How do you air dry hair and still get it to look nice?

[alxardnax]

I see so many pictures of LHCers who renounced heat with beautiful hair. How do you do it?! If I let it air dry down it is soft but looks frizzy and has no definition. If I put it in a bun it never dries and I am at that awkard length that doesn't look nice with a curled end that a bun gives. Advice??

[racrane]

Well, my hair was frizzy, too, but once I started the CWC method, my hair has been very soft and silky. It literally doesn't need any heat to lessen the frizz, because the frizz has been greatly reduced.

[julliams]

Ok, put in some leave-in, airdry and just totally ignore how it is looking. Then when it is at a point where you are saying "is it totally dry now?" (so the roots are now dry) put it in a somewhat loose cinnabun for about half an hour or so, then take it down and voila - that's how I do it.

[MissEarlGrey]

For me, there was a time of awkward air drying after I gave up heat. The longer you go without, the better your hair behaves. Also, you just learn to NOT TOUCH when it is still damp. Having well moisturized hair also helps with frizz reduction.

[VitaR86]

What is your hair routine? My hair used to give me issues before finding the LHC. Now I CO wash and my hair only gets frizzy if it air dries on a windy day.

[RocketDog]

Mine looks decent in pictures from certain angles, but the same hair seen in person looks like a frizzball. Hooray for crummy point and shoot cameras, I guess :P

[alxardnax]

Thanks everyone!

VitaR86: I have been CO washing since August (which has transformed my hair completely in a good way!) but lately I have been trying CV shampoo bars. I usually comb my hair out when it is wet (I know, not good) and then apply a bit of coconut oil.

[Jenn of Pence]

For me, I am able to manipulate my texture a little with cones; it makes it flatter and not so wavy, plus smooths it out. I actually touch/comb mine a whole bunch when it's drying...works for me at least. :shrug: But yes, when it's drying I look like a total poof-ball, and then magically, as soon as it's completely dry, it all decides to play nice.

I might also add that I live in a rather arid climate, and I'd rather not be reminded of my frizz disasters when I visit a humid location. Now that I think about it, I wonder if that's really the only reason my hair isn't a 24/7 nightmare... :o

[Malibu Barbie]

I have wavy hair, I don't comb it before it drys or I get the frizzies. Also, a leave in conditioner helps as well.

[Chamy]

I think it depends on how you wash it, and what you do with it while drying. Wen you find a routine that fit you, it will probably not frizz as much. On the other hand I have almost never used heat in my life, but when i have it would always frizz up like mad. Heat is not for me.

When i used to wash my hair with shampoo and conditioner it would dry frizzy. Now when i am WO it always dries smooth and silky. A little oil or leave-in can also help.

[Quezie]

I usually don't have a problem with frizz, but when I do, I use aloe vera gel to tame it down a bit, which seems to work.

[Firefox7275]

I see so many pictures of LHCers who renounced heat with beautiful hair. How do you do it?! If I let it air dry down it is soft but looks frizzy and has no definition. If I put it in a bun it never dries and I am at that awkard length that doesn't look nice with a curled end that a bun gives. Advice??

Are you sure you are only a 2a? I spent years fighting my poofy waves only to discover there are curls in there too! This thread (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/47609-post-your-before-after-cg-pics.html) was a bit of an epiphany for me because some of the befores looked oh so familiar. :p It's early days but trying new products and styling from fairly wet is giving less fluff and more definition.

[alwayssmiling]

Plopping. Using a conditioner as leave in, Boots Pink curl cream Fox's shea butter on the ends. I wrap my dripping hair in a tshirt for about 10 mins then I shake my head a little to get my curls and waves to do their thing. I don't touch it until its dried. It gives me pretty good frizz free curly wavy hair.

Oh and I did the very cold final rinse last night - this morning I have zero frizz.

