PDA

View Full Version : Must I give up blow drying to grow healthy hair??



Luna12345
April 30th, 2010, 10:09 PM
Do i completely need to give up blow drying for my hair to grow fast and healthy?...or can I just blow dry less often?

TXbarbie
April 30th, 2010, 10:15 PM
Just blow dry less often. Or wait until your hair is like 90% dry... and then use your blow dryer! That's what I do and my hair is fine :) Just be sure to use a heat protectant!

Loreley
May 1st, 2010, 12:35 AM
Do it less frequently and with cold air. Heat is what is bad for hair. :)

countryhopper
May 1st, 2010, 01:03 AM
I think that it depends a lot on your hair type. Fine hair seems to break and show damage much easier than coarser hair. I agree with the above suggestions of using cool air and just drying the last bits of damp hair.

With your M/C hair type, you may be able to get away with more than i could.

Arctic_Mama
May 1st, 2010, 01:41 AM
For my hair, none is the absolute best for health. I only use a blowfryer occasionally on my fringe because it gets cut regularly. But I have fine, wurly hair. The heat weakens it and the blowing causes friction between the stands leading to worn ends and a LOT of tangling.

Not worth it and in no way beneficial on my hair. And to top it. Off, my hair is wurly enough that it is extremely difficult to get the wave our with a heating tool anyway, even on the highest heat, unless it is a flatiron :shudder:

Aquamarine
May 1st, 2010, 02:13 AM
Not necessarily. But cutting down on blow drying is something that I would highly recommend!:)
Previously, I used to wash my hair daily and blow dry it before school. My hair was fine then but in the long run, I ended up with a lot of damage. I completely stopped heat styling and my hair got very healthy.

Maybe, you could just do it less often. Make sure you apply a heat protectant before and always blow dry on the cool option. Good luck!

joiekimochi
May 1st, 2010, 02:16 AM
But I have fine, surly hair. - Arctic Mama

What a great way to describe difficult hair!

Dreams_in_Pink
May 1st, 2010, 02:28 AM
If you can, give up :) But if you can't (in cold months, for example) use it on lower heat and only blowdry the scalp area. If there's an ion button on the dryer press it. Take some breaks from blowdrying, like, 5 minutes of blowdry and 2 minutes rest. I've found this is a good way to see if hair's still wet or not (hot hair won't show the wetness)

Ally<3
May 1st, 2010, 03:33 AM
Cutting down is great, but just know, each time you use heat on your hair (protectant or not) you cause damage, and because hair doesn't heal itself (like the way skin does) that damage continues to build up until that hair is cut off. I've damaged my hair with dye in the past so right now I'm not doing anything to damage my virgin hair which I'm growing out... so it's not for me. That being said, I have a friend who has blow dried her hair for years and it's in good shape. I think it's all personal preference.

windchijmes
May 1st, 2010, 06:13 AM
It really depends on your hair. Personally I will never give up the blowdryer, even though I know the concerns of using one. All in moderation. I suggest cutting down on the blowdrying. Use low heat, or the cool setting. And like someone else has commented, try to blowdry when your hair has been somewhat airdried already.

I only blowdry when I have to (when I'm in a rush to go out and no way in hell am I stepping outta the house with dripping locks!), and never for longer than 5 minutes (my aim is just to speed up the drying, rather than styling). My hair is still in fine shape as of now, thank goodness. ^^

myrrhmaiden
May 1st, 2010, 06:16 AM
I still use mine on the cool setting every time I wash to dry the front bits. Sometimes I do the whole thing to about 85&#37; dry. I just gotta.

FrannyG
May 1st, 2010, 06:28 AM
I can only speak from my own personal experience. When I used to blow dry daily, I would have split ends by the time my hair was shoulder length. Since giving up blow-drying and then having a good cut, I've had no splits for years now, even when my hair was much longer than it is now.

If you must blow dry, try to do it on a cooler setting, and not for as long.

On the other hand, your hair type is completely different from mine, but there's no denying that blow-drying regularly with a hot dryer is going to eventually cause damage.

Capybara
May 1st, 2010, 09:02 AM
It's been my experience that the amount of damage depends on the blowdryer. I don't use it anymore, but when I did, I found that low-quality blowdryers caused my hair to become damaged and break, while high-quality dryers didn't cause any damage. I was blowdrying my hair every day up until a few months ago (maybe last September?), and with a good quality hairdryer, I didn't have damage. This may be different for you, though.

To tell the truth, I gave the blowdryer up more out of convenience than anything. I like being able to get up and go :)

breezefaerie
May 1st, 2010, 09:23 AM
I blow dry my bangs/ fringe. I need to or it sticks straight out - not a good look for me.
I only blow dry on cool setting and just enough to get it under control.

I justify this by saying that when I trim my bangs, I will be getting rid of any damage caused.:shrug:

angelthadiva
May 1st, 2010, 09:23 AM
I have not given up the blow dryer, but I have changed my techniques that I will share with you.

