How to Dry Natural Hair Properly

Natural hair is most fragile when wet so you might be wondering – “what’s the best way to dry my natural hair without causing damage?”. Blow drying and air drying are the most popular techniques but both have their pros and cons. Plus, what might work best for one naturalista might not be right for you.

So what’s the best technique? We’ll be uncovering the best methods to dry your natural hair effectively. Plus pros and cons of each method whilst giving you some tips and tricks to ensure you’re armed with the right information.

What is the best way to dry natural hair?

The way you choose to dry your natural hair is a personal choice. You might find air drying easier or you might prefer blow drying. We’re conscious that everyone’s lifestyle is different and you’ll have your own preference. So here are some key tips to follow to make sure you’re not being too rough and abrasive with your hair strands. 

1. Use a microfiber towel :

If you’re using a cotton towel to dry your hair then stop now! The materials used to create the towels are coarse and harsh on hair strands, especially type 4 hair which is already fine and fragile. If not careful, it could lead to damage by making split ends worse eventually leading to breakage. 

Instead opt for a microfiber towel which is softer in texture and super absorbent. Some of the benefits of microfiber towels include reduction in frizz, cutting down your drying time and helping reduce breakage. Some naturals use a t-shirt which is lightweight and softer as an alternative. 

2. Wrap and squeeze :

Type 4 hair is most fragile when wet so you need to take extra care when drying. Don’t rub the towel against your hair strands as it’ll cause tension on your stands and could lead to breakage. Instead wrap the towel round your hair and squeeze gently until dry. Turban microfibre towels make this process easy to do and will help you resist rubbing the towel against your hair.

3. Stick to a method that works best for you :

Whether you prefer air drying or blow drying. You know what works best for your coils and curls. So stick to what your hair likes. You’re the only one who’ll know how your hair feels after doing both methods. You can also switch between the two if you like the best of both worlds. 

4. Apply leave in conditioner in sections :

This helps to ensure the product is fully distributed across all your hair strands helping your hair stay hydrated whilst minimizing frizz.

Blow Drying Natural Hair 

Blow drying is a long standing technique for drying natural hair.  You were probably used to getting your hair blow dried as a child as air drying wasn’t really a thing back in the day.  When the natural hair movement began in the 2000s, blow drying was deemed as negative due to its close ties with heat damage. 

As the years have gone by, there’s been more insight into blow drying and it’s not actually bad for your hair. Have you ever wondered why hair care specialists have always and still use heat tools to style your hair? Well, that’s because there are some benefits to using heat to maintain your natural hair. It took me a while to understand that heat is not the enemy! EXCESSIVE use of HEAT is the ENEMY.

With blow drying – it’s all about the technique you follow to ensure you don’t experience damage. So you shouldn’t eliminate it from your hair care routine completely.

Benefits of Blow Drying Natural Hair 

Aside from getting an arm workout, here are the benefits of blow drying your Type 4 coils

1. Helps prevent single strand knots and minimizes tangles as your hair won’t be coiling around itself whilst drying 
2. Prevents breakage from styling : Your hair is weakest when wet so blow drying makes styling easier and minimizes breakage.
3. Stretching out your hair reduces the amount of time spent detangling hair in its shrunken state. 
4. Minimizes tension on your hair cuticles. When your hair is wet for long periods of the time, the cuticle expands making your hair more fragile.

Tips for Blow drying

Here are our top tips for using heat to blow drying your hair 

1. Use the Tension Method: This is the gentlest method for blow drying type 4 hair strands. Rather than using a comb attachment. Separate your hair into 4 to 6 sections. Hold or stretch each section of your hair and run the hair dryer up and down on a cooler setting until dry. Once done, you can follow up with a comb on a higher setting to get your coils straighter. Watch the video below for a step by step guide.

2. Adjust your heat settings : Dry hair on a low to medium setting until 80% dry and then follow up with a higher setting until your hair is completely dry 

3. Finish with a cool blast to smooth down your cuticles and create shine whilst locking in moisture.

4. Work in sections of 4 – 6 to prevent tangles and help ensure your hair is thoroughly dry. This will also help you be gentle with your hair strands.

