3 Reasons Why I Started Blow Drying My Natural Hair

For a long time, I was anti-heat with the exception of using a hooded dryer for deep conditioning treatments or sitting 20-30 minutes to help set my hairstyle.

I rarely flat ironed my hair or blow-dried it. And even when I do, I’m happy that I’ve never experienced heat damage in the 10+ years I’ve been natural. (Here are 5 Ways To Prevent Heat Damage).

Not using heat made me aware some of the common myths associated with Heat and Natural Hair that you can read here.

Early on, I looked at going natural as a much-needed break from my heat appliances. When I was relaxed, I was a slave to my blow dryer and flat iron. I had a Saturday ritual of shampooing, conditioning, drying and flat ironing my long, thick hair. I can’t tell you the number of hours lost because of this process.

Rocking a wash and go was my motivation while I was transitioning.

Before I discuss the reasons that I started blow drying my natural hair, let me give my disclaimer. I may blow dry my hair once every other month or so. (It’s like a 30 minute to hour-long process.) I also live in Nevada with very dry heat. Blow drying my hair too often here would result in lots of breakage (more harm than good).

It’s very important to use a professional appliance when blow drying natural hair. I’ve used cheap blow dryers with comb attachments. They get too hot, too fast and do not cool fast enough. This will increase your chances of heat damage. Chi Deep Brilliance Low EMF Hair Dryer is what I’ve used for the last 3 years and recommend.

The comb attachment is strong and will not break or melt after just a few uses. This is also important because it will glide through your hair with little or no breakage at all. The heat controls also minimize heat damage. I have not experienced any heat damage at all.

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways To Treat Heat Damage

Here are the 3 Reasons Why I Started Blow Drying My Natural Hair

It Gets Rid of the Worst Knots

The thicker and longer your hair, the more tangles you will have to battle. Shed hair seems to wrap and knot around individual hair strands creating nasty tangles. Sometimes the only way for me to get rid of those stubborn tangles was to heat stretch my hair with a blow dryer. I could really get in there and unravel any knots without breakage. It also helps to minimize single strand knots (SSKs).

Versatility in Hair Styles

With heat stretched hair you can achieve a variety of styles like this one, or this one, and this one. It’s also a good way to minimize and, in most cases, almost eliminate shrinkage. (See 5 Ways To Minimize Shrinkage)

Easier Detangling and Breakage-Free Maintenance

We already discussed this is a good way to eliminate tangles. This makes for less detangling time between washes. Less tangles can also mean less breakage. This isn’t to say you can be careless or that you don’t have to handle your hair with care. Not at all. It’s just a little easier to manipulate the hair and with less chances of breakage. Remember, hair is less fragile when dry.

Products Used

Eden BodyWorks Hisbucus Honey Blow Dry Cream
Olive & Coconut Oil