Hair dryer- need help and opinions

[~Anna~]

Hi, I'm new here.:)
I need some opinions from the ones who are in the same situation. I have a bob haircut that I love very much. But my hair is frizzy and rebel and it's no way I ca make it look styled and look beautiful if I don't dry it with the hair dryer and round brush. There's no way. With the round brush and hair dryer I can give it volume, straighten it and make it "rounded". If I let it dry by its own, it looks bad, cause my hair is curly and smooth and rebel at the same time. Drying it with the round brush and hair dryer makes it look so beautiful, and the haircut looks very good like this.

So my concern is- if I dry it with the hair dryer and round brush twice per week, will I damage it? I don't want to have split ends and damaged hair. I take care of it, evrytime I shampoo I use balm or mask, to mantain its smoothness and health. Do you think my hair will be damaged if I blow-dry it twice per week and using a round brush?

[caiti42]

Yes, you will damage it by blow drying!

BUT I know exactly what you mean about being a little dependent on the dryer! You can reduce damage by always using a heat protectant, allowing hair to naturally dry about 80% and using a deep conditioner once a week.

I find I can keep my hair looking cleaner for longer if I finish it with the dryer so it's a bit of a trade off. I don't need to wash as often if I use a little bit of heat.

Only use a ceramic/ionic blow dryer and use the lowest and slowest heat setting the dryer has.

Good luck!

[Mesmerise]

Hi, I'm new here.:)
I need some opinions from the ones who are in the same situation. I have a bob haircut that I love very much. But my hair is frizzy and rebel and it's no way I ca make it look styled and look beautiful if I don't dry it with the hair dryer and round brush. There's no way. With the round brush and hair dryer I can give it volume, straighten it and make it "rounded". If I let it dry by its own, it looks bad, cause my hair is curly and smooth and rebel at the same time. Drying it with the round brush and hair dryer makes it look so beautiful, and the haircut looks very good like this.

So my concern is- if I dry it with the hair dryer and round brush twice per week, will I damage it? I don't want to have split ends and damaged hair. I take care of it, evrytime I shampoo I use balm or mask, to mantain its smoothness and health. Do you think my hair will be damaged if I blow-dry it twice per week and using a round brush?

If you're not planning on growing your hair any longer, then I wouldn't worry about it! However, if you do want to grow your hair, then yes, you may have some challenges as you are damaging your hair daily doing this.

Keeping hair fairly short means that the hair can take a fair bit of punishment, as the ends of the hair aren't too old, and the hair is generally regularly trimmed... it's a different story though with long hair!

[jojo]

If you must use a hairdryer, then never use it on a hot setting, keep it at least 6" away from your hair, move the dryer constantly and try and let your hair air dry until its just damp and then use dryer but not until its bone dry; this will cut the dryer time down. It goes without saying to use heat protection too.

I use a hair dryer every now and then even straighteners, theres times we need our hair to look a certain way and I don't see much of a problem. However, the downside is you will get some damage and this may mean regular dustings and DC but as long as you minimise the risks, I cannot see a problem.

[Firefox7275]

Since your hair is curly, why don't you learn to tame and style it curly? That way you don't have to worry about heat damage. This thread on Naturallycurly (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/47609-post-your-before-after-cg-pics.html) shows you what is possible with the right routine. :D If your balm and conditioner contain cones you may find this is simply masking damage not actually maintaining health. If you still want straight hair you might learn to wrap it?

[Aaroo]

You can also use Cone+ shampoo/conditioners, as some believe that they can protect hair from damage caused by heat.

I have the same problem with my hair being short, but changing my routine has helped a lot with frizz and everything. Maybe you will find a good way after lurking around.

[racrane]

If you're growing out your hair, yeah, the damage will come back to bite you. Actually, I had your hairstyle several months ago and because of the styling I had to do I preferred long hair. I hated all the heat I was putting on my hair. My hair is now below shoulder length, I use no heat on it and it looks so much better. I hope this helps.

[mimimo]

I second Mesmerise's post - if you aren't intending to grow it long then I don't think it matters so much, you're shorter hair will probably hold up. Just be smart about how you use it - some of the tips that have already been suggested like using cool settings, letting it air dry as much as possible, cone serums etc.

If you do want to grow it long then I'd suggest minimising your usage as much as possible. You will have an awkward few months while you are growing past your shoulders (I am there myself) but generally the longer it is the less you will need to rely on hot tools.

[LadyLongLocks]

If your hair dryer is used on warm and cool I don't see a problem.
If you can hold your dryer 1" from your skin on the warm setting and it does not burn your skin then it is safe. Hot blow dryers are the enemy, warm blow dryers can be an asset. Most have a cool setting too so you can switch from warm to cool. The sun makes more heat on my hair than my hair dryer ever does.
I have used a blow dryer all of my life.
They are associated with damage because some people use high heat and hold it too close to the hair.

[~Anna~]

Wow, so many answers, thank you all! :o

Yes, I know I have to keep the hair dryer far from the hair- I use it at around 4-5 inches from the hair. I use conditioner everytime I wash my hair, and I use the dryer no more than twice per week- usually when I go to a shop or somewhere not that important I just let it dry by its own.

I know I could let my hair curly and find a way to style it that way, but I don't like it cause it's not perfectly curled, it stays in all ways, some parts are curled and some are more straight, and my hair is pretty smooth and fine and if I don't style it with the dryer it looks like a bird nest.

I had a long hair for a very long time and I got really bored and wanted to have a haircut that looks elegant and I wanted so much to cut it in an elegant bob- a medium one, above my shoulders. It fits me way more and when I had it long it was so hard to make it stay like I wanted that I was never satisfied with it. Now it's so easy- I wash, condition, blow dry and it looks just perfect.
I was panicked cause I don't want to damage it, and I know that the hair dryer damages hair, but I also thought that most of the people who blow-dry it keep the dryer stuck to the hair, and that indeed can damage. But I keep it far, and I don't use it daily.

Thank you all for the advices. Also yes, this haircut needs to be trimmed at least once in 2 months, because otherwise the shape will get lost. So I will refresh it pretty often.

[jojo]

If your hair dryer is used on warm and cool I don't see a problem.
If you can hold your dryer 1" from your skin on the warm setting and it does not burn your skin then it is safe. Hot blow dryers are the enemy, warm blow dryers can be an asset. Most have a cool setting too so you can switch from warm to cool. The sun makes more heat on my hair than my hair dryer ever does.
I have used a blow dryer all of my life.
They are associated with damage because some people use high heat and hold it too close to the hair.

I totally agree with all this and the proofs in the photos, your hair is phenomenal .