How to Blow Dry Your Hair Like a Pro

Ever catch yourself checking your hairstyle on particularly hot, humid, or windy days, or after a little gym or pool time? Chances are, you’re doing that. Because hot, humid and windy days have a way of messing with our hair — no matter how perfect the hair once was. 

While not all of us have the time to go for that perfectly coiffed hair, it’s a goal most of us are aiming for. So how do you make sure your hair looks great throughout the day? 

Two ways of achieving this are blow drying and air drying. While blow drying takes time and effort to perfect, air drying can give unpredictable (but quick, and sometimes surprisingly good) results. When you want to be sure that your hair will turn out well, though, you can’t just leave your hair to the unpredictable fate of air drying.  

Crossing your fingers and hoping for the best is not the answer: Our helpful guide is! In the following sections, we’ll explore how to get your hair dry like a pro.

Maximize Your Hair Care Products

Before you can think about how to dry your hair, you want to make sure that you are nurturing it with the right hair care essentials that will allow you to dry it well. 

Here’s how to use hair products optimally.

1. Before you shower, apply a deep conditioning masque (to damp hair) or hair oil (massage into a dry scalp and avoid leaving this on overnight). 
2. Wrap a loose towel or old T-shirt around your hair. Allow the formula to work for at least 20 to 30 minutes. 
3. Use a clarifying or hydrating shampoo to rinse off the hair masque or oil.
4. Before applying a leave-in conditioner, gently squeeze as much water as you can from your hair with your hands. 
5. Lightly blot your hair with a microfiber towel to get rid of excess moisture. This allows the conditioner to work through the cuticles instead of slipping off. 
6. After 15 minutes, rinse off the conditioner. Squeeze water out of your hair and wrap it in a microfiber turban or towel.

How to Dry Hair Without a Blow Dryer

Blow drying your hair is the best way to go if you want to have control over how your hair is styled. But first, take the time to dry your hair. Here are some hair-drying-basics for easy ways to get rid of moisture from your locks after a shower, swim, or downpour without a blow dryer.

Start Early

For some of us, hair can take as much as 4 to 6 hours to air dry completely. This means that if you have to be someplace with dry hair, it's wise to start your day super early, or dry your hair the previous night, while taking steps to style your hair at least minimally.

How to Dry

For those wondering how to dry your hair without a blow dryer, using a microfiber turban is the first step to achieving this. Thanks to its moisture-wicking properties, microfiber material absorbs more moisture from hair than shaggy towels. 

It also doesn’t create friction against the hair like regular towels, which can cause breakage. Ultimately, a microfiber turban is a great pick to speed up air-drying time. Let the microfiber turban sit on your hair for at least five minutes. Gently undo it and then run a wide-tooth comb through the wet strands. Untangling your hair will allow air to move unrestricted through your strands. This can help air-dry your hair faster.

Flip Your Hair

After you’ve combed your hair, flip your hair from left to right and back again every few minutes. Between flips, gently tousle your hair at the roots to allow air to pass through quickly. Keep at it for about 10 minutes.

If you’re running on borrowed time, use a quick-dry serum or lotion to soak up the remaining moisture from your hair. The starch in the formula should help dry your hair fast without a blow dryer.

Invest in Satin Pillowcases

If you’re going to shower before bedtime, wrap damp (never wet) hair in a satin or silk turban to avoid creating harsh friction against cotton pillowcases. Alternatively, you can buy satin pillowcases if you want to leave your hair open or loosely braided while you sleep. This will ensure you wake up with less frizz and smooth hair.

Steps of How to Blow Dry Your Hair Like a Pro

Blow drying your hair will require time and patience if you want the results to be flawless. Let’s delve into how to blow dry different kinds of hair to achieve a particular look or style:

How to Blow Dry 4C Hair

4C hair is highly textured and requires much love and care. For this hair type, you’ll need to ‘stretch’ your hair to help it sit flat against the scalp instead of sticking out. Working with stretched hair is also advised to help minimize damage caused by a blow dryer.

To stretch 4C hair, create 4-inch-wide sections by twisting or braiding hair at the roots. Sectioned hair should be detangled, moisturized (with a hair mousse or cream), and tied into ponytails at the roots. 

Here’s how you should blow dry 4C hair:

• First, apply a heat protectant all over your sectioned hair. It’s important to protect your hair from the damaging effects of prolonged heat exposure.

• Release and blow-dry one section at a time until you’re done. To create silky straight or wavy hairstyles, go in with a flat iron styling tool (after reapplying the hair protectant spray) as a finishing touch.

Are you wondering how to blow dry relaxed hair without damage? While not as textured as 4C hair, relaxed hair would benefit from the same approach of sectioning hair to create a clean, flawless style.

