Ladies … Dry your hair like an expert?
Expert techniques and pieces of advice to dry your hair like a pro at home.
First off, in case you love drying your hair with a hair dryer, check out this hair dryer buying guide.
Every time, it’s the same story: you fail to achieve the look your hairdresser gave you on your last visit! But before you give up, you have to question your techniques.
There are 4 key rules for successful styling
- Shampoos, care and styling products have to suit your type of hair.
- As hair is more fragile when wet, you have to first towel dry it without rubbing or twisting it. Rubbing your hair with a towel when it’s wet can ruffle the cuticle and cause tangles, so gently squeeze out excess water. Then you can detangle your hair gently with a wide toothed comb starting at the ends.
- Pre-drying. Blow-drying wet hair is absolutely hard, useless and takes more time than you can imagine.
Let about 75% of your hair air dry or use a hair dryer while lifting your hair with your fingers.
- Set your hair dryer to medium heat and keep it 15 to 20 cm away from your hair. Try to avoid concentrating hot air on the same spot for extended time lest you want to end up with burnt ends and scalp.
Objective: soft, healthy and strongly-defined curls
Get your hair ready
First step: hydrate and define your curls with the help of rinse-free care especially formulated for curly hair. After that apply hazel nut mousse and use a wide-tooth comb to distribute it evenly.
Twist
We carry on drying by twisting sections of hair together between your fingers. We take a small section and we twist it from the roots to the ends. Once a section is dry, wrap it on itself and fix it on the top of your head with a hair clip to maintain its shape. Wait for about ten minutes and finish with a diffuser to make sure the twists are fully dry and well-shaped.
Lock the styles
Gently work on your curls with spray (avoid aerosol hair spray as it dry very quickly)
Pro tip
“The secret behind getting beautifully defined curls is to shape them while they are still damp and let them dry without manipulating them” explains Colin Ford, Chief of Education and Events in L’Oréal professional. “The smaller the twists, the tighter the curls and the bigger they are, the more flexible.”
Objective: great straightening
Preparation of hair
We start the styling by applying rinse-free care: smoothing, repairing …
Blow out section by section
A perfect straightening requires you blow-dry section by section starting at the bottom to remove humidity. With a hair clip, clip up your hair above your head and take bit by bit. Roll a section around a round brush, right from the roots and go down the lengths while dragging down to maintain a tension to perfectly straighten your hair and eliminate any curves.
Lock your style
To avoid having uncombed “crazy” hairs, finish by applying cream, balm or gel. Rub a bit in your palms and lightly comb the surface of your hair from the roots to the ends.
Pro tip
“The use of a flat iron after styling your hair adds elegance to your hair. However, it’s very important you apply heat protectant beforehand to limit the drying effects caused by heat”, explains Colin Ford