Drying your hair without heat is a great way to avoid heat damage and achieve healthy hair that is stronger in the long term.
Healthy hair starts in the shower. Using a safe and effective shampoo and conditioner will ensure that you are able to tackle the no-heat drying process with more confidence.
Use our sulphate-free shampoo that lifts dirt and cleans your scalp without stripping your hair of moisture. Follow that up with our silicone-free conditioner that will help moisturise each strand and smooth down your hair’s outer cuticle layer.
Here are four tips on how to ensure it doesn’t take forever to air dry your hair. Read on before you go looking for the hair dryer.
1. Do not apply a leave in or other finishing products to soaking wet hair
Why? If you want to reduce your (h)air drying time, then you don’t want to be immediately applying any sealing products to soaking wet hair. The sealing oil and moisturising cream will form a layer around your hair and will prevent or slow down the process of moisture leaving your hair. Whilst we always discuss the importance of sealing in moisture, in this instance, trapping the moisture will hinder your drying process. Starting the L.O.C method on damp hair is the best option.
2. Use a microfibre towel for greater absorbency and softer hair manipulation
Regular cotton towels cause friction which raises the cuticles of your hair strands. Friction causes frizz. Microfibre towels are designed to create less friction (which means less frizz!) and prevent breakage so it’s a win-win for your Afro.
Using a towel turban makes it easy to put your hair up to dry and go hands-free. So you can easily do something else whilst saving time and drying your hair!
3. Gently squeeze your hair to remove excess water
Is maintaining length, reducing breakage and optimising moisture one of your hair goals? Grabbing a cotton towel and making a harsh back and forth movement to dry your hair is not the way to go then!
It’s better to use a microfibre towel and dry your hair following the direction of your hair’s cuticle. This means going down from root to tip, squeezing the hair, releasing and then starting back up at the root. Do this in 4-6 sections to absorb excess moisture and then wrap your head if you wish.
4. Part your hair in sections that make it easier to dry
Help move the drying process along by separating your hair. Hair that dries in sections will dry faster than hair that is bunched together because compact hair will retain moisture.
A lot of us don’t wish to trade stretch, manageability and an already detangled state in order to dry our hair so we twist it right away. However, this may be slowing down your hair’s drying process. After taking your microfibre towel off, leave your hair out in sections for (you can use big clips to hold the roots taut and keep your hair from shrinking) for 30 minutes. You could do a face mask, have some tea or watch an episode of your favourite drama and then when it’s 70% dry, you can start to L.O.C method and style.
Should I blow dry my hair to save time?
We don’t recommend drying Afro hair with a heat process like a blow dryer. Hair can become brittle, dry, damaged, and frizzy over time. Everything you’re doing to build a healthy hair routine can be reversed with one overzealous blow drying session. Some people stand by their blow dryers, however, we believe that air drying can still get the job done and best of all? It will do so without the heat damage.
When it comes to your hair, do what feels best for you. With a bit of trial and error, you will find what works in your hair's favour. The most important thing is that you need to find and stick to a healthy routine.
If you've used these tips or any others we haven't mentioned, please leave a comment below!