1. Before a wash I completely detangle my hair.

2. After washing and condish I apply Redkin Anti-snap to my ends and wrap my hair up in an Aquis Waffle weave towel.

3. I apply my make up. I'm a full-face makeup gal, so this takes about 15-20 minutes depending on how fancy I get.

4. I detangle my hair with a wide tooth comb very gently.

5. Spray Infusium 23 into my hair.

By this time my hair is quite dry just from the towel; then I blow dry to about 80&#37; dry on medium heat settings.

lemonmelon
May 1st, 2010, 10:09 AM
If you're using a blow dryer to get your hair dry because you're rushed in the morning, you might try washing your hair at night instead.

If you're using a bow dryer for styling, I've found personally that blow drying the top layer only is enough for my hair to give it volume/style. The other ladies suggestions of blow drying once it's 90% dry are also good suggestions.

I haven't blow dried my hair significantly for about 6 months and it's been working great. I actually hated the crunchy dry feeling after blow-drying and my hair has felt smoother and softer lately.

Giving up flat irons, however, is a whole different ballgame :eek:

spidermom
May 1st, 2010, 10:11 AM
I still blow-dry whenever I want to - warm to scalp area, cool to length, none to ends. I don't pull/stretch with a brush but hold my strands out with a shower comb. I don't think it's damaging.

florenonite
May 1st, 2010, 10:54 AM
I think a lot of it depends on your hairtype. Some people can't touch their hair with any heat, others can do it in moderation. I'd suggest trying to cut down on your frequency and altering your technique. If you're still having problems, then give it up completely, save for rare occasions.

lapushka
May 1st, 2010, 10:57 AM
I don't think it's damaging either, provided you don't use the hottest setting. As far as the heat goes, test what you can stand to have on your hand when the dryer's in one place for a long time, and don't go hotter than that. Most dryers these days get far less hot, thanks to more heat settings. Anyway, a blow dryer beats having a wet head for hours, I think. It's up to you what you prefer. IMMHO, it's good to be a little more careful with your hair, but I don't get the obsessiveness with anything that "potentially" "might be" damaging. I think it all depends on how you use your blow dryer. I hate having my hair blow dried at salons. They all use their blow drier on hot, to get it over with quickly, and every time I've had my scalp scorched because they stayed in one place too long.

my2cats1
May 1st, 2010, 11:15 AM
I think it's not so much about the heat as it is about the way in which some people blowdry. If you are using a round brush the entire time to dry the length (like they do in salons), all that continual pulling and bending on fragile wet hair can be very damaging.

For a blowdry with less damage, keep the heat low or use the cool setting, focus on the roots, and try to limit styling stress on the ends.

Just my 2 cents!

masa_inn
May 1st, 2010, 11:39 AM
I wonder if it's damaging if I only use a cold setting, but I have to blow dry for about 20 minutes?

PrincessTieflin
May 1st, 2010, 01:31 PM
I blow dry my bangs/ fringe.
I only blow dry on cool setting and just enough to get it under control.

I justify this by saying that when I trim my bangs, I will be getting rid of any damage caused.:shrug:

That is me too. although I do have to use a round brush, but with how fine my hair is it only takes a minute and elimintates the fuzz and curls in my bangs

all I can say is that since I have given up the blowdryer and heat tools my hair has improved leaps and bounds. :D

Arctic_Mama
May 1st, 2010, 02:21 PM
I wonder if it's damaging if I only use a cold setting, but I have to blow dry for about 20 minutes?

It is for me, because it causes tangles and whips my hair around, which causes wear to the strands. But for most people, cold air isn't damaging. The mechanical damage is the concern, not heat damage.

Deborah
May 1st, 2010, 10:18 PM
Your hair may or may not tolerate your blow dryer use. But let's face it, heat is NOT good for your hair, rather it is generally damaging. It basically boils the moisture in your hair shaft.

When in an extreme hurry, I used to sit in front of a large, powerful fan. No heat of course. Now-days I just put it up and go, even if it's fairly wet. It turns out fine for me, even if it's still pretty wet when I take it down that night.

Masara
May 2nd, 2010, 01:26 AM
I wash my hair every day and then I blow dry the roots and fringe on the cool setting. I leave the length to dry by itself. My hair hates being put up wet and it tangles and snaps if I try.

Until my hair was long enough to put up, I had to blow dry otherwise my hair stuck flat to my head util my ears and then stuck out in all directions. Once it was long enough to put up, I could blow dry to get the worst of the wet off and then put it up.

I understand and accept that blow drying isn't the best thing for my hair, but it's a compromise I'm willing to make

Luna12345
May 2nd, 2010, 01:45 AM
thanks to all of u for the answers.....i have realy curly hair and because it's short I tend to blow dry it straight alot of the time(which takes 20 to 25 mins)...it might be too much heat on my hair so i will try and style it curly instead because it's really dry thanks to all the hair dye and i guess the blow drying isn't helping =) ...from now on I will try to blow dry just once a week.

xoxophelia
May 2nd, 2010, 07:22 AM
My hair used to be probably somewhere well below my waist and I blow dried it every day, hardly ever got it trimmed, washed and swam in a pool every day and it still looked good. I didn't really get split ends but it was a bit more puffy/frizzy.

I think if you didn't do ALL of those other things I did and you just blowdried your hair you would probably be OK. Maybe keep it down to twice or once a week.

I no longer heat style as I have damage from flat irons, curling irons, blow drying, chemical dye, and chlorine, sun, and sun in LOL ,..... So, if your hair is well off to start you are good to go but if it is like mine perhaps baby it instead.