As the weather is getting cooler out here (which means less sweating which means less shrinkage), if you want to stretch your own curls out, here’s how to do it with as little heat and/or inclement weather damage as possible.
1. Buy the right dryer
There is no way that you are going to protect your hair from potential blowout damage if you don’t start with basics, and that is investing in a great hairdryer. Trying to figure out which one works best for you requires a little bit of trial and error, but thanks to a lot of naturalistas on YouTube, they can help to remove some of the guesswork.
2. Get a good trim
I’m hoping you know by now that trimming your hair will not help it to grow faster. What it does do is remove split ends and fairy knots. What it also does is help to give your hair a nice shape; something that you definitely want while rocking a blowout. If it’s been several months since the last time that you at least dusted your ends, your blowout will only look better if you trim your tresses first.
3. Deep condition your locks
Hopefully, you’re deep conditioning your hair on a regular basis (at least twice a month). The reason why is because blow drying has a way of zapping the moisture out of your hair. This means that if you deep condition your tresses before pointing a dryer in your direction, that can help to keep your hair from losing moisture which can ultimately lead to split ends and breakage.
4. Use a cream thermal protectant
When you’re about to blow out your hair, something that is an absolute must is thermal heat protectant. What it basically does is serve as a barrier between your blow dryer (or any heat styling tool) and your hair. Whether your hair is fine or thick, out of all of the tips here, please don’t skip out on this one. Thermal heat protectant is a true hair-saver on so many levels.
5. Use low (and minimal) heat
The reason why so many people experience heat damage with blowouts isn’t due to their blow dryer; it’s actually because of how hot the setting is. Two things that you can do to reduce your risk of heat damage is to use an old T-shirt to soak up as much water as possible from your wet hair. Then, use a low or medium setting to dry it. Sure, it may take longer to dry, but it’s worth it since it means less breakage overall.
6. Braid it up every night
If you plan on wearing a blowout for a week or more, between humidity, hairstyling and rolling around in the bed at night, you’re bound to experience some shrinkage. One way to reduce that is to keep your hair stretched out as you catch some z-z-zs. One way to do that is by avoiding using the dryer again (the more heat, the more vulnerable your hair is to damage); instead braid your hair up before turning it. Just section your hair with your hands and put 4-8 braids in your hair.