When Should I Hair Dry My Hair?

Based on expert advice, you should not begin vigorously blow drying your hair with a brush immediately after washing it. Instead, wait until your hair is significantly dry before starting this process.

The Optimal Time to Start Blow Drying

For healthier hair and a better styling experience, you should wait until your hair is 60-to-65 percent dry before you even start to blowdry with a brush. Starting with sopping wet hair is less effective and more damaging. Pre-drying your hair reduces exposure to high heat and tension from brushing while wet.

How to Prepare Your Hair Before Blow Drying with a Brush

To reach the recommended 60-65% dryness level before introducing your brush and blow dryer together, follow these steps:

• Towel Dry Gently: Start by removing excess moisture. Use an old t-shirt instead of a rough terry towel, as t-shirts are softer and cause less friction, helping to prevent frizz and damage.
• Initial Blow Dry with Hands: After towel drying, use your blow dryer on a medium heat setting, using only your hands to lift and separate the hair. This helps air circulate and speeds up the initial drying phase without pulling on the wet strands.
• Check Dryness: Continue this process until your hair feels about 60-65% dry – meaning it's damp but no longer dripping or feeling heavy with water.
• Introduce the Brush: Once the desired dryness is reached, you can then begin blow-drying with your brush, starting the process at the roots.

Using this method, as recommended, is less damaging to your hair compared to starting the brushing and drying process when your hair is soaking wet.

Here's a quick summary of the drying stages:

By waiting until your hair is partially dry, you can significantly reduce the time spent exposing your hair to direct heat and mechanical stress, leading to healthier, shinier results.