Most people blow-dry their hair on autopilot – which means you could be making one of these mistakes.
Find out if you’re doing something that might make your hairstyle take longer, or worse, might be damaging your hair.
Image: Unsplash
Here are 6 mistakes you probably make when blow-drying your hair.
1. You’re blow-drying wet hair. There’s absolutely no need to start the blow-drying process on soaking wet hair. Not only will it take unnecessarily long, you’ll also be putting your hair through additional abuse it didn’t ask for.
Either let your hair partially air dry while you go about your business, or rough-dry it about 50% if you’re on a tight schedule.
2. You’re stuck in a rut. Your hairstyle should change with you and with the times. If you’ve been automatically going through the blow-drying motions for the last five years, see what small changes you can make to your routine. Adjust your parting, throw your head upside down for some volume, flick your ends – it doesn’t have to be major, but small changes can make a big difference.
SEE ALSO: 3 ways to air-dry your hair
3. You don’t realise how much wind direction matters. You should always try to point the nozzle of the hairdryer in the direction your hair grows, as this results in smooth, sleek hair. If you’re after volume, apply the same principle but hold your head upside down whenever possible.
When you’re upright, do the bulk of your blow-drying with the nozzle underneath the brush – that way you’re still blow-drying in the direction of the hair growth.
4. You’re not sectioning your hair. Professional hairstylists (with two limbs unattached to the head they’re blow-drying, a 360’ view, and full mobility) choose to meticulously section each head of hair they blow-dry.
It might seem like a pain, but the pros know what they’re doing. Take the time to section your hair and you’re guaranteed to end up with better hair.
5. Your tools are as old as your mom’s spaghetti recipe. I’ll never knock an old faithful, but I didn’t realise just how sub-par my old hairdryer was until I used a friend’s new, much more powerful one (the same thing happened with my straightener eight years ago – I’m clearly a slow learner).
Have a look at your brushes as well – a couple of good quality blow-dry brushes can make the process faster and the end result much smoother.
SEE ALSO: 4 hair trends that are ruining your hair
6. You’re not using prepping or finishing products. Heat protection products not only protect your hair from the obvious heat-related damage, they also preserve your hair colour and most of them speed up drying time as an added bonus. There are a couple of different finishes and textures available – I find just about all the sprays sticky, so I use lotions instead.
Finishing products, on the other hand, keep your hair smoother for longer by forming a barrier that prevents moisture from getting in or out. These generally come in the forms of oils or serums. At this step you can also add styling products if you require them.
The post 6 Mistakes you probably make when blow-drying your hairappeared first on All4Women.