[Issmene]

I have the same problem and I find I have to brush it once it's dry (I know baaaad, but it works for me :D)

[Venefica]

To be quite honest I have never considered it much. I just let my hair hand there and when it is dry it looks nice. However what you could try is products such as biosilk which make the hair heavier, and it do help with fuzzy hair I am told. I think a bit of weight might solve your problem, but I am no expert on this. Many will not use biosilk since it has cones in it.

[Madora]

Well, it's simply a matter of dealing with it gently. After it's washed it is a bit of a handful..a trifle "bushy"..but I usually tamed it by just rubbing my palms down my head and the length (to remove some of the static electricity).

I've noticed that a small dollop of coconut oil (rubbed on your palms then applied to your hair) will help tame those wild strands.

I always wore my hair up - or braided in a loose braid once it was fully dry. My hair felt a bit "frisky" for a few days after washing, but lost that feeling after about 3 days.

[RitaCeleste]

As you can see, I have frizz issues. I use my conditioner as a leave in. I like meadowfoam seed oil, or some Aphogee Moisturizing Oil Sheen (sadly I go light with this stuff and still look oily for 45 mins while it soaks in) to tame it down. I have wavy hair and I break the rules and brush it when its dry. Finger combing only when dry, is a great frizz fighter for wavy hair, I've done that in the past when I wanted more wave less frizz.

[lapushka]

I see so many pictures of LHCers who renounced heat with beautiful hair. How do you do it?! If I let it air dry down it is soft but looks frizzy and has no definition. If I put it in a bun it never dries and I am at that awkard length that doesn't look nice with a curled end that a bun gives. Advice??

If I let it air dry completely, it goes flat. I've got F hair. So when it's almost air dried? Here comes the blowdrier (diffuser)! Sometimes it's about 50% dry, other times about 80%, it depends, but the blowdrier helps hugely.

Frizz, however, seems to have nothing to do with the way it's dried. Seems to have a lot to do with product, and probably also depends on whether the hair is damaged or not. I definitely see a difference between my virgin hair and the damaged (permed) bits.

[spidermom]

I comb/brush my hair out thoroughly before I wash it, am careful not to mess it around too much while I wash and condition it (CWC with diluted shampoo), press out the extra water between my palms with a flannel pillowcase, and then leave my hair completely alone while it dries. Sometimes I'll take a little styling gel or aloe vera gel, rub it between palms, then smooth my palms down over the surface of my hair, which helps to reduce the amount of frizz.

This gives the absolute best results. I don't comb it out again until it's dry and I'm ready to put it up or braid it.

Oh, and sometimes I wash/condition before bed, then put my hair above my pillow overnight. This gives amazing spiral curls.

[irishlady]

I find that mine frizzes up too, even if I use a bit of coney smoothing serum.

What helps me is leaving it until it's mostly dry, then putting it in 2 english plaits/braids overnight. It looks nice and smooth then, and the waves I get from the plaits are the same as my natural ones anyway. So yeah. I wash my hair at night.

[aurorabridge]

I'm 2a/m/ii and I CO and then tame it with a little extra virgin olive oil afterwards.

[elbow chic]

I decided I liked frizz. What's so terrible about it, anyway?

[spidermom]

I decided I liked frizz. What's so terrible about it, anyway?

You have a point. What I call frizz my husband calls angel hairs, because when the light hits them just right, it looks like I have a halo and reminds him of what an angel I am. (really - he said that)

[Roseate]

To be quite honest I have never considered it much. I just let my hair hang there and when it is dry it looks nice.

Ah, the life of a 1a! ;)

My hair is always bigger and crazier on washday. Leave-ins help, as does drying contained (braids, buns), and the plop/don't touch routine does work for me too, but I rarely have the patience for that anymore.

Also, the longer I go without heat the better it looks airdried; I had pretty much torched my wave pattern for a while there, but it's recovered now.

[xoerincolleen]

You could try wrapping your hair! I tried it recently and it works great for me. My hair is wavy but wrapping it completely straightens it for me, better than a blowdryer would. Let me look for the thread on wrapping and I will edit this post!

