A good blow out is something I have always found somewhat difficult. I am not very skilled in the art of blow drying my hair without a straightener. However, from what I have heard over and over again, is that the second you put that straightener on your hair, you are just asking for heat damage. Even if you use a heat defense spray, you can't be sure you are always going to keep your hair from suffering.
Today, I am going to give you the five most important things you will need or steps to do regardless if your skills are novice like mine or just plain pro.
1. Light Weight Blow Dryer w/ a Nozzle
One thing I learned is that a light weight blow dryer can go a long way. If you have a heavy blow dryer it means that your blow dryer is probably somewhat cheap, but also far from professional-grade. I tend to like the Conair blow dryers or my current blow dryer is called Pro Beauty Tools (I bought it from a Meijers, but they have it at
Walmart for $35.99 and it got pretty decent reviews). While there are a ton of blow dryers out there that are far better than what I use, they are also very expensive. I would say that my newer blow dryer is heavier than my Conairs, but it has a curved neck that makes keeping control of the blow dryer better. So, if you find that you are going to buy a heavier blow dryer, make sure you can control it. If you go to most stores like Target or Walmart, they will often have the blow dryers set up so you can hold them and pick them up. Try practicing in the store to determine if you can lift it over your head with ease before making that purchase.
The second thing you will want in a blow dryer is a nozzle that comes with it. Although this is a blog about straightenening, if you are a curly or wavy-haired person, you will definitely want a diffuser nozzle that you can buy separately or that comes with the dryer. My blow dryer came with the diffuser piece as you can see above. If you are straightening, you will want some extender piece that narrows at the bottom. The reason for this is that when you have no nozzle on your blow dryer for any type of drying purposes, you are getting a direct heat that can have more damage-inducing properties than one that has a nozzle. The nozzles distance and break up the heat so that you can apply a more reasonable amount to your hair without damaging it as bad. My blow dryer came with this nozzle as well.
2. Dry on Warm at Low Speed
Although it can take longer to dry your hair, did you know you can completely straighten your hair on the cool setting? It's true. I haven't done it personally, but I know others who have. While I don't necessarily recommend it if you want to leave your house before the next decade is over, my suggestion is to dry your hair on the warm setting as opposed to high at a low speed. Not only do you minimize the heat temperature by drying it on warm, but you also slow the speed to control your drying easier. When drying your hair on the hottest and fastest speeds, you have to know that you have a good heat protecting spray and a really great amount of skill for drying because otherwise your hair is going to dry fast and suffer more damage. This is actually a tip my stylist told me years ago and I have to say it does make a huge difference. Even though I am still not a great blow dryer, I can say that when I am done blow drying on low speed at a medium heat, my hair is straighter than before I learned this trick.
3. Thou Shalt Not Blow Dryer Soaking Wet Hair
One of the most important lessons I can impart is not to start drying your hair when it is still dripping wet. While this is pretty demanding considering that we all have tight schedules in the morning, there are a couple of methods I have to make sure I don't break this rule. First, before you get out of the shower, ring your hair out. Once out towel dry it to get excess water out. I then generally put my make-up on with towel dried hair put up in the towel. While I know your faces are all in disbelief because this seems like it would melt my make-up as soon as I turn the blow dryer on, it doesn't. Because I don't dry at high heat, my make-up generally stays together and in place. A second alternative is to dry your roots once your hair is towel dried. Your hair dries faster when your roots are dry, so sometimes to ensure great volume as well as faster drying hair, I will take my blow dryer to my roots and dry it first, then put my make-up on. This definitely speeds the process up quite a bit. You should always straighten your hair when it is damp.
4. Styling Tool Essentials
This isn't anything new, but a girl who needs to straighten her hair needs to essential brushes, a ventilated paddle brush and a thick, ventilated round brush. These two brushes over you the most control. When my hair is above shoulder length, I generally don't use my paddle brush much, but any longer than shoulders the paddle brush comes in handy. Also, for the round brush, you don't have to wrap your hair completely around the brush, you only need to curl it up enough to get some friction, maybe a quarter turn should do the trick. Light weight brushes are also very helpful, but if they are ventilated, this shouldn't be as much as a problem. I get my brushes from a variety of places, including Walgreens or Ulta. Ulta has a giant selection of brushes in all price ranges. Just make sure you buy one that doesn't have sharp bristles. The sharper the bristle, the more split ends you will have. I have heard a lot of recommendations for soft bristles because they add shine and do less damage, but personally, I dislike them, so it is really up to you.
5. Products, Products, Products
The fifth most important thing is hair products. You will want to have a good heat defense spray and some sort of styling gel, cream or spray. I have used a couple of different products. Kevin Murphy makes a decent heat defense spray (Heated Defence, $21 on Amazon), but it is a bit pricey and if you put too much in can make your hair feel starchy or coated. You can find this product by doing a search engine inquiry. I bought mine from my salon. I have also used the Got2B guardian angel ($4.72 at Walmart) which is much cheaper and advertises it works best up to 425 degrees. I actually like this spray a lot. Or, I have also used the Nexxus Heat Protexx Heat Protection ($11.99 at Ulta). My stylist actually told me that if you don't have a heat defense spray or you have run out, most cream products or some sprays can work in its place as long as the thing that is heated first is the product. Matrix actually makes a couple of different products that I have found to work, including their Step 3, Sleek Look Smoothing System spray. This kind of works as a smoother and heat protecting agent. In addition to a heat spray, you will also want a cream or gel that you can put in your hair to help the straightening process. I personally like the Catwalk Sleek Mystique Blow Out Balm, but again it is going to run you $13.50 or more depending on where you shop. I saw the $13.50 on Amazon, but I bought mine from Ulta. However, like I said, you can really use a bunch of different things as long as you get your hair treated in whatever it is. Try brands like Garnier, Tigi or anyone that specializes first and foremost in hair products rather than make-up brands that started working with hair products.
Also, to apply the creams or gels properly, start with a dime or quarter-sized dollop and work the product into your ends first before moving up through your hair. Since your ends are the most sensitive, you want to make sure they have a nice coating. If your hair is shorter, start with the dime-sized dollop. Also, if you want stick straight ends, you can always use your straightener after, just remember to apply your heat spray again or even a hair spray to protect them. If you have a bob, this may be necessary to get that sleek look; however, if you have long flowy hair, avoid the straightener as it will diminish a fuller and thicker-hair look you probably want.
In summation, these five steps have always worked for me, leaving my hair shiny and healthy for an extended period of time when I wear it straight.
