Who doesn’t like salon-styled hair? But let’s face it, getting your hair done by a professional every day is neither convenient nor economical. In a hurry to get to work or college, most of us blast our hair with hot air and end up sporting a frizzy hairdo throughout the day.

Even though we might do it every day, the fact is most of us are greenhorns when it comes to blow-drying our hair properly. Few realize that using heat styling too often, topped with the wrong technique, makes your hair dry and brittle. However, you don’t need a degree in nuclear physics to learn the correct way to blow dry hair.

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how to blow-dry straight hair
Learn how to blow-dry straight hair the right way

Even if you’re blessed with naturally straight hair, blow-drying it the right way can easily enhance the look and feel of your hair, without damaging the hair shafts.

To help you make every day a good hair day, we bring you the right way to blow dry hair.

Method 1: Basic Blow-Dry

how to blow-dry straight hair using the basic method
Before and after blow-drying hair using the basic method

Blow-drying straight hair is fairly simple. All you need is a hairdryer with the concentrator attachment, a vented round brush, and the right heat setting.

To blow-dry straight hair, opt for an 1800-watt hairdryer with multiple heat and speed settings. Apply a hair serum to form a protective coating on your hair shafts. If you want to make your tresses look thicker and healthier, you can also coat your hair with a mousse before blow-drying it with heat.

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Things you’ll need:

things needed to blow-dry straight hair
Things needed to blow dry hair
  • Hairdryer
  • Concentrator attachment
  • Hair clips
  • Hair serum
  • Hair mousse
  • Vented round brush

Step 1. Pre-dry your wet hair

pre-dry to blow-dry straight hair
Dry your hair and tie up the crown section in a knot with a hair clip
  • Towel-dry your hair before proceeding. Your hair should not be dripping wet, as it can increase heat damage.
  • Set the hairdryer on medium heat and high-speed settings. Hold the hairdryer at a safe distance.
  • Lift up small sections of your hair to blow-dry them. You can use your fingers to separate the strands as you expose them to the air.
  • Do not point the heat directly at the roots.
  • Once your hair is 80 percent dry, separate the crown section and tie it up in a bun (as shown in the image).
  • Use a hair clip to secure the bun.

Step 2. Apply the hair serum and mousse

apply hair serum and mousse to blow-dry straight hair
Massage some hair serum and mousse into your hair strands
  • Rub hair serum between your palms and coat your hair strands with it. Use a coin-sized amount of serum for medium length hair. Double the quantity for longer hair.
  • Apply it from the roots to the tips, covering all of your hair.
  • If you want your hair to look thicker and smoother, you can also apply some hair mousse.
  • Simply squeeze out a big dollop on your palm, rub your hands together and apply it on your hair, spreading it from the roots to the tips.

Step 3. Blow-dry the lower sections and then the crown of your hair

use a blow dryer and round brush to blow-dry straight hair
First, blow dry the lower section using a blow dryer and a round brush; then move on to the crown section
  • Partition your hair into smaller sections.
  • Taking one section at a time, roll the tips around the round brush to hold your hair straight. You can either roll them inward or outward, depending on how you want to style the ends. Here, we rolled the tips outward.
  • Pointing your blow-dryer downward, begin drying your hair from the midsections and focus more heat on the lower ends wrapped around the brush.
  • Avoid exposing the roots to excessive heat.
  • Repeat the same for the other sections, until you’ve blow-dried all the lower layers.
  • Remember always to point the blow-dryer downward. This will prevent the hair cuticles from curling up and will add a natural shine to your mane.
  • Open the crown section that you had secured in a bun.
  • Partition it into small sections and blow-dry the sections using medium to low heat.

Method 2: Straight to Wavy

how to blow-dry straight hair into curls
Before and after blow-drying straight hair to turn it wavy

The grass is always greener on the other side. If you have poker-straight hair, you may want to sport beach waves and vice versa. However, using curling irons or straighteners is not in the best interest of your hair’s health. To get wavy hair without much damage, twist the hair in small sections and blow-dry them.

Stick to the same concentrator nozzle of your hairdryer. Use a hair mousse to add more hold to your waves. Use a paddle hairbrush to detangle your hair before you begin twisting and blow-drying it. 

Things you’ll need: things needed to blow-dry straight hair

  • Blow-dryer with a concentrator attachment
  • Hair mousse
  • Hair clips
  • Round vented brush
  • Paddle hairbrush

Step 1. Apply mousse on your wet hair

apply hair mousse to blow-dry straight hair
Massage some hair mousse into your wet hair and pre-dry
  • Squeeze out a small amount of hair mousse on your palm.
  • Apply the mousse on your hair, spreading it out along the full length of your hair.
  • Roughly dry your hair as described in Step 1 of Method 1.

Step 2. Separate the hair into smaller sections and detangle it

separate and detangle to blow-dry straight hair
Separate your hair into sections and detangle one section at a time
  • Separate the crown area of your hair and use a hair clip to secure it up in a bun.
  • Partition the lower section into small sections and use the paddle brush to remove any tangles.

Step 3. Twist small sections of your hair and blow-dry them

twist and dry to blow-dry straight hair
Twist one section of your hair at a time and blow-dry to create waves; repeat with the crown section
  • Tightly twist a 1-inch wide section of your hair (as shown in the image).
  • Blow-dry the entire length of the twisted strands until the section is completely dry.
  • Hold the strands for 5 to 10 seconds after you finish blow-drying. This will allow your hair to set.
  • Repeat the same process with other 1-inch sections of your hair.
  • Once you are done with the lower sections, open up the bun and repeat the same process with the crown section.

Step 4. Open up the twisted locks

open up the twisted strands to blow-dry straight hair and turn it curly
Slowly unravel the twisted locks to reveal curly/wavy hair
  • Open up the twisted locks by running your fingers through them.

Tips

  • Use only a low-heat setting if you have fine hair.
  • To determine if you have the right heat setting, point the heat on the back of your hand. If the heat is comfortable on your skin, it will be suitable for your hair, too.
  • Always blow-dry your strands from the roots to the tips and not the other way round. This will help keep the protective hair cuticles intact.
  • Avoid shampooing your hair too often to prevent dry and dull hair. For fine hair, shampoo once every two days. You can also make and use deeply-enriching homemade shampoos to hydrate your fine strands.
  • If you are looking for something else, we also tried out different techniques to blow-dry short hair and curly or wavy hair.
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