4 Ways to Prevent Damage from Your Blow Dryer

There are many tools designed to keep your hair looking great. Most of these products, such as professional blow dryers, use heat to help you look your best. However, if you don t understand how to properly use the products, you could cause extensive damage to your hair that will take months to repair. If you use a blow dryer every day to dry your hair, you are using an excessive amount of heat on your hair. Without understanding your hair type and how the product actually works, you may not be impressed with the end result.

Here are a few tips to remember when regularly using a blow dryer to help prevent a major blowout to your hair.

Use the Right Setting

One of the easiest ways to prevent heat damage from a hair dryer is to properly use the dryer s heat settings. The right setting depends on your hair type, and not necessarily how fast you want your hair to dry. If you have thick and coarse hair, you can use higher heat settings. However, thin and fine hair will damage quickly with high heat. If you have thin and fine hair, it is important you use your hair dryer on a low heat setting.

Many of the best hair dryers feature a cold shot button. This button allows you to shoot cold air onto your hair. When your hair is still damp, use the cold air to continue drying your hair, which helps prevent it from getting overdried. The cold hair is ideal for all hair types.

Look for Wattage

Not only is the right setting important on a blow dryer, but so is the number of watts the hair dryer features. Wattage determines the heat and speed. The higher the wattage, the faster and hotter the blow dryer is at drying your hair. If you have thin and fine hair, you will want to stay away from professional hair dryers with high wattage. People with thick hair should have few problems with high wattage.

Use Products

If you not only use a blow dryer, but also a straightening iron, curling iron and other heat tools, you may need extra help to protect your hair from all the heat. There are heat protective oils and sprays that you can put in your hair to protect it from the heat. Many of these products use silicon to protect your hair. Depending on the type of product you use, you will want to read the directions carefully to ensure you use it correctly and that it provides the results you desire.

Be Patient

Never concentrate on one area of your head until it is completely dry. Too much heat on one spot will cause extensive damage. You should always move the dryer around your head while drying.

If you use attachments, such as diffusers or concentrator nozzles, you shouldn’t hold the attachment directly on your head for an extended period of time. It is also important that you understand what each attachment is designed to accomplish. A diffuser is designed for wavy or curly hair and helps reduce frizz while keeping curls intact. A concentrator allows you to direct air flow to certain areas of your hair. However, you should work quickly through your hair with these attachments and never hold them still for long periods of time.

Hair tools, such as blow dryers, are worthwhile when styling your hair, as long as you use them correctly. By understanding your hair type and your specific dryer, you can prevent heat damage and keep you hair looking beautiful and healthy.