Why Are Blowdryers so Bad?

[shortgoinglong]

I saw a post on blowdryers today that said something about blowdryers boil the hair? Is this really true and if so how badly does it damage the hair? Thanks!

[spidermom]

I think that curling/flat irons are a lot more likely to "boil" the moisture out of the hair than a blow-dryer is. However, blowing hot air through your hair will have a tendency to dry it out. I blow-dry my hair anytime I feel like it, but I use the warm and cool setting, never the hot, plus I don't brush and stretch while drying, merely hold my hair away from my head/body with the shower comb.

General rule is that if it's too hot on the skin of your neck, it's too hot for your hair. So hold the blow-dryer about 1 inch from your neck and let 'er rip for about a minute. If it's not too hot, you're good to go.

(actual results may vary)

[Isilme]

well, it's drying. And just like wind it likes to tangle your hair. And as steam evaporates from the hair it could cause the strand to break.

[Brat]

I always use a brush when I blow dry and hold it so that my fingers feel the heat. If my fingers get too warm, I move the dryer further away from the hair and/or give it a break. I always use a heat protectant spray too. I don't blow dry that often though, and a flat iron usually follows when I do. And more heat protectant!

If used properly, it can be LESS drying, but it's still going to be drying. That's what it's for.

[plainjanegirl]

I'm thinking about giving in and buying a blow dryer. I really really hate having wet hair for hours in wintertime. But I am worried that it will damage my hair since it gets such a bad rap.

[amaiaisabella]

I've said before that I firmly believe it is the brush going through the wet hair that does the damage moreso than the dryer itself, but YMMV. I wait until half damp, then use my fingers to comb my hair and let the dryer run on low heat.

[Buddaphlyy]

Blow dryers are not bad. It's the misuse and abuse of them that is.

[HairyCarrie]

I use a blow dryer nearly every day as I do not like wet hair or air dried hair on me. So far, after decades doing it, my hair still feels very good and doesn't have any split ends. So I'm content that I am drying correctly.

[Themyst]

Blowdryers don't fry hair. People that use blowdryers fry hair. :cool: If they use the hot setting and keep it close!

I use the warm setting and hold it out as far away as possible.

[Armelle]

My mom was told by someone a long time ago that it was similar to sticking a rope out the window of a car then driving down the highway at a high speed. Think of the fraying...

[GoddesJourney]

I've found it to be damaging. The more you do it, the worse it is. On rare occasion, I will blow dry, but I put it on a cooler setting now. However, I've noticed that it makes me frizzy.

[Shermie Girl]

I blow dry, now and then. In the Winter, I just hate the feeling of heavy, cold wet hair all over my neck, shoulders and back. Brrr. And ick.

Like others here, I use low or medium heat; anything that is comfortable on my face shouldn't hurt my hair. Aware of the fraying and drying potential, I use low or medium fan speed, hold the dryer away from my hair a good bit and until it is nearly dry use only my fingers or a wide tooth comb to gently detangle as my hair dries.

I have found that a nice coney leave in and some oil really give me a terrific finish, very straight and smooth and leave my hair feeling soft and silky.

When I blow dry, I give my hair a little extra love in the form of a nice SMT or protein treatment or oil treatment with my heat cap. I figure that the damage my hair may suffer is minimal and I am willing to make the trade off to get out the door quickly, have my hair look the way I love it to look, now and then and to be comfortable on a cold Winter's day. :D

[lonestargal]

I blowdry nearly everyday in winter. I CO every night and also hate the cold icky feeling of wet hair when it's cold out. What I do is put the diffuser on the end so that my hair isn't whipping around to damage it and I only use the warm or cool setting. I gently detangle before I start to dry but the only thing that touches my hair once I start is my hand very gently to help separate. The only thing I do as far as product is oil it a bit when wet and then again after but only if it feels like it needs it. I haven't noticed any damage so far and my hair is super soft and shiney.

[Keildra]

well I quit using blow dryers because thy made my hair poof and frizz badly. The problem I read somewhere on the internet was that it boiled the water under the cuticle and as it boils it splits and damages the outer layer of the hair. I don't know if any of that is true but I know blow dryers are bad on my hair.

[Tressie]

I confess that I've used one a couple of times when it was late and I didn't want to go to bed with a soaking head, but I did worry about damage.......even then )o:

[RancheroTheBee]

well I quit using blow dryers because thy made my hair poof and frizz badly. The problem I read somewhere on the internet was that it boiled the water under the cuticle and as it boils it splits and damages the outer layer of the hair. I don't know if any of that is true but I know blow dryers are bad on my hair.

I think the blowdryer would have to be on an incredibly hot setting to do that, though.

I use it occasionally when I'm in a hurry, but I don't generally love the way it makes my hair look. Also, it does make my hair tangle a lot more, even if I only do it on low/cool. It can be a useful tool, though.

