A can’t-do-without hairstyling staple, the humble hair dryer has made its way into every beauty girl’s haircare arsenal—and for good reason. It’s your perfect companion during monsoon season and is the quickest, easiest multitasking tool to achieve the mane of your dreams. While you’d spot the most common variant in salons, haircare experts classify hair dryers into four types, namely ceramic or porcelain, tourmaline, titanium, and ionic.
Ceramic Hair Dryers
With a ceramic coating on the inside, such hair dryers regulate the amount of heat being expended, consequently minimising heat-induced hair damage. While costlier than their regular counterparts, ceramic hair dryers are ideal for those with limp, fragile tresses.
Ionic Hair Dryers
Ionic hair dryer significantly reduce drying time, since the negatively charged ions help break down positively charged water molecules. Moreover, the negative ions don’t open your hair cuticles, lending your locks a smooth, sheen finish. While a bit on the pricey side, these hair dryers get the job done quicker, at a lower heat setting, making them ideal for curly hair as they preserve curl definition.
Tourmaline Hair Dryers
Tourmaline hair dryers are pyroelectric and piezoelectric, which suggests that they produce an electric charge when force is applied, emitting negative ions as well as infrared heat. Such hair dryers dry your tresses more safely, evenly, and effectively, and are faster than ionic and ceramic dryers, too.
Titanium Hair Dryers
Featuring a titanium heating coil, titanium hair dryers generate ample heat, with greater potential to damage limp, fine hair. However, they can dry your locks much faster than the other variants, making them a go-to for people who don’t have time on their hands.
How To Pick a Hair Dryer Based On Your Hair Type and Texture
An ionic hair dryer is a good option if you wish to save on time and excessive heat damage. However, when investing in a hair dryer, you must also take into consideration the speed, the different heat settings, the wattage, and the weight.
- Hair Dryers For Fine and Fragile Hair: Opt for one that offers a low heat setting, since fine hair is easily damaged by exposure to heat.
- Hair Dryers For Thick and Textured Hair: For a more unruly mane, opt for one that has myriad heat settings, as well as a cool-shot button to avoid frizziness.
A Step-By-Step Guide To Prep Your Hair For a Blow-Dry
- Commence the prep process by brushing your hair for a good five minutes, at the very least.
- Next, wet your hair with warm water to open up the hair cuticle and allow for deeper penetration of the product. Ensure that the water is neither too cold nor too hot, for it can cause your strands to become frizzy and brittle.
- Apply a suitable shampoo to your mane and massage your scalp in circular motions to lather the formulation.
- After rinsing the shampoo off, go in for a conditioner to seal in the moisture. Do not condition your scalp, for it will make it greasy. Focus on the lengths of your hair, working your work down from the mid-lengths to the ends.
- Next up, turn to a soothing hair mask to give your mane a healthy dose of hydration. Hair masks are super-nourishing and go far to repair and restore your locks. Plus, they make it easier to detangle knots. Make sure that you wring your hair well post shampoo and conditioner, or else the hair mask will get diluted.
- Once you rinse off the mask (15-20 minutes from the time of application), use a wide-toothed comb to go through the strands. End with a cold wash to avoid frizziness.
- Before you begin your blow-dry, apply a heat protectant on your damp mane to shield your strands from damage. You could use a heat-protectant spray, cream, or serum.
A Step-By-Step Guide To Blow-Dry Your Hair At Home
- Your hair should only be 20% damp when you begin blow-drying. Section your mane and secure it with the help of clips, then start by drying the underneath layers of your hair on high heat. Point the nozzle of the dryer downward as you brush along your strands. Bear in mind, a medium heat setting is best to pre-dry your hair, while high heat will manipulate and style your tresses.
- As you blow-dry separate sections of your hair, twist and clip your locks in a loose bun for waves. For soft curls, roll your hair with a round brush as you amp up the heat setting. And if you want to go for a straight look, heat your hair while you brush through.
- Direct the nozzle of the hair dryer towards your roots to maximise volume, working your way down from the scalp to the ends of your hair.
- Remember to cool off your mane using the cool-shot button to avoid post-blow-dry frizziness.
- Once done with the blowout, avoid toying with your hair to make it last longer. Since finer hair regresses to its original state quicker, consider using a styling product to keep flyaways at bay.
- If you need your hairstyle to last an important occasion, finish it off with hairspray.