Okay, enough already. You constantly hear that anything but air-drying your hair damages it, but you can’t imagine giving up the blow dryer. So how can you dry your hair and still protect it?

We have that information for you to help you rock the look you love and still protect your precious hair.

Ways to safely dry your hair

Air dry: While this is what most experts suggest, it’s not always the best option for really long hair. Hair is very fragile and stretchy when it’s wet. If your hair is long, it adds a lot of weight to the roots that they’re not designed to handle. 

Plopping: Fun name, huh? Hair plopping just refers to drying your hair with a soft t-shirt or similar 100% cotton fabric. Instead of tying your hair up in a towel, which can be abrasive and rough on your hair, the t-shirt softly protects it and absorbs water.

Blotting: Use a very thirsty towel or a t-shirt, but instead of passively letting your hair dry, you work to squeeze and blot up as much water as possible. But no rubbing is allowed, it’s just too aggressive and damaging. A little leave-in conditioner is a great little helper for this technique.

Combo drying: Combo drying means letting your hair air dry to about 70-80% dry and then using a blow dryer. This is probably the best method because it takes advantage of the gentleness of air drying and the speed of blow-drying. 

Of course, it’s not that easy. We want you to change the way you blow-dry your hair, too. The following tips give you the best results when blow-drying your hair while protecting the shaft, the root, and your scalp. It may help to invest in the perfect blow dryer for you too!

If done consistently and correctly, you might even be able to get away with using your blow dryer more often.

Tips for safe blow drying

Ionic dryer: These little beauties are gentler on your hair because they reduce the time needed to blow dry.

Use a heat protectant: Prepare for the heat by purchasing a good heat protectant and using it every time you blow-dry.

Use a diffuser or a nozzle: Most hair dryers come with a nozzle, and some even come with a diffuser. Learn how to use them to add another layer of protection between heat and hair.

Hold it farther away: The optimal distance is about 5 or 6 inches from your hair. This can get to be a stretch, and might not even be possible for some, but try to hold the blow dryer away from your head and hair. Don’t blast your hair with heat point-blank.

Cool setting: Select a cooler setting and you’ve instantly removed the heat damage concern. Now, we know cold does not set hair as heat does, so try to dry your hair on the cool setting and then switch to the hotter one just for the styling part.

Move steadily: Keep that blow dryer on the move. Never focus on one area too long to avoid drying out the hair and scalp.

Change rooms: Hey, every little bit helps right? If you’re blow-drying your hair in the bathroom where you just showered, there’s a good chance it’s really humid. 

Change rooms to blow dry, or open the door to reduce the humidity. Humidity in the shower lingers and adds to your drying time.

Blow downward: Point your blow dryer downward. Yes, for some areas this might mean you need to be a contortionist, but it is ideal to reduce frizz and tangles. We realize you probably can’t do it for your whole head, but do what you can.

Final thoughts

Drying your hair can cause damage, no matter how you do it. But you can minimize that damage by using a few different techniques.

Blow drying has been the enemy for so long, but now we realize a little blow drying might be very useful. That is as long as you use a good technique that protects your hair.

Finally, a little hair-boosting might help you prevent some damage and repair stressed follicles. We recommend using a good vitamin that’s designed for hair health, like Hair La Vie Clinical Hair Blend. 

You can also strengthen your hair by changing your diet and eating food that’s good for hair. 

This Vegan Thai Lettuce Cups recipe is one we love. It features split peas, which have lots of protein to support hair health and growth. They’re also packed with vitamins and minerals.