How to Dry Your Hair in the Winter
Dry your hair and avoid a beauty faux pas. (Photo: Getty Images)
In the frigid winter, leaving your house with wet hair is not just a beauty faux pas — it’s also potentially uncomfortable, especially in freezing temperatures. But we also know that frequent blow drying can cause heat damage to your hair, especially if it’s already dry or processed. If you, like us, hit the snooze button too many times on cozy Monday mornings, take heed of these healthy hair drying tips from Manhattan-based Sally Hershberger Downtown hairstylist Lucille Javier, and Britta Cox and Suveen Sahib, the co-CEOs of microfiber hair towel brand Aquis. You’ll be out of the house in no time — with minimal damage to your help.
Get the excess water out of your hair ASAP
“Hair is made with keratin, and keratin is held together with hydrogen bonds,” Cox explains. “Basically, keratin has an affinity for water and will soak it up.” But if the interior of your hair is wet for too long, the hair strands change chemical structure, which is why your hair can get mushy and will even stretch — up to 30 percent, according to Cox. Different types of hair have varying levels of keratin. For example, Afro-origin hair tends to have more keratin and thus is more porous, allowing more water to seep in and changing chemical structure faster. Asian hair is actually the strongest, Cox explains, because it is inherently less porous. Javier also adds that double-processed hair is also prone to greater porosity.
Avoid rubbing your hair with a towel
It’s tempting to use your towel roughly, especially if you’re already late, but that can cause irreparable damage to your hair. “Never rub, always pat gently,” Javier advises. Cox and Sahib’s company, Aquis, sells microfiber towels that are ideally worn as turbans, claiming to efficiently dry your hair without roughage. “But no matter what, always use a dry towel,” Javier warns. “It’s more efficient and you want to use your towel as little as possible.”
Don’t reach for your blow dryer right away
“If your hair is super wet and the cuticles are open, the heat will actually go into the hair and cause it to bubble,” Sahib explains. You don’t want to start blow drying until your hair is just damp, not wet. When you first get out of the shower, Javier recommends using a wide-toothed comb to brush out the loose hairs. “It’s inevitable that you lose hair in the shower,” she explains.
Not all blow dryers are created equal
Javier recommends the Supersolano 3500lite Professional Dryer ($200), which doesn’t come cheap. “This is going to be an investment,” she explains. You should always use a nozzle when you blow dry in order to avoid catching your hair in the device and burning it. “Don’t put the blow dryer on any one area for too long,” Javier explains. She also advises using a round brush for untangling because it’s gentler on your hair. “Just keep moving around — I’ve seen clients at the salon burning their own hair,” she says.
Grease up when dry
Before you run out the door, you need some oil in your hair. Cox recommends applying oil to dry hair because oil on wet hair could potentially trap in excess moisture. While Javier prefers raking a few drops of Sally Hershberger 24K Golden Touch Nourishing Dry Oil ($40) into the hair, Sahib recommends plain coconut oil. “That’s what they use in India, and always with dry hair,” Britta explains.
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