This thread has some pictures and a link to a video that will help: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51781&highlight=Hair+Wrapping

[InTheCity]

The only thing that works for my is "smoothing my hair" over my head while still wet/damp.

Basically I make a part and use either my BBB (I know, I know...) or a fine-toothed comb just to slick the hair against the head, down, and back - to clip it in a claw and let the ends hang. I used to twist and flip up my hair in the claw clip but it's too long for that now so I let the ends loose. The point is to get as much hair smoothed against the head as possible. A low ponytail would work too but you may get a ponytail holder crease...

Maybe it would work for you too.

[Lianna]

Frizz, however, seems to have nothing to do with the way it's dried. Seems to have a lot to do with product, and probably also depends on whether the hair is damaged or not. I definitely see a difference between my virgin hair and the damaged (permed) bits.

And most importantly, hair type! Wavies and curlies will frizz more.

OP: Have you done a hairtype wash? Where you let it dry without touching at all. I think you might be curlier too. What helps me is a bit of oil on damp hair, you could try that since you don't like the damp bunning. I'm naturally frizzy and CO or shampooing didn't make such a big difference as light oilings. Or maybe you could just bun when it's almost dry.

[agoddess2die4]

I can never blow dry my hair, it always ends up a huge fluffy mess. (I fail at blow drying) I always air dry, sometimes I mousse and scrunch to make waves but I always love to put in Redken Fresh Curl- Curl Refiner. It doesn't define curls at all for me, but it makes my hair more manageable and soft so I put it in no matter what I'm doing now. It pretty much seems to work as a leave in conditioner/de-tangler for me.

[maborosi]

My hair looks nice if I spray in some leave-in conditioner after my shower and let it air-dry.

My hair is pretty straight, though, so I usually braid it to get a bit of volume.

~maborosi~

[Jenn of Pence]

You have a point. What I call frizz my husband calls angel hairs, because when the light hits them just right, it looks like I have a halo and reminds him of what an angel I am. (really - he said that)

Wow, that gives a new perspective on fuzz. :D

[HintOfMint]

Ok, put in some leave-in, airdry and just totally ignore how it is looking. Then when it is at a point where you are saying "is it totally dry now?" (so the roots are now dry) put it in a somewhat loose cinnabun for about half an hour or so, then take it down and voila - that's how I do it.

This! Except, I leave it in a bun overnight because I wash at night. But I can't emphasize leave-in conditioner or some sort of serum or oil enough.

[rogue_psyche]

You're a bit more wavy than I am, but I'd like to add that if you aren't already sleeping in a braid, start doing so. Usually braiding lessens the frizz causes by damage and reduces the tangles that lead to damage. I'll second using a leave-in (a small amount of normal conditioner usually works fine).

Of course there is frizz that is caused by hair type that I don't have much experience with. My mom is 2a and she detangles when her hair is damp (not sopping wet) and then pretty much leaves it alone (I do too but I'm not very wavy). Alternately many wavies detangle with a wide tooth comb when their conditioner is in their hair and then leave it alone or plop when they leave the shower.

You might be experiencing 'cone (or another type) of build-up, so clarifying your hair might help. You might also want to look for excess protein in your routine.

Build up and Clarifying Article (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=194)
Hair Diagnosis Article (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=44)
This offsite article explains the protein/moisture thing best (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/278612/the_fine_art_of_protein_and_moisture.html?cat=69)

[elbow chic]

You have a point. What I call frizz my husband calls angel hairs, because when the light hits them just right, it looks like I have a halo and reminds him of what an angel I am. (really - he said that)

:laugh: Very cute.

[TakeAPotatoChip]

My hair naturally looks 'nice' when air-dried & it only looks brittle when I have blow-dried it in the past. I've been air drying for many years, so I can't offer any advice.

