Read in this article:
- Why does hair lose strength?
- The benefits and harms of using a hair dryer
- What are the dangers of naturally drying hair?
- How to properly dry your hair with a hairdryer?
- The most common mistakes when using a hair dryer
- Useful features of a hair dryer
- Convenient drying and healthy hair
A hair dryer has many advantages: it allows you to quickly tidy up your hair after washing and style it. But there is an opinion that such a procedure has a negative effect on curls, making them brittle and dry. Let's try to figure out whether it is possible to maintain the beauty of your hair by regularly using a hair dryer.
Why does hair lose strength?
Every girl dreams of healthy hair and a beautiful hairstyle. Many people are afraid to dry their hair with a hairdryer so as not to harm it. In fact, dryness, brittleness and other unpleasant symptoms can occur for completely different reasons that have nothing to do with drying:
- Against the background of many chronic diseases;
- Due to special climatic conditions;
- In case of insufficient intake of vitamins and nutrients into the body;
- Due to the incorrect selection of cosmetics.
It is quite possible that the real cause of hair loss is a scalp disease, and not a hair dryer at all. The same applies to other manifestations that are considered to be consequences of exposure to a jet of heated air.
The benefits and harms of using a hair dryer
Drying your hair with a hairdryer provides many benefits, primarily saving time. If you have no more than half an hour to wash your hair and style it, you can’t do without such a device. Thanks to the hairdryer, you don’t have to go outside with undried hair, for example, after swimming in the pool or visiting a water park. In cold weather, this makes it possible to prevent colds.
In addition, the hair dryer:
- Helps create various styles using special attachments;
- Eliminates hair tangles;
- Equipped with an air cooling function;
- Gives volume to hair;
- Removes static charge using ionization, making hair more manageable and silky.
Many hair dryers have overheat protection. There are folding models, indispensable for travel, and options for different types of electrical networks.
What damage does a hair dryer cause to hair?
Anyone who uses a hairdryer finds it difficult to refuse quick drying and styling of unruly natural curls. But with such convenience, it is necessary to think about the negative consequences that this easy-to-use device causes, deteriorating the structure, destroying healthy hair. The damage is caused not by the device itself, but by the flow:
- Hot air - due to exposure to high temperatures, the strand weakens, becomes dry and brittle, loses volume, and visually looks dull. As a result, tufts of hair will appear on your comb, in the bathroom after washing your hair, and even cover the floor, as a broom or vacuum cleaner will show.
- With speed . Under the influence of a hot, strong jet, the hairs will begin to separate, the cuticle will be damaged, and the ends will split.
- Every day, from frequent use of an electrical appliance, the negative situation is aggravated. The sebaceous glands perform their functions with disturbances, the work intensifies, causing the pores to become clogged, and at the end of the day the curls become greasy and unsightly.
In addition, expensive hair care becomes useless:
- Balm.
- With a mask.
- Vitamin complex.
- Serum.
Under the influence of hot air the protective film created by the nutrient is destroyed, and the structure of one of the skin appendages deteriorates. Therefore, frequent use of a hair dryer will destroy the shaft, the hair follicle - the core or cortex. The consequences can be very dire, from which the best means for restoring roots will not save you.
What are the dangers of naturally drying hair?
However, naturally drying your hair can also be harmful. The fact is that each hair is covered with scales that swell and open when exposed to water. This leads to an increase in hair volume and at the same time makes it more brittle and deprives it of protection from external influences.
The longer the hair remains wet, the more its scales stretch. The result is cracking of the protective layer. It is especially dangerous to go to bed immediately after washing your hair. Due to involuntary movements and friction of the head against the pillow, the hairs become thinner, lose their vitality and become deplorable.
Natural drying has other negative nuances:
- With the modern pace of life, it is not always possible to wait until your hair is completely dry. As a result, all the negative factors described above are affected;
- When combing wet hair, its fragility increases significantly;
- By skillfully using a brush and a hair dryer, you can create a beautiful voluminous styling, but with natural drying this is not possible;
- Hair dried in this way becomes very tangled.
Undried hair will suffer much more from direct sunlight than hair that has been blow-dried.
How to properly dry your hair with a hairdryer?
It turns out that using such devices is even more useful than waiting for your hair to dry on its own. However, this is only true if you know how to properly blow-dry your hair and follow a few simple rules:
- Immediately after washing, the curls should be wrapped in a warm towel for about 15 minutes to remove excess moisture, but do not wring out the curls by twisting the towel;
- When drying, it is better to choose medium or low temperature, since overheating is dangerous for the hair. It is easy to check the temperature indicator - the degree of heating should be comfortable for the back of the hand;
- The hairdryer should be applied from roots to ends, without lingering long on one strand;
- The device should be kept at a distance of about 40 cm from the hair;
- It is advisable to leave the curls slightly damp, since prolonged exposure to heated air can cause dry hair.
Curls need to be protected from negative influences. Numerous hair care products with thermal protection have been created specifically for this purpose. It is very convenient to use styling products with this property so as not to overload your hair with several different products. In addition, you need to avoid tightly tightening hairpins and elastic bands, especially for wet hair. You cannot constantly collect your curls in braids or a ponytail; from time to time, your hair should rest loose.