[Shermie Girl]

well I quit using blow dryers because thy made my hair poof and frizz badly. The problem I read somewhere on the internet was that it boiled the water under the cuticle and as it boils it splits and damages the outer layer of the hair. I don't know if any of that is true but I know blow dryers are bad on my hair.


I know that that happens with a flat iron or curling iron but I doubt that happens with a blow dryer on low or medium. :)

Every one's hair is different and reacts in different ways. My hair turns into a pouff ball if I air dry it. I have to put it in a bun for hours to make it relax. Blow drying makes it all smooth and silky.

We just need to do what works for our own hair. :)

[Aero]

I used mine this morning on the cool setting. Took longer but I couldn't risk using heat.

[halfbakedtulip]

In the past I have used the high setting. Now when I occasionaly use my dryer I always use cool. Doesnt seem to matter 1 iota to my hair,,,it turns into a huge frizzy afro either way:p
So now I reserve it for the times I am going to be using my straight iron...which is quite rare these days.

[faeflame]

I've airdried my hair for years, but this fall/winter I just can't stand having cold wet hair. I keep feeling like I can't get warm. I've been blotting my hair with a hair turbie then switching to a dry one and repeating until no longer sopping wet and then detangling. After that, I blow dry on med heat and speed with my head upside down and scrunching with my free hand until my hair is not quite dry. I get to stay warm, get some volume to my hair and I don't feel like I'm totally frying it. So far it doesn't seem to be doing any noticeable damage, knock on wood!!!!!!LoL

[kdaniels8811]

My hair finally grew when I quit using heat. So no, they do not work for me. But everyones hair is different. I never noticed split ends or tons of breakage, but it was there. There are several other things I changed to help my hair grow long, so I am not saying it was solely the hair dryer but it contributed to the breakage.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

I saw a post on blowdryers today that said something about blowdryers boil the hair? Is this really true and if so how badly does it damage the hair? Thanks!

Well, I remember that my hair was ever shiny the day that I blowdried...I think it was in shock...it felt parched. After I slightly spritzed with a bit of water and put it back in a scrunchi so that it had some wavy after that it didn't feel so bad. But it never grew much past my shoulders, I had different lengths all over cause it was broken.

With all the stuff I did to my hair...I am surprised I have any now

[kimannabella]

I've given up using them because I have fine hair that splits easy.

If you like the look of a blow-dry, setting your hair on the jumbo sized rollers work really well. I have caruso steam rollers, the steam leaves my hair nice and shiny unlike what happened when I used the hairdryer.

[hmmm]

If you have hair that can take a lot of damage and still look healthy (I know those people exist), blowdrying wouldn't be bad. The idea is to not overdo it and be gentle with your hair.
My hair gets frizzy and dry if I blowdry it, and it's on the fine side, so I skip it.

[myrrhmaiden]

I always use a hairdryer on my "bangs." They're not really bangs anymore, just shorter front layers. Winter time means having to use it all over sometimes, but when I have to do so, I only mostly dry it. I use the cool setting religiously, or the warm if I am in a real hurry to get out the door.

[JamieLeigh]

The most damage from blowfryers is from those who use it too often, for too many minutes at a time, and on too high heat. Too much of a good thing in ANY case can be upsetting and damaging. Most people would probably be all right with either the cool setting, or just using it for a couple of minutes and letting it air dry the rest of the way, if you're in a hurry. Personally, my hair is still too fine in places for me to be comfortable with using it at all. But if you know your limits (what your hair can handle safely), and stick to those limits, there shouldn't be a problem.

[spidermom]

I don't think that a blow-dryer could bring the water in your hair shaft to a boil even if you held it 1 inch away on hot for an hour. Water has to be about 212 degrees Fahrenheit to boil and you don't get that kind of heat out of a blow-dryer. At least not mine.

I forgot to mention earlier that when I do blow-dry, I concentrate on the scalp and upper part of the length. I don't follow through all the way to the ends, so no whipping around and fraying.

[Igor]

Try holding your hand in front of your hair when you blow-dry. Keep it at the same distance as your hair usually is from the nozzle for the duration of which you usually blow dry

Your skin should now be hurting, red and peeling, maybe with some nice blisters if you can stand the pain for so long

You skin can now regenerate itself, repair the damage and should be back to normal in a couple of weeks

Your hair however, has no regenerative properties in any way

The damage you have caused can only be removed by cutting it, no matter what any miracle product claim

[Clarisse]

My hair gets frizzy, dry and straight when I blowdry. I try to achieve a smooth and soft curly/wavy look, and therefore I let my hair air dry. Sometimes, I let it dry in a messy bun instead :)

[shwankie]

Try holding your hand in front of your hair when you blow-dry. Keep it at the same distance as your hair usually is from the nozzle for the duration of which you usually blow dry

Your skin should now be hurting, red and peeling, maybe with some nice blisters if you can stand the pain for so long

You skin can now regenerate itself, repair the damage and should be back to normal in a couple of weeks

Your hair however, has no regenerative properties in any way

The damage you have caused can only be removed by cutting it, no matter what any miracle product claim

Actually, if you blow-dry on cool, this isn't a problem. My hand would actually get quite cool (my head certainly does). The cool air also leaves my hair brilliantly shiny, so for me it's like air-drying (actually, better, but I am too lazy to do it when I don't have to). I use it on a low setting, so there's not much whipping around to tangle it.