[Tressie]

You have a point. What I call frizz my husband calls angel hairs, because when the light hits them just right, it looks like I have a halo and reminds him of what an angel I am. (really - he said that)


Good man, and smart too! :p

[Arya]

To get straight hair without heat, I comb my wet hair straight back into a high ponytail, and secure with a scrunchy/fat flat hair tie. Sometimes I'll leave the ends loose and sometimes I put them in a bun without twisting. Perfectly straight at the top, a bit of body at the ends.
To get spiral curls at the bottom, I do the same as above but with slightly drier hair. Then I twist it into a tight bun and let it dry naturally (sometimes many hours). When I let it down after it's fully dry, I've got spiral curls. My hair is in a protective bun during the day, and I get sexy spirals for the evening.
To let my (slight) natural wave/body show, I put a towel on my back and let it dry without touching it, just adding a bit of biosilk to my palms and smoothing it over dry hair.

[krissykins]

Honestly, it takes time before the hair that's used to being blow dried can be tamed. I think you should try lots of moisturizing methods (CO wash method, SMT, deep oiling with penetrating oil, etc) and see if that helps with being air dried.

That being said, I dry my hair with an old 100% cotton T-shirt, then damp bun.

[rena]

Once my hair is all washed and conditioned, all I do is squeeze out the water, add my leave in and detangle. I don't let a towel anywhere near my hair. Leaving it wet like this makes it shinier and frizzless when its done drying.

[PeonyGarden]

To tame my wild hair, and bring out the curl I use a bit of aloe vera gel mixed with coconut oil on the length while it's still wet - then I let it air dry. Seems to work pretty well!

[louisemg82]

I'm an airdryer and I've learnt never, ever to brush or comb my hair when wet. Leave it to do it's thing whilst it dries then brush it out afterwards :)

[pepperminttea]

Mine looks decent in pictures from certain angles, but the same hair seen in person looks like a frizzball. Hooray for crummy point and shoot cameras, I guess :P

Me too. :o I owe a lot to camera flash and using leave-in while damp.

[growingpains]

Hi!

This is a great question. I heat styled daily for years, simply because I could not handle the way my hair looked when air dried... but looking back, as a recent convert to (mostly) heat free, I think the problem was: a) I didn't know how to dry my hair properly via air drying; b) I didn't have my products right; and c) I didn't have the right attitude.

For example, I have a similar hair type to you, wavy but almost straight. What worked for me to dry it was (and I just discovered this a few weeks ago) to leave it alone while drying. After the shower I gently blot the water out (with a scarf or towel) and then leave until completely dry. Once dry I finger comb, and if I want a sleeker look I also wide tooth comb. The result is fantastic. Sleek, loose waves. I never thought I could accomplish this. Ever. Product wise going cone free seems to be helping. Also I CO every second wash, and in total, only get my hair wet every 4 days. This reduces damage which reduces frizzies.

I think you need to experiment with drying methods. You should try not touching till dry. When I am doing this if I look in the mirror while still wet I notice it looks terrible. Frizzy, gross. But once dry: amazing. In the past I would look in the mirror when still damp and see how terrible it looked and brush. MISTAKE!

Regarding attitude, I think going heat free, for those of use with hair that is not straight and not curly, we kind of need to accept that our hair is never (or without much effort i.e. wrapping or plopping) going to be pin straight or have perfect curls. It just isn't in the cards. Once I accepted that I have wavey, yes wavey, not straight not curly hair with some baby fluff, life got a lot easier.

Also, I have faith that the more damage I grow out and chop off, the better my hair will look natural.

xx

[LaurelSpring]

It really doesnt matter so much how it looks after I air dry because I put it up anyway. That is one of the totally great things about long hair for me. No bad hair days ever.

[gogirlanime]

Keeping it curly, I wash at night and wear it in a bun all night then in the morning it's almost perfectly dry, I keep it down for about 30 minutes and then it's completely dry. Or to have it straight I wrap it around and around and use a geisha pillow (where you sleep on your neck) and sleep on my back then in the morning it almost perfectly straight.