How to Blow Dry Wavy Hair

Wavy hair seems to be the best of both worlds — you have a nice amount of volume, but not an unimaginable amount of kinks and curls. You still have to give your hair love and care, though, if you want your hair to be styled just so. 

Here’s how to care for your wavy hair: 

• First, spray damp hair with a heat protectant. Doing this will help you not have frizzy hair after blow drying since heat protectants contain hydrating, nourishing properties.

• Section your hair, and work with one section at a time so that your blow dryer can perform well on each smaller area.

• Use a round brush to stretch your hair before twisting the end to hold it taut. Move the hairdryer an inch and a half across the length of the hair section. Don’t focus on one area for too long, or that will overheat hair and potentially cause damage.

• Pin or clip dried hair away so that it’s easier to move to damp sections. Once your entire hair is done, gently move your fingers through your hair to loosen the waves. Apply setting spray from mid-length to the ends to hold your look in place.

To answer your question of how to blow dry hair into waves, twist sections of hair around a flat iron or curling wand and wait for about 15 seconds before releasing your hair. Then, gently run through your hair using a flat brush to open up the curls and reveal gentle waves. These steps should help you with how to blow dry your hair with a round brush.

Are you thinking of how to fix frizzy hair after blow drying it? Simply apply a smidge of leave-in hair oil to the areas where you can see flyaways. Also apply a little bit to the ends of your hair to avoid split ends.

How to Blow Dry Curly Hair Without Frizz

Curly hair comes in all shapes and sizes, and you may want to style your hair differently for different occasions. 

Curly hair should be separated with a wide-tooth comb to maintain the integrity of your curls or to evenly distribute hair products such as a conditioner or hair masque. Apply a heat protectant with hydrating properties as well to help minimize frizz.

Use the hair blower with the diffuser to blow dry curly hair: 

• Before drying your curls, apply a hydrating mousse.

• Tilt your head to one side and place your curls in the diffuser’s claw. Move it close to the roots and make your way to the ends as your hair dries. Dry 80% of your hair while air drying the remaining 20% to avoid frizziness and dryness.

• Once you’re done with the diffuser, gently run your fingers through your hair to open your curls. If you’ve been wondering how to blow dry hair for volume without a round brush, you’ll find that a diffuser is a perfect alternative.

For how to blow dry curly hair without a diffuser, simply opt for hair curlers or flexible curling rods that require zero heat to achieve curls. Your hair should be slightly damp when you do this. Leave the curlers on overnight for near-perfect results.

How to Blow Dry Natural Hair

To blow-dry natural hair, start by applying heat protectant. Then, use a flat brush to keep sections stiff while using a blowdryer. Once done, apply a little leave-in oil to tame flyaways and restore moisture to your strands and ends. Instead of wondering how to blow dry baby hairs, apply a little hairspray to a small comb and gently nudge the little strands into place.

How to Blow Dry Hair to Get Volume

The best answer for how to blow dry hair for volume is to flip your hair upside down and run a flat brush from the roots to the tips in this position. Apply a volumizing spray along the lengths of damp hair, and start blow drying your hair. Once you’re done, flip it back up and use a little finishing spray to keep its volume intact. 

To add volume specifically to the top of your hair, spray volumizing spray, and then follow the steps below: 

• Hold a round brush underneath sections of hair and position the blow dryer directly over (not sideways) the area.

• Gently roll and stretch the roots of your hair continuously with light heat directed at the base. Do this by moving the brush back and forth underneath the length of each section. 

The above technique also works for blow drying a short hair bob — since you want it to appear voluminous and not flat. For a sleek bob, switch to a paddle brush and blow-dry along the underside of your hair, section by section. Finish off your look with a flat iron styling tool.

Products to Use After Blow Drying Hair

After blow-drying your hair, it’s best to use a hair styling gel to maintain a look throughout the day. Curl-defining or smoothing gels can help keep styles intact without curls coming undone. For wavy, straight, and normal hairstyles, use gels to prolong smooth, frizz-free, and soft hair. You can also use a texturizing or finishing spray for glossy, full-bodied results.

How to Blow Dry Hair for Men

Men who sport short hair can easily blow dry hair for a sleek, put-together look. For those of you wondering how to blow dry men's hair back, you’ll need a paddle brush to achieve smooth results.

First, apply a heat protectant or light mousse cream to damp hair and then blow-dry sections of hair with the paddle brush. Hold the brush underneath your hair, placing your thumb over the bristles while blow-drying from the top. Use a styling gel for a light, medium, or strong-hold, depending on the look you’re trying to create.

Conclusion

These tips on how to blow dry your hair like a pro require practice and time to master. It helps to understand what works for your hair type so that you can sustain your hair’s health and vitality. 

To get your hair to behave after a blowout, it’s crucial to invest in the right hair care products and follow a solid routine to ensure you’re not overworking your tresses. 

Cheers to good hair days!