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Short On Time? How To Dry Hair In A Hurry

Short On Time? How To Dry Hair In A Hurry
allbeauty
Writer and expert7 years ago
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Your time is precious, so why spend it on the boring bits like drying your hair? Skip to the fun stuff with our tips on how to dry hair in a hurry.

There are several ways you can dry hair in a hurry - happily, none of them involves radiators, hand dryers or a trouser press. For haircare and styling products, zip over to allbeauty right here.

It's infuriating but happens to all of us: we wake up and realise dry shampoo just won't cut it. But the drying and styling that goes with washing hair can be a nightmare. And blasting your hair with heat often results in a (literal) hot mess. Happily, there are tricks you can learn to speed up dry time and leave hair looking groomed.

Tip #1 Switch Towels or Grab a Tee

dry hair in a hurry

Wrapping your head in a turban does speed drying time, but it's what the turban's made of that counts. Switch to a microfibre towel or, if you don't have one to hand, use a microfibre cloth to gently pat your hair while it's wet and remove as much water as possible.  And for the smoothest, kindest dry, grab a clean t-shirt and tie it around your head. A t-shirt is softer and kinder to the hair -  you'll see less breakage and frizz which means less styling time.

Tip #2 Conditioner
Redken Curvaceous Conditioner 250ml

Did you know? Conditioner seals the hair and forces water out, which means quicker drying time! Make sure to comb it through, so all of the hair is evenly coated. Best of all, use a leave-in conditioner. Using a leave-in product means more moisture, less frizz and smoother hair. If you have naturally curly hair and want to encourage them, be sure to use a curl-hydrating conditioner.

Tip #3 Primer

Using a blowdry primer may be something that never occurred to you. But they are 100% worth it, we promise! And the place to start is Redken's hero to end them all, Pillow Proof. Containing heat protection, it promises to cut blow-dry time, prevents breakage and adds volume. Available as a spray or a cream.

 

Tip #4 Comb
Macadamia Natural Oil Accessories Healing Oil Infused Comb

It's tempting to scrub with a towel, then blast with the heat. But combing your hair first will stop you looking like a bird's nest once the hair is dry, and you may get away with just using a little styling serum to finish (like this awesome one by Paul Mitchell).

 

Tip #5 Use The Right Styling Products - They're Out There!
L'Anza Healing Smooth Straightening Balm 250ml

If you're dreading the blow dry because your hair needs so much styling afterwards, then look at your styling products. Using a anti-frizz serum on damp hair, or a curl enhancer, means you can rough dry hair and still end up with a great result.

 

Tip #6 Please Don't!

Please don't be tempted to do any of the following!

  • Dry your hair using the straighteners - the water will literally boil around your hair, doing untold damage. For ultimate styling, by all means use a Steampod, but only on dry, heat protected hair
  • Hold the dryer too close to your head, on a high heat. That's the fastest way to split ends, brittle hair and an itchy scalp. The best way to dry hair is to use the lowest possible heat setting and keep the dryer moving at all times

Tip #6 Blow Dry Tips

Hair experts Schwarzkopf have the following advice for an effective, fast, blow dry:

  • Don't use the high heat settings of your blow-dryer - the air stream should feel comfortable on the back of your hand
  • Blow-dry your hair from at least 8 inches away
  • If your hair is fine you should set the air stream to low. Otherwise, you may end up with tangles in your hair
  •  Blow-dry every individual hair strand from the roots to the ends for smooth cuticle layers
  • To blow-dry your hair fast, use a higher setting for the air stream, not for the heat
  • Always use a heat protectant. These products help prevent blow-drying damage
  • Try not to blow-dry your hair immediately after shampooing. Ideally, you should allow your hair to first dry for 15 minutes under a towel turban. This saves effort and also cuts down on exposure to the blow-dryer
  • The diffuser attachment of your blow-dryer spreads out a more even air stream. This also prevents exposing individual strands of hair to too much heat
  • Once you are done blow-drying your hair, briefly apply a stream of cool air. This cooling step gives your hair more elasticity

 

You can shop all women's haircare at allbeauty here, with worldwide delivery available.

allbeauty
Writer and expert
View allbeauty's profile
allbeauty