[caiti42]

Chi Silk Infusion changed my frizzy air dry life.

No more frizz!

[sharicat]

I need to learn how to do this too and stop heat styling. I find the longer I go between washes and blow drying, the easier it gets. And a bit of leave-in conditioner helps too.

[wendy51]

One word: Leave-in!
=) apply some, and let it dry like that

[vaughner]

I had to give up heat, and my hair usually air dries frizzy, but i learned how to work with it by using the right products for my hair type. After I get out of the shower I use a curl cream and serum and comb it through, then just let it dry and I don't touch it at all. My hair dries soft and frizz free with defined waves.

[dragonchickx]

Interesting question! for me it depends on the weather. Where I live the humidity is crazy and unpredictable. Plus it is windy a lot. So if it is humid I can do whatever I can to get my hair smooth but it will frizz up and tangle. Otherwise a little hair wrapped in a towel than a little leave in conditioner, and comb very very gently and slowly when hair is towel dried.. that works for me.

[Speckla]

Plenty of conditioner, oil, and patience. :D

[Lianna]

I know I've posted here before, but recently I've been using the famous Vatika coconut oil blend, it's a miracle product. :inlove: I'm quite impressed because my hair doesn't even like straight up coconut oil. I highly recommend! It isn't expensive either. I use a little bit after the shower (towel dried). Frizziless shiny hair!

[Lollipop]

Aafter soon as I cowash and detangle, I squeze out excess water from my hair. Then, I take my medium tooth comb and comb all my hair back (no part) into a mid level bun. I pin it with either a clawclip, spin pins, or a combination. I do this befor I even get out of the shower, and my 3a hair looks like it can solidly fit into the 1 category. If I intend to wear it down, then the process is a little different.

[Wally]

AVG and no-touch works for me.

[tigereye]

I wash my hair on a day where I don't plan to go out for a few hours. I ignore it until it is almost dry, then twist into a cinnabun or braid it loosely and leave it to go about my business. I often find it can be frizzy until the next morning.when I take it out of my sleep braid it is smooth as silk, although very braid-wavy. If I cinnabun my hair then for about 10-20 min, it straightens out to normal.

[sharicat]

Instead of twisting my hair up on my head to dry in a towel I've been wrapping it in a turbie over my shoulder and letting it dry, then braiding it with a spray of leave-in conditioner. That along with no heat styling has made such a difference! Braid waves but zero frizz :D

[Alex Lou]

Lots of good tips here. I need to work on my wrapping technique since my iron just broke and still liked to use it on my bangs.

If I wash early in the day, I'll brush my hair while it's drying (I know, that's a no no. But my hair is so coarse there is no chance of breakage.) straight back. About every 20 min I'll brush it. It pulls my waves into longer, straighter waves. It looks really full and smooth this way. I get lots of compliments.

If I wash my hair at night, I'll put a flannel scarf over the top of my head and twist the ends of the scarf around the length of my hair, then put the length over my shoulder while I sleep. This gives it a smooth top with spiral curl at the bottom.

[Heartwillfollow]

Think the slow dry is what makes a difference for me. I let my hair dry damp with a towel around it then put it in a french twist to dry the rest of the way (only at apl).. if I am going to go outside and especially if it is windy I will put a snood on.. always get the best results this way ..

[hime_daruma_88]

There has been a whole bunch of ideas worth trying in this thread :) I didn't even know it makes frizzies worse if you brush your hair when wet.. I think I'm going to try wrapping any time soon.

[Lianna]

There has been a whole bunch of ideas worth trying in this thread :) I didn't even know it makes frizzies worse if you brush your hair when wet.. I think I'm going to try wrapping any time soon.

I guess we could say there's no rules then, because the oposite happens to me..."hair type wash" (no touching) equals frizz ball for me...wet combing, nice waves.

