible to blow dry once a week with no damage? I've been noticing this snag thing lately too, and can't help wondering if the snagging damages my hair, negating the fact that I don't use heat.

spidermom
May 24th, 2009, 09:44 PM
Spidermom, do you honestly think it's possible to blow dry once a week with no damage? I've been noticing this snag thing lately too, and can't help wondering if the snagging damages my hair, negating the fact that I don't use heat.

Yes I do; just don't use the hottest setting and keep the dryer moving (don't concentrate on one spot).

Maybe it causes minimal damage, but nothing obvious so far, and I've been doing this maybe once or twice a week (some weeks not at all) since APL length, and whatever damage it causes is negligible and hard to separate out from the damage I get from combing out tangles, exposure to sunlight, carelessly stabbing a hair stick or fork through my hair, and so forth.

Tangles
May 24th, 2009, 09:58 PM
Maybe some people should start a blow dry thread. I'm very interested in some sort of "scientific" study of this because blow drying is viewed as the devil here.

Chanterelle
May 25th, 2009, 02:15 AM
Hmm, I'm another one whose hair looks much smoother blow-dried than air-dried. It looks shinier and thicker too.

Same here!

whiteisle
May 29th, 2009, 07:55 AM
Maybe some people should start a blow dry thread. I'm very interested in some sort of "scientific" study of this because blow drying is viewed as the devil here.


I would be interested in this as well. :)

spidermom
May 29th, 2009, 08:40 AM
This is it, isn't it (a blow-dry thread)?