Every time you walk out of a salon after a perfect blow dry, you must feel like you’re the queen of the world. Sometimes, all you need is a professional blow dry to kiss all your bad hair days away. But as great as your hair looks after coming out of a salon, everybody has gone through the frustration of realizing that you just can’t replicate it. For some reason, if you do the blow dry yourself, it just doesn’t look the same.
This is only natural because you’re definitely not a professional hair stylist. But chances are, you’re doing everything wrong. The fact is there are some very common mistakes people do when drying their hair.
When you blow dry your hair, these are the things you should NOT do:
Drying your hair every single day
Ah, the temptation. Yes, we know that nothing looks better than a perfect blow dry, and if you could only dry your hair every single thing you would (and chances are, you’re already doing this). But you must also remember that your hair is not meant to come into contact with that much heat every single day. Too much heat will cause too much damage, so you should really give your hair room to breathe in between drying sessions. Try limiting it and give it something like two or three days in between, if you can. Just don’t overdo it.
Holding the dryer too close to your hair
Space. Everyone needs it, and so does your hair. Holding the dryer a little too close for comfort is a sure way to burn your hair. Even if you don’t see it physically burnt, that much heat will definitely cause hair breakage and damage. So when you use your hair dryer, make sure that you hold it at least eight inches away from your hair. You’re supposed to protect your strands and do everything you can to maintain your hair’s moisture and health. The last thing you want to do is burn it, simply because you held the dryer too close.
Using brushes with metal bristles
You may not realize it, but the brush you use is just as important as your hair dryer. This is because the metal bristles heat up extremely fast, and this leads to dryness and breakage. Instead, you can use a ceramic brush or a boar-bristle brush.
Trying to blow dry everything at once
We get it, you’re in a hurry. But if you pay really close attention during your salon visits, you’ll notice that drying is always done in smaller sections. If you attempt to blow dry at home, the same rule applies. Don’t try to blow dry everything at once, because that really won’t do much for large and sloppy sections of your hair. Instead, start with the bottom layers and work your way to the top, but do it one layer at a time.
Using the wrong settings
The speed and heat settings are there for a reason, and chances are you’re using them the wrong way. For one, the high heat is there for those who have coarse or thick hair, and it will work wonders if your hair belongs to this category. However, if your hair is fine and thin, the only setting you should be touching is the low one. If your hair is not that wet you should also just go for the low heat, because you really don’t want to over-dry your hair.
Sticking to the same old hair dryer
Your hair dryer could be your trusted companion and partner in crime, and you may even hold a lot of sentimental value for it. But if you’ve used the same hair dryer for close to a decade now, chances are it’s already inefficient and outdated. A typical hair dryer is only good for about three years or even less if you use it often. Once you use it for a longer time than that, it becomes less efficient in regulating heat and that results to hair damage. One thing you should also look at is the quality of your hair dryer. If salon-quality hair is what you want to achieve, then maybe you can start by investing in a salon-quality hair dryer as well.
Skipping hair products
Many people take hair products for granted, and this is a big mistake especially if you plan to blow dry your hair at home. First, you should make sure you apply heat protection before hitting your hair with a blast of heat. Even a touch of heat-protecting spray could already do wonders for your hair and make all the difference. Aside from that, you should also invest in a finishing spray that can seal the hair cuticle and prevent frizz as soon as your hair becomes dry.