I blow dry most of the winter, for most of the reasons other people mention. I often also sometimes just don't have time to let my hair dry in rollers or other styles that will both hold and look professional (I have fine hair that slides out of pretty much anything but Dutch braids). My hair is very healthy, and has been past my waist (I am re-growing it from a bad haircut now, so it's between BSL and waist).

[Tangles]

I've noticed that since I've gone no-cone, my hair dries out pretty badly whenever I blow dry, even on cool. When I used cones in the past, at BSL, I had no damage with blowdrying once a week. The damage from hair colour, of any kind, is far, far, far, worse.

[heldiggris]

Well, I got dandruff because of the blowdryer. It has been such a problem. I didn't opened the hair in the public because I was afraid if someone could see those white dots...:( But now, 1 year without it it's much better ;)

[Curlsgirl]

I do think it depends a lot on the strength and resiliance of your own hair. My hair seems to really "take" a lot. The two things that really can damage it are flat-ironing regularly and bleaching all over which I have done in the past before LHC. I now get highlights regularly and blowdry maybe once a month or more in the winter and even flat iron occasionally and I really don't have any noticeable damage at all. Of course I am only barely at waist and I did just get a couple inches trimmed off. I know people that seem to get damage from just one of those things though fairly quickly. I say do what you feel your hair can take according to the length you want to grow to and what makes you happy. :)

[dany06]

Blowdryers have a bad rep due the abuse and misuse of them. Once I got a professional hair stylist to show me how to it properly and purchasing a few hair dvds for my texture I no longer have problems with blow drying. It should take not longer than 20 minutes even with the longest of hair if you do it properly. I have found with my super curly hair that using a denman brush works a bit faster than using a round brush.

[Madam Librarian]

I don't think blowdryers are bad at all, so long as you use them carefully.

I very rarely air dry my hair. I blow dry after nearly every wash I do. I use the diffuser attachment and low air speed to preserve my waves, and low to medium heat. Like previous posters, I believe that if the heat is comfortable against my skin, it is fine for my hair.

If I use the dryer to straighten, I remove the diffuser attachment, and use a wide tooth comb. I only ever use a round brush on my bangs. My hair likes to eat those round brushes, though other people have success with them. It's just not for me.

In addition to careful use of the heat and air speed settings, I also use a leave in conditioner, or a serum of some kind to help with frizz. My hair will frizz with or without the blowdryer, so I'm quite sure in my case at least, that frizz is just part of having wavy hair. I also blow dry to about 80-90% dry, and allow the rest to air dry. For me, using the dryer to 100% bone dry hair means frizz and poofiness. If that's a problem, try to stop the blow drying before your hair is 100% dry.

If you do use a dryer, just be mindful of the heat and the air speed, and you should be fine.

[zule]

What ML said. Yes, a flat iron and curling iron can reach a temperature to, or even above, the boiling temp. of water. That can indeed "boil" the moisture inside the hair shaft.

A dryer, properly used, can't do it.

Having said that, I don't use one. I just let it air dry, even if it goes to work damp sometimes.

[ravenreed]

On the rare occasion that I do use my blow dryer, it is mostly on warm. If I turn it to hot, because I am so impatient, I keep it moving constantly. I am really sensitive to hot temperatures, so I am unable to keep it in one spot anyway, so I doubt I am doing any serious harm.

[ericthegreat]

Blow drying in itself is not bad. As with anything in life, as long as its not abused and used in moderation it can be helpful.

And for many people who are say very sensitive to the cold weather or are already sick or in a poor state of health, it is much more important that they maintain their overall state of health than simply worry about their hair. For myself especially during the winter, I cannot expose myself to the cold or I will very easily get sick. So for me blow drying is a must between the months of December to March.

Edit: I should also add that drying off the excess water off of your hair is not damaging at all as long as you are not frying your hair at an extremely high temperature. I dry my hair on the warm setting, but especially at the roots first. I love the feeling of warm air on my scalp! I also dry my hair no more than 85% dry. As long as you leave some moisture in your hair, your hair won't be damaged.

[Silver]

I prefer to air dry my hair, but sometimes when I'm in a hurry, I use my blow-dryer - cold. And my hair even seems to be a bit more shiny after that, but maybe it's imagination. Anyway - I don't think blow-drying your hair is bad in general; it just depends on how you blow-dry it (and on your hair, of course).