Hairband kinks are our nemesis. The same goes for flat, wilty pillow hair and greasy third-day roots. While occasionally, we might stumble across one of those victorious mornings where we wake up and our hair looks especially spectacular (love those), often though, it needs a little coaxing to live its best life.
A braid or top knot can come in very handy here, but for the full-shebang, there’s nothing quite like a blow dry – especially if you’re looking to re-inflate flat bits and smooth out random bumps. The hot and cold setting on your hair dryer can work magic, and some strategic hair spritzing can reinvigorate your strands without the need to fully wash and condition it.
I asked three hair pros to let us in on some insider hacks for upping our blow-drying game on the second or third day.
Prep with the right product
“Lots can be done to prep the hair but it really depends on the hair texture and finish,” explains top hair stylist, Paul Edmonds. “For instance for curly hair, is the goal to reinvigorate your curl or create a sleek look?” he asks. The products that you use to achieve both will be different.
A mist is a good idea if you want to re-shape and re-set your hair. “Lightly misting afro hair before blow-drying is essential as it will allow for easier styling,” explains Florence Johnson, owner of SIMPLYGorgeous salon. “Additionally afro hair tends to be naturally drier so light hydration will help prevent heat damage as will using a heat defence spray, serum or cream,” she says. It’s a good idea for fine hair too. “If the roots don’t feel too greasy and are dry, lightly spritz hair with water to revive the action of the styling products that you used the day before,” says hair stylist and ghd UK brand ambassador, Zoe Irwin. She recommends
ghd’s Style Root Lift Spray since it has the ability to absorb oils and re-lift the roots. “Very often the roots of the hair are very soft and so by spritzing this, it gains more volume and hold and adds the volume you had created the day before easily and quickly.”
Dry shampoo is fantastic for freshening up greasy roots and edges. “I love to work with dry shampoo, especially through the nape of the hairline,” says Zoe (an area which, much like the flyaways around our ears, often gets forgotten). But stick to the sections that need it. “Don’t brush it through to the ends,” says Paul who recommends running it through with your fingers instead.
It’s also a good idea to apply leave-in conditioner the night before if you know you want to give your hair a once over in the morning. Or apply it earlier in the day if you want to refresh it for the evening. “This will help to fortify the hair,” says Florence.
The cotton wool hack
A quick hack that Paul swears by, is to use a cotton wool ball for some tactical dampening rather than an all over mist. “If you have flat parts of the hair, damp a cotton wool ball and run on the part that needs to be brought under the control, then blow dry this area to even it out,” he says.
Split your hair into sections
“People often forget to separate hair the next day and work with what they see in front of the mirror,” says Zoe. “It’s critical to pin some of the hair up so that you can get to the underneath of the hair and re-work the different sections.” And before you go near it with your blow dryer, “ensure that each section has been properly detangled with a wide tooth comb,” says Florence.
Consider your nozzles
The nozzle you choose will determine the finish of your blow dry and can help you achieve a sleeker or bouncier look, depending on which one you use.
“A diffuser is a great day-to-day hair lifter, especially for when you’ve just lifted your head off the pillow,” says Zoe. “People don’t realise how much moisture they lose through sleep, especially when it’s hot, so if you can put some more air into all those roots it can really lift them. Add a root lift spray, turn hair upside down and rotate the dryer with the diffuser attached in a circular direction. This will lift the hair throughout and add some bounce to your blow dry,” she says.
To create a smoother, sleek finish, the concentrator nozzle is your bezzie. “Take a large section of hair (around 6 inches wide) and wrap it around a bristle brush,” says Zoe. “Using the concentrator nozzle go over mid-lengths and ends, then, if you’ve wet your roots, slightly lift them while you blow dry to add volume.”
Get to grips with the settings
Most of us don’t really know our way around the heat and speed settings on our hairdryers, but used properly, they can set and hold hair in place for longer. “I like to think of them as similar to car gears – constantly moving to get to the final destination,” says Zoe.
“The hotter the hairdryer is the more it will mould the hair,” Paul explains. “With Afro Hair you may need to use a higher setting in order to achieve the stretch and finish you want as our curl pattern is tighter,” says Florence. “That said don’t hold the hair dryer at this setting for too long against the section you’re working on. You want to be thorough but swift and use a couple of passes of the hair dryer for each section.”
“If hair is prone to greasiness don’t use the hot setting as it increases the oil production,” says Paul. Instead, fine to medium hair works better on a medium, or warm heat setting. “Warm it the hairdryer to shape and smooth,” says Zoe. “If your hair is very fine or delicate you’re better using cooler settings,” says Paul. “If you heat hair over 180 degrees the internal structure starts to break down so with more fine hair types this can lead to split ends over time.”
All of the pros agree that the cold or cool setting is essential for setting hair in place. “Over the years, I’ve discovered how much you can do on the cool shot,” says Zoe. “With every section I do, I then spend the same amount of time on the cool setting. It’s important to keep moving through the different settings on all hair types to ensure you are able to create a look and then set it,” she adds. “On your last hot pass adjust the setting to cool as this will help set the bonds of the hair, resulting in a smoother and glossier finish,” agrees Florence.
And speed settings are also important. “I would usually work on a medium speed setting, and move to the highest speed if I am trying to tackle fluffy hairlines to help smooth it out,” advises Zoe.
