Blow drying your hair can create voluminous waves, shiny straight hair, or bouncy curls. But, if it isn’t done properly, blow drying can create a frustrating mess of frizz. The key to creating the best, frizz-free style is good preparation, product, and tools.
How to Blow Dry Your Hair Without Creating Frizz
This step-by-step guide is all you need to create a beautiful style. For each step, we will discuss different textures of hair so that you can look your best whether your hair is straight, wavy, or curly!
Step 1: Shampoo and Condition with High-Quality Products
Whether you have straight hair, curly hair, oily hair, or dry hair, picking the right shampoo and conditioner will make or break your style. Here are a few things to remember when shampooing and conditioning your hair:
- Sulfates in shampoos can strip the hair of natural oils, so if you have dry hair, try to avoid shampoos with sulfates. You can use shampoos with sulfates occasionally to deeply cleanse your hair.
- Shampoo at least twice before conditioning. This will ensure that your hair is actually clean before you add conditioner. You want to be able to build up a good lather with your shampoo, and this usually doesn’t happen with the first wash.
- Always use a conditioner. If you have an oily scalp, you can apply the conditioner on the ends of your hair, rather than the roots. It is best to leave the conditioner in your hair for a few minutes.
- The best time to detangle most hair textures is when the hair is saturated with conditioner. After your conditioner has soaked into your hair for a few minutes, use a detangling brush or wide-toothed comb and run it through your hair. Start by detangling the ends and work your way up to the roots.
- Rinse out your conditioner with cool water. Most of us love steamy showers, but if at all possible, rinse out your conditioner with cooler water. This will seal the conditioner into the hair, making it shinier and more hydrated, and thereby reducing frizz.
Step 2: Gently Remove Excess Moisture with a Towel
After you have shampooed and conditioned your hair, gently remove excess water with a towel, preferably a microfiber towel.
You don’t want to be too rough with this step because if you are aggressively rubbing your hair in all different directions, you will create more frizz. Simply dab and squeeze the excess water out.
Step 3: Apply High-Quality Styling Products
Applying quality products before styling is perhaps the most important step in achieving a beautiful, frizz-free style. There are thousands of products to choose from, so it can get a bit confusing.
Below are recommendations for different hair types and style results.
Products to Achieve a Straight or Body Wave Blowout with Straight, Wavy or Curly Hair
Fine: Use a small amount of product. You can start with a moisturizing serum or other light moisturizer and add a thickening heat protectant spray.
Thick/Coarse: You may need to use more than the recommended amount of product. Start with a cream or spray leave in conditioner and add a blow-dry cream or spray designed for thicker hair.
Oily: Try to avoid adding product to the roots of your hair. You can still use a lightweight leave-in conditioner and styling cream, but only apply it to the middle and ends of the hair.
Dry: Use plenty of leave-in conditioner. You want to apply just enough to hydrate your hair but not so much that your hair becomes greasy. A good moisture-sealing serum or oil can also do wonders for dry hair.
Products to Achieve Natural Bouncy Curls with Curly or Wavy Hair
Fine: Use a very light leave-in moisturizer and a small amount of curl gel. You can also use a lightweight mousse instead of gel.
Thick/Coarse: Chances are, if your curly hair is thick and coarse, it also craves a ton of moisture. Pick a more heavy-duty leave-in conditioner. Pair it with a curl cream for soft styles, and a curl gel for styles with more hold.
Oily: If your curls tend to get a bit oily, try applying your product a few inches away from the scalp.
Step 4: Blow Dry Using the Right Tools, Techniques, and Heat
The tools, techniques, and heat you use while blow-drying your hair will make or break your style. You can apply the best products to your hair, but if you don’t blow dry it correctly, you will end up with a head full of frizz.
How to Achieve a Straight or Body Wave Blowout with Straight/Wavy/Curly Hair
Below are step-by-step guides to blow drying your hair, whether you want to achieve a straight or body wavy style with your straight, wavy, or curly hair or if you want to accentuate your natural curls or waves.
Step 1: Apply product and section hair
After you have applied product to your hair, leave out a section of hair at the nape of your neck and use a clip (or clips depending on how thick your hair is) to secure the rest of your hair out of the way.
Step 2: Use a round brush or straight vent brush
Use a round brush to achieve body waves or a straight vent brush to achieve a straight style. Either way, start by placing your brush underneath your hair at the roots.
Step 3 – Brush through downward
Move your brush through your hair until you reach the ends. Follow your brush closely with your blow dryer. You want the blow dryer to be facing at a downward angle as it follows your brush.
If your blow dryer is pointed upwards towards the roots of your hair, it will create frizz. It is best to use medium to high heat. If you feel that the air is becoming too hot, hurting your scalp, or causing your hair to smoke, turn the heat down immediately.
Step 4 – Repeat until hair is dry
Take your brush and place it at the roots of your hair again, and repeat step 3 until the hair is dry.
Step 5 – Use clips to secure body waves
If you are trying to achieve body waves, you can roll up each section of your hair after you have dried it and use a two-pronged clip to secure the rolled hair to the scalp. This will ensure that the waves hold even after drying.
Then when you are finished with your whole head, remove each clip, starting at the first section that you dried, and brush through each section of your hair gently with a round brush, following the same direction in which you dried your hair.
Step 6 – Use flat iron to seal the frizz
To eliminate any extra frizz, touch up your style with a flatiron or curling iron. You can use a lightweight heat protectant oil or spray to each section before you use a flatiron or curling iron.
How to Achieve Natural Bouncy Curls with Curly/Wavy Hair
Step 1: Comb product through hair
After applying your product, make sure to comb it through your hair with a wide-toothed comb or your fingers. You can apply your product and comb it through one section at a time, or all at once. For thicker hair or tighter curls, you may need to work one section at a time.
Step 2: Attach diffuser to blow dryer
Put the diffuser attachment on your blow dryer. There are many diffusers to choose from, and if your blow dryer doesn’t come with one, there are diffuser attachments that fit most blow dryers.
Step 3: Diffuse curls with medium heat
Diffuse your curls with medium heat. To create volume, diffuse your hair upside down, or tilt your head side to side so that the roots of your hair are lifted from your scalp. Try not to hold your diffuser in one spot for too long, as this will create frizzy, stiff curls. You want to move your hair around frequently in order to create bouncy, frizz-free curls.
Step 4: Finish drying with cool setting
When your curls are almost completely dry, switch your blow dryer to a cool setting and finish drying. This will help hold the curls in place and will reduce frizz.
Step 5: Shake out curls
After your hair is completely dry, shake out your curls by putting your hands at the roots of your hair and shaking gently.
Step 6: Seal curls with light oil
Seal your curls with light oil after blow drying. If you have very fine or limp hair, you may need to skip this step.
In Summary
With the right products, tools, and techniques, you can create a beautiful, frizz-free style. Blow drying your hair can be a great way to achieve shiny straight locks, big mermaid waves, or bouncy curls.
Key Things to Know
- Ensure that your hair is thoroughly cleaned and conditioned before starting your styling process.
- Use high-quality products that suit the texture, thickness, and moisture level of your hair.
- To achieve straight hair or body waves, use a round brush or a vent brush and blow dry with medium or high heat.
- To achieve bouncy, natural curls or waves, use a diffuser and blow dry with medium heat, using cool air at the end.
- If you feel that the ends of your hair keep getting frizzy, it may be time for a trim.
- Don’t give up! If your style doesn’t turn out perfect the first time, keep practicing and you will get the hang of it!