[kd did]

I am newbie who is working very HARD to have healthy hair. I have sworn off of the hair dryer BUT my hair is straight and so flat when I air dry that I end up using either a curling iron or hot rollers to give it some sort of style. Any suggestions??

[Arya]

I am newbie who is working very HARD to have healthy hair. I have sworn off of the hair dryer BUT my hair is straight and so flat when I air dry that I end up using either a curling iron or hot rollers to give it some sort of style. Any suggestions??

Why not use regular rollers or pin curls? put your hair in a bun on the top of your head to let it dry? Add a little volumizing product as it dries?

[jojo]

I either damp bun or keep gently combing it if I want it straighter. I do get the best results just letting soaking wet hair dry without touching, but I always touch too impatient!

I am also getting good results with frizz taming by using Sally's miracle 10 spray, not the oil but the spray its really moisturising and flattens my head pubes down nicely!

[jojo]

I am newbie who is working very HARD to have healthy hair. I have sworn off of the hair dryer BUT my hair is straight and so flat when I air dry that I end up using either a curling iron or hot rollers to give it some sort of style. Any suggestions??

Try a bun on the top of your head. A sock bun is best or Cinnamon bun. Do this on hair that is 70% dry, it will give you wave, body and volume!

Welcome to LHC by the way!

[allmixedup88]

Ok, put in some leave-in, airdry and just totally ignore how it is looking. Then when it is at a point where you are saying "is it totally dry now?" (so the roots are now dry) put it in a somewhat loose cinnabun for about half an hour or so, then take it down and voila - that's how I do it.

hmmm I might have to try this
How long do you put it into the loose cinnabun?

[HintOfMint]

hmmm I might have to try this
How long do you put it into the loose cinnabun?

I wash my hair in the evenings, so I'll leave it in the cinnabun overnight.

[allmixedup88]

I wash my hair in the evenings, so I'll leave it in the cinnabun overnight.

Thank you!! I'm going to try this... what results do you achieve when doing this & in the morning should I finger comb my hair?

[HintOfMint]

Thank you!! I'm going to try this... what results do you achieve when doing this & in the morning should I finger comb my hair?

I get big curls when I take my hair down. I don't really fingercomb when I take them down, I just separate the hair a bit, and spread it out. Then I'll take some curls that have gotten fuzzy/too separated and wind them around my finger to get them back in a curly shape. Hope it works for you!

[JamieLeigh]

I CO, so I am seeing a lot less frizz than I used to have. I usually gently wring out the water into the tub after washing, and then let it sit in the towel, turban-style, until the towel feels wet to the touch on the outside...that means there is probably as much water in the towel as it can hold. Usually this takes between 5-8 minutes for my hair. The more water I can get out of my tresses, the easier it is to air dry.

[squiggyflop]

i use coconut oil for frizzies. my hair tends to be frizzy on top where ive always got a halo of fresh new baby hairs just aching to be long hairs. lol and my spiral cowlicks.
i dont heat style, but honestly i never really did.

when i airdry my hair i always comb it (with a seamless comb) a couple times as it dries, this reduces my waves. i cant get rid of the spiral bottoms of the hairs though.. they are a constant irritation unless my hair is in a ponytail (the giant sausage curl they form in a ponytail is kinda cute)..

now what i have a problem with is second day hair thats been brushed out of its sleep style (like in my siggy) too darn fluffy..

but yeah, its mostly conditioners and lack of washing the length as often that keeps frizz away from my hair. i do scalp washes pretty often, i dont smoke and i live in a smog-free place so my length doesnt get dirty really.

[Sophie.Bold]

In my case, either if I blowfry, flat iron, or air dry, I always have frizz, after gaining lots of moisture I can see diference but still bit of frizz, also new growth, which I feel blessed but does not look good right now. Best results to me its lightly oil after its dry! :)

[Freki]

I've always air dried my hair (I'm lazy), but ACV rinses and henna have done wonders for taming my frizz.