2. The Steps
After using your moisturizing heat protectants, it is time to blow dry! Here are some simple tips and steps to go by:
- Always allow hair to air dry or use a t-shirt/microfiber towel to dry at least 50% before blow drying. Blow drying hair that is dripping wet can lead to the formation of bubbles within the hair shaft that can lead to mid shaft splits and breakage.
- Blow dry in sections. Doing hair one section at a time makes hair more manageable and helps prevent tangling.
- Blow dry on no higher than medium heat, at high speed. The higher the heat, the more at risk you are for heat damage and drying the hair out completely.
- Don’t dry the hair 100%. When your hair is about 75-80% dry, stop. Leaving some water in your hair will help better retain moisture and ward off dryness and breakage. After each section is nearly dry, hit it with the cool shot. This helps lock in your volume in place, and cut down on frizz.
- After the cool shot, apply a small amount of moisturizer and a sealing oil and then prepare to loosely braid or use the banding method to keep hair from reverting. Selecting a light, penetrating moisturizer will help keep your hair nourished and moisturized in its blown out state. Moisturizers like Rapunzel’s Hair Lotion, Curls Curling Soufflé, and Camille Rose Naturals Fresh Curl are great for this purpose. Sealing with a light oil after applying moisturizer will help keep your hair soft and smooth. My favorite oils for this are jojoba oil, Rapunzel’s Hair Silk, and Darshana Ayurvedic Oil.
- Shake and enjoy! Look at you, being all fabulous with your blowout!
Alternative Methods
If the thought of applying dry heat to your tresses makes you apprehensive, there are two other methods to achieve blow outs that pose a lot less of a threat to your hair than the standard blowout. The first option, is blow drying the hair on cool. Because there is virtually no heat used, it does not dry hair out the same way, or pose any threat whatsoever in terms of heat damage. You can still follow all the tips above, just dial the heat setting down. All the way down.
The second method involves a special little tool known as the Q-Redew. If you don’t have this handheld steamer yet, I highly suggest investing one. The Q-Redew gently infuses the hair with moisture, and helps improve elasticity and hydration. Beyond that, it has 8 prongs that can be used to detangle the hair and of course, produce a super soft and moisturized blowout! Because dry heat is not involved, you don’t need to worry about heat protectants! Just use the Q-Redew to blow out, and apply a little leave-in if you like, and seal with a light oil!
