If we had a dollar for all the times we wished we didn’t need to spend ages blasting the blow-dryer and our hair just behaved on its own, we would be trillionaires by now…right, ladies? Well, we help you get as close to that ‘wash and go’ dream as possible with this guide to air-drying your hair to perfection. Read on to know how to do it right and get your locks to look gorgeous without touching the heat.
A Few Important Things To Keep In Mind
1. Condition Like A Pro
Your hair is exposed to plenty of damage every day thanks to the sun, pollution and heat styling. It’s important to condition it well and leave the product on your strands for a couple of minutes to help nurture and reverse damage. Deep condition your mane once a week (learn how to here) as well. Conditioning is such an important step as it encourages smooth, silky strands, which is important for air drying.
2. A Microfiber Towel Is A Must
We’re all guilty of using a regular towel on our mane, which only triggers frizz thanks to the friction. Get your hands on a special microfiber towel or even an old T-shirt, just for your hair, to help remove excess water. Gently blot your hair instead of rubbing it and do not tie it into a tight turban like you usually do. This will definitely help control frizz as your hair dries.
3. Get Rid Of Those Tangles
Once you’ve removed the excess water, use a wide-tooth comb or the super cool tangle teezer to remove every last tangle. Start from the bottom and remove knots in small sections till your hair is perfectly detangled. Don’t comb your hair after this as air drying is all about working with your natural texture.
For Straight Hair
Step 1: Gently press your strands with a microfiber towel to remove excess water. When it’s about half dry, detangle with a comb.
Step 2: With fine or straight hair, skip the heavy styling products as you don’t want to weigh down your strands. Instead, a light serum like John Frieda Frizz Ease Serum (Rs. 790) is enough to cut down frizz and enhance shine. You could also add a bit of oil on the ends to make them look soft and healthy.
Step 3: When your hair is about 85% dry, flip it over and use your fingers to tousle the roots. This will help give extra volume and lift. Be sure not to touch your hair too much as it dries as this will only lead to frizz. Once your hair is completely dry, if you feel like you need more volume, use velcro rollers around the crown for a few minutes. Add a dash of serum again and you’re done.
For Wavy Hair
Step 1: Using a microfiber towel instead of a regular one is an absolute must as this hair type is prone to frizz. Then detangle with a comb or even your fingers.
Step 2: Enhance those natural waves with a texturizing sea salt spray for that straight-from-the-beach look. Mist your strands and then use your fingers to scrunch. If you want even more waves, gently twist sections like a rope with your fingers. Spritz a bit more of your sea salt spray to finish.
For Curly Hair
Step 1: Brushing your hair leads to a frizzy mess. To detangle your hair, use your fingers or a comb while you have conditioner on in the shower.
Step 2: You need to towel dry your hair a bit differently. Flip your head over and gently scoop it in a microfiber towel. Use it to blot and scrunch your curls before gently lifting your head back up. This will help define your curls while lifting them from the root.
Step 3: For air-drying, a bit of product is important to help give you well-defined curls without any fluffiness or frizz. A good leave-in or curl cream like Bblunt High Definition Curl Cream (Rs. 550) is a must to work into your curls and scrunch. Remember, don’t touch your hair too much after this step, you don’t want to ruin curl definition or activate frizz.
A Few Tricks For Gorgeous Waves and Curls
Image Source: Namrata Soni on Instagram
1. Textured Waves
Wait till your hair is damp, mist it with a sea salt spray and then divide it into 4 braids. Let it air dry and then before it is completely dry, let them loose.
2. Volumized Waves
Rake some mousse through damp hair for some amazing volume. Then, pull your your strands into one big, loose braid. While it’s drying, twist it up into a high bun to give it extra body.
3. Pretty Waves On Thick Hair
For ultra thick hair, twist your hair into 4 buns and secure them in place with U-shaped pins, which won’t create dents in your hair. 4 buns helps give you smooth waves, whereas if you made just one twisted bun, you would probably end up with just a big bend in your hair.
Images: Shutterstock
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