Why is a hair dryer harmful?
If you compare a hair dryer with a curling iron, then using the latter leads to more unpleasant consequences. But if you use a hairdryer incorrectly every day, it will cause even more damage than curling irons and straighteners. It's all about the temperature of the device. Most people use a hair dryer on the highest setting to speed up the process. After a while, they are looking for ways to restore damaged hair. To prevent this from happening, you can dry your hair only on medium mode, or better yet, on minimum. You should never start drying your hair at high temperatures. Always start the process with the minimum temperature, gradually increasing it slightly. It is advisable to finish drying again at the minimum temperature.
Hair drying process
The first step in proper, delicate hair drying is choosing a good hair dryer model. The hairdryer should regulate the temperature and flow rate. Drying for a long time on maximum mode will damage your hair. After purchasing a good device, you need to learn how to handle it correctly.
After the bathroom, pat your hair dry with a towel and leave it for 10 minutes to absorb moisture. Wet hair is very vulnerable and subject to mechanical damage. If you dry your hair immediately after washing, no advice will help you protect your hair. At the same time, do not be overzealous with the towel. Rubbing your newly washed, delicate hair vigorously is dangerous to its health. Treat them with care. There are additional means to protect hair from drying out. The use of thermal protection will allow you to use the hair dryer even at high temperatures. Serums help protect hair from negative effects, and also moisturize and nourish hair well.
When drying, remember that your goal is to dry your hair, not your head. Therefore, there is no need to point the hairdryer at your scalp. This causes dandruff to appear. Ideally, the air flow should pass through the hair and not linger in it.
Hair must be dried from roots to ends. Human hair is covered with microscales. Therefore, the direction in which you dry your hair is very important. With the correct direction, the hair scales are smoothed, it becomes protected and smooth. Using another drying method can damage the hair structure.
You can also damage your hair by using the wrong brush. Brush with a wide-tooth comb before drying. Use a brush to style. Do not use a tool with metal teeth. During the drying process, the metal will heat up and damage the hair. Also, the brush should not pull out hair.
It is better to leave your hair a little under-dried. At the end of the process, turn the hair dryer to its lowest setting. This will cool your hair and add shine.
Tip: At the end of drying, you can apply coconut oil to your hair. Rub a minimal amount of oil in your palms and apply evenly to your hair. Coconut oil not only restores hair structure, but also gives it shine.
The most common mistakes when using a hair dryer
One of the most common mistakes when drying hair is the direction of hair flow from ends to roots. The hair dryer should move in the opposite direction so that the scales do not lift and the moisture remains inside the hair. For the same reason, drying your hair with your head tilted has a negative effect on your curls, although it temporarily gives them additional volume. In addition, after such exposure, the strands become tangled and difficult to comb, which means they are even more damaged by the brush.
Do not keep the towel on your head for too long after washing. Due to fabric friction, hair weakens. Another important nuance is how to properly dry your hair using a diffuser. This device should not be put on the hair dryer right away. First you need to style your hair with a regular nozzle at low speed, and only then switch to a diffuser. By the way, the safest hair dryer attachments are plastic and ceramic, but heated metal can damage your hair. For thin hair, it is better not to use the maximum air speed.
It is better not to dry all the curls at once, but to do it one by one, dividing the hair into about 4 zones. To obtain volume, warm air must be directed onto the strands raised by a comb. It is better to start with the curls located in front.
Basic rules for using a hair dryer
Using a simple device, you can quickly dry your strands and style them, creating root volume. Hair dryers are used by women with any hairstyle. True, as is the case with other household appliances, during operation you must adhere to a number of rules:
- For the first minutes dry on medium mode, gradually increasing it, and towards the end - decreasing it to a minimum.
- Do not dry completely, leaving the strands slightly damp.
- Keep the hair dryer at a distance of 15-20 cm from your head. In a lower condition, the likelihood of damage to curls is higher.
- Take breaks every 5 minutes.
- When using a treatment mask, wait 15 minutes, dry with a towel and only then start drying.
- Divide your hair into separate zones. This will allow for good ventilation and effective straightening. Start from the forehead, moving towards the temples and the center of the head.
- Dry hair in the direction of growth. Otherwise, the scales split and the ends become separated.
Useful features of a hair dryer
All modern hair dryer models have a cold air function. This is a very useful option for several reasons. Firstly, it helps protect curls from moisture loss and drying out. Secondly, cold air perfectly fixes the styling, makes it light and smooth, and ensures that it retains its shape for a long time. Thirdly, this option is indispensable for hair extensions, since it does not destroy the adhesive composition.
Another useful function of a hair dryer is ionization. Hair accumulates static tension, so its scales rise and the protection weakens. To neutralize the charge, an ion generator built into the hair dryer is used. It produces particles with a negative charge that help smooth out the scales and give the curls a healthy shine.
Static electricity attracts dust and dirt, so strands get dirty faster, especially under a hat. Ionization makes it possible to avoid this effect and keep your hair clean and attractive for longer.
An excellent solution would be the Beurer HC 30 hairdryer, equipped with the Cool Shot function for instant styling. It is made of high quality chrome, which ensures durability and stable operation. Its increased durability is also guaranteed by automatic overheating protection.