More and more men are learning how beneficial it is to take good care of their hair. There are a variety of reasons for this, and it has become far more normal for men to take pride in their appearance and take a little extra effort to do this.
Getting your hair to go just the way you want it is a big part of this, and while a lot of men may not quite be ready to start researching their ideal foundation, taking some time and effort to learn how to effectively blow dry hair can be a really powerful way to enhance your appearance.
Not only can blow drying make your hair look healthier and voluminous, but it also saves time and helps prevent a greasy, oily look that can make you look untidy and unkempt, which are generally undesirable, especially for special occasions.
In this guide, we’re going to look at how to blow dry your hair, so that you don’t miss crucial steps and can make your hair look as fabulous as it deserves to.
Preparing Your Hair
No blow dry can start without a proper preparation phase. This is particularly true if you have curly hair or a hair type that doesn’t always cooperate when you dry it.
1) Wash Your Hair
Blow-drying hair can put a lot of stress on your hair and hair follicles and can cause damage. Protecting your hair starts with washing your hair using a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, as this will help prevent your hair from going frizzy or dry while the heat is on.
2) Use A Towel
Once washed, dab your hair dry with a towel. It’s important to do this as blow-drying hair which is too wet will make the process take way longer and require more heat, which can actually do more damage to your hair than only blow-drying slightly damp hair.
Gently remove excess moisture by dabbing the hair. It’s best to avoid twisting, rubbing, or squeezing the hair as this can weaken the hair, damage the hair, and have an adverse effect on your follicles and general hair health.
3) Comb Out Tangles
Comb out any tangles to make your hair easier to control and style before blow-drying. This is especially important if your natural hair is curly or frizzy.
4) Apply Heat Protection Product
Finally, and crucially, to complete your preparation use some heat protection product on your hair, as this can massively help reduce hair damage, heat damage and prevent frizziness or bottle hair.
Using the Blow Dryer
1) Set The Dryer To Medium Heat
Use a medium heat setting on the dryer to heat and dry your hair. As your hair warms up it will become easier to manipulate and style, but too much direct heat can make your hair hard to manage and frizzy so don’t use a hot setting or dry for too long.
If needs be, allow yourself some short breaks in between uses.
2) Position The Blow Dryer Correctly
You should hold the dryer some 6 to 8 inches away from your hair, as holding it too close can burn your scalp and hair and even risk your hair getting trapped in the dryer which can be painful and disastrous for your style.
It’s also important to move the dryer around a lot and to not focus it on one specific area for too long as this could damage the hair or burn you.
3) Direct Your Hair
As you dry your hair, use the air stream to direct your strands of hair into a particular direction, as this will help you start to get your hair into the right shape for how you want to style it.
You can use a brush to help with this, to begin with, and can try various techniques like backcombing to create lots of volume and lift or brush downwards to get a more natural look.
4) Use Your Fingers
Use your fingers to help direct the hair too, particularly at the front of your head and over the forehead area. Angle the dryer so that it points up into your hair and allow it to lift the hair at the front of your head as this will create some natural lift and give you the chance to create more style.
5) Blow Dry From Underneath
You should also consider tossing your hair forward and blow-drying it from other directions to get at all the areas of the head and ensure an even amount of heat reaches the hair and dries you without missing any patches.
Finish The Look
1) Use The Cold Air
Use the cool setting on the hair dryer to start cooling your hair down and setting it in place. This works the opposite way as heating the hair up, making it firmer and shinier helping your style to stay in place.
2) Use Hair Product
Use a hair product to help the hair remain in shape and to protect the hair from drying out. There are various different products to choose from and these can vary depending on your hairstyle and the style of hair you have. Straight hair may work better with a gel while brittle hair may prefer a pomade or oil, it’s really a matter of preference and taste.
4) Use A Hairspray
To seal the deal you want to use a little hair spray to keep everything in place and keep your product in place also. Hold the can a good few inches away and only use it in a well-ventilated area ideally. You don’t need to use too much either, just a few short bursts will be enough.
Final Thoughts
Even if you’ve never blow-dried your hair before, it doesn’t take very much practice to become confident with it, and the results of a proper blow-dry can be really outstanding.
Whether you’re trying a new hair style or looking to save some time, knowing how to blow-dry your hair can be really beneficial so don’t overlook it, or the important steps to follow!
Grooming should be encouraged and normalized for men as it is for women - why is there a stigma around a man who takes care of his appearance when women are expected to?
If a woman were to put as little effort into her appearance as men are supposed to, she would be called lazy or another harsher word. But men are expected to wash their face with body wash and call it a day.
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