Is it Better to Blow Dry or Air Dry your Hair

Blow drying or air drying, which is better? You’re probably reading this because you are overwhelmed with all the confusing information available on the subject. I thought I had it all figured myself until  I started my hair journey.

Growing up, I was always taught that water is bad for my hair because it makes it fragile which causes breakage. My mother always made sure that I never kept my hair wet. As soon as I was done washing my hair, or came from the beach, or anything of the kind, I had to quickly blow dry my hair. According to my mother, it would help me keep a head full of healthy  hair. Lately though I’ve been learning that using heat causes damage and water is actually my friend because it helps my hair stay moisturized. That goes against everything I know and here goes confusion. God knows I don’t need more confusion on this hair journey.

Blow dry or air dry, what’s a girl to do???

I took it upon myself to read a little more on the subject because I needed to find out what would be the healthiest way to dry my hair, and of course I hate the confusion. After days reading on the subject, I must say about 80% of the materials that I’ve read favors air drying to blow drying. One tip is to allow your hair to air dry 70% to 80% then use the blow dryer on cool setting to finish up the job.

I then decided to experiment on my hair just to find out what would work best for me. When I first started this hair journey two months ago, I gave up using any kind of heat on my hair and started air drying my hair after each wash. The problem with air drying alone I’ve found is that the end result is unattractive and makes my hair very hard to manage… Being 11 weeks post relaxer, I do have a decent amount of new growth that if not taken care of properly will make my life a living hell on a day to day basis. So on my last wash, I decided to use the blow dryer on cool setting just like I read to finish up the drying process. I must say, this method is a keeper. I got much better results that way. My hair became more manageable. I am able to run a comb (wide tooth comb) through my hair, which I’m unable to do with air drying alone. Being a 4C coily hair girl, I need all help possible to help with my hair’s manageability. So, from now on, air drying with a little bit of blow drying on cool setting will be my go to drying method.

So, what have we learned from this? Air Drying is the healthiest option for your hair, but my advice to you is to experiment with your own hair to find out what works for you. If you decide to use the blow dryer, use it on cool setting after your hair is about 70-80% air dried and don’t forget your heat protectant. Using a heat protectant will limit the amount of damage being be done to your hair. Last wash I used the “Mizani Therma Strength Heat Protecting Serum” because it was handy. I ended up noticing some white residue on my scalp, I didn’t really like that. I’m sure there are plenty of other options out there that you can experiment with. I sure will be shopping around.

I hope this post shed some light for you on whether you should air dry or blow dry your hair. Please feel free to share your thoughts below ⇓

Until next time!

XOXO

♥Miss Coily♥