We've always been told that air drying our hair is the healthiest thing to do to avoid damage from heat tools as well as colour fade, right? Well, according to experts, that's not necessarily the case. It turns out, leaving your hair to dry naturally could actually be causing more harm than good.
Just when you thought that washing your hair in the evenings, so it dries overnight would be a genius time-saving hack and the best thing for your hair, here we come being the bearers of bad news. Sadly, leaving hair wet for extended periods of time or sleeping on damp hair could be causing something known as hygral fatigue as well as leaving your hair exposed in its weakest natural state for longer than necessary.
Reasons why you should not leave your hair to airdry:
“Keeping your hair wet for long periods of time (for example, overnight or air drying on a regular basis) can cause hygral fatigue, which is damage to the hair from excessive swelling,” explains trichologist Stephanie Sey on behalf of Nizoral.
“When hair is wet the hydrogen bonds are broken, temporarily, and by repeating the process of leaving your hair damp for hours on end is likely to damage the cuticle of the hairs and its outer layers, over-exposing the cortex,” Stephanie continues. In other words, the longer that hair is wet, the longer it’s swollen and the more pressure is put on the proteins and cortex keeping the hair intact.
19 best hair masks for strong and silky-soft strandsGallery19 PhotosUK Hair Expert and dermatologist Dr Sharon Wong agrees: “The hair has an outer protective cuticle layer formed of overlapping keratin protein layers like tiles on a roof. When these ‘keratin tiles’ are laying flat and tightly overlapped this creates a highly protective layer.” However, Dr Wong goes on to explain that when hair is wet, it is at its most “elastic state” and therefore vulnerable to things like friction.
If you have Afro hair, you are not off the hook. Afro hair has naturally brittle texture, and it will always be in its most vulnerable state while wet. That is also when it's easiest to manipulate, hence why if you brush it in the shower you will cause less tension than when its dry. However, leaving it wet for long will also mean you will be exposing it external factors or unnecessary pulling and tugging that will lead to hydral fatigue and can ultimately cause it to break more easily.
Best ways to try your hair avoiding heat damage:
Before you reach for a towel to help your hair to dry as quickly as possible, it might also be better to skip the towel dry. “Towel drying your hair is not only terrible for causing damage to the cuticle layer of your hair but it’s a sure-fire way to welcome in frizz,” says Samantha Cusick, hairstylist and GHD Ambassador. Instead, try swapping your towel for an old T-shirt or microfibre hair wrap and blot your hair after washing instead of rubbing it.
Try these microfibre hair wraps:Coco & Eve Microfibre Hair WrapKitsch Microfibre Hair TowelOther than that, make sure to prep your hair with moisturising and nourishing masks, serums and oils that replenish any hydration and help to smooth and seal the hair cuticles. “Moisturising products help to prevent damage before you get to the drying stage,” says Dr Wong. “Before drying, always prep hair with a heat protecting spray to limit damage and avoid styling products which have an alcohol base, which will dehydrate the hair.”
Try these products to prevent or reduce heat damage:TRESemme Care & Protect Heat Defence SprayOlaplex No.3 Hair PerfectorL'Oreal Leave In Serum by Elvive Dream Lengths Sleek Frizz KillerKoba Gold Drip Nourishing Body & Hair OilNext, switch your hair dryer to a low heat while hair is still wet, and gently increase the temperature as it dries if needed (although, there's no need to increase it to more than 180 degrees Celsius). “It is in your hair's interest to transform the hair from wet to dry as quickly as possible as in its dry state the hair is at its strongest” Dafydd Thomas, GHD global head of education. Noted!
Try these hair dryers that are kinder to your hair:Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryerghd Helios Professional Hair DryerShark STYLE iQ Hair Dryer & Styler HD120UKTRESemme 5542DU 2200W Power Smooth and Shine DryerReady to reform your hair drying routine? Check out the best heat protection sprays as well as the best hair dryers for every hair type and budget.
29 best hair dryers for every hair type and budget that are worth every single pennyncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLjApqauqp2WtKLGyKecZ5ufY8Kse8Crq6KbnJp8orXRZpursZmjtG60wKKpZpyRoq6osQ%3D%3D