5. Use a heat protectant or serum to prevent heat damage  

6. Invest in a good quality hair dryer

Air Drying Natural hair

Air Drying has become extremely popular over the last decade. It’s many naturals preferred option for drying their natural hair and also classed as the healthier option. The main reason for this is due to the eradication of heat from the drying process. Although air drying is great it also has its cons. Let’s talk about why!

1. Hair Shaft Swells – The hair shaft swells when it gets into contact with water making already fine Type 4 hair weaker when wet. When water is left on the cortex of your hair for long periods of time. It can lead to breakage due to the pressure of holding on to excessive moisture for hours.  
2. Increase of Frizz – Your hair is likely to frizz more when air drying in comparison to a smooth finish from a blow dry. Now there are products to eradicate this like curl creams and anti frizz serums but you’ll have to test out a couple of products first to see what works.
3. Scalp Bacteria and Mold – Due to the number of hours it takes for your hair to be completely dry. The wetness creates an environment for bacteria and mold to grow on your scalp. This is the case if you air dry regularly, especially overnight. If you notice some scalp irritation – then it’s worth looking into how air drying has contributed to that. 
4. Increase of single strand knots – when Type 4 hair dries in its loose state – the curls and coils naturally shrink eventually curling over itself causing knots. 

Although, we’ve focussed on the cons. Air drying isn’t all bad – it’s just important to be aware of the limitations to help you properly care for your hair. If you’ve noticed some breakage or constant knots then it might be worth considering another drying option OR limit the amount of times you air dry your hair.

Tips for Air Drying

• Use a microfiber towel to squeeze excess water from your hair 
• Do not apply a leave in or other styling products on soaking wet hair. 
• Don’t overload your hair with products. The more product you use, the longer it’ll take for your hair to dry. Use moderate sizes to limit this!
• Split your hair in 4 to 6 sections to make it easier to dry in a stretched state. Feel free to twist or braid each section depending on your preference..
• Be careful when air drying overnight : Due to your hair being damp with minimal airflow this could lead to moldy environments creating a breeding ground for bacteria on your scalp. If you prefer air drying overnight – ensure your hair is at least 50% dry to limit this.  

Is it better to blow dry or air dry natural hair?

If you’re stuck on what technique or to use to dry your hair then it’s worth taking a step back and focus on your hair porosity. Knowing your hair porosity will help you figure out how to better care for your hair and will support you in using the right techniques for your hair to dry.

• High Porosity Naturals – Air drying will probably work best due to how quickly your hair strands absorb water. Be mindful of frizz as high porosity is prone to frizz and ensure you’re using a moisturizing leave-in to help smooth your strands.
• Low Porosity Naturals – Blow drying on a low to medium setting will probably work best due to how long it takes for water to absorb through the hair strands. Especially if you have fine hair. Excess water will sit on the strands weighing it down eventually causing damage.

Both techniques have their limitations so it’s important to test them out on your hair to see what has better results. You can also use a combination of the two if you’re worried about damage. For instance, in warmer temperatures and climates like summer you can opt for air drying and in colder months where it’s likely to take longer for your hair to dry you can opt for blow drying. 

What is the least damaging way of drying natural hair?

There are pros and cons to both methods, it’s all about the technique you use and TLC you apply to the drying process.

A study conducted on hair shaft damage from heat and drying time concluded that “using a hair dryer caused more surface damage than natural drying, the results suggested that using a hair dryer at a distance of 15 cm with continuous motion causes less damage than drying hair naturally”¹

The study showed that air drying produced a protected hair surface in comparison to blow drying. However, the inner layers of the hair shaft were damaged due to the length of time it took for the hair to completely dry naturally. The pressure of excess water in the hair shaft caused swelling leading to breakage and damage. Learn more about the study here. 

If you’re already suffering from some form of damage i.e. heat or color then air drying is the least damaging way to dry your hair whilst nursing it back to health.If you notice your constantly getting single strand knots or your is weaker then blow drying is the least damaging way. Both methods are effective – it’s just about understanding what works best for your hair so you’ll need to pay more attention to how your hair reacts/feels after trying both to decide on what to choose.

Does drying your hair with a towel damage hair?

Using a cotton towel can cause damage to your natural hair because the materials are harsh and coarse on your hair strands. Remember, your natural hair is most fragile when wet so you want to limit the use of anything that’ll be abrasive on your hair strands. If you’re constantly using towels then this could lead to breakage.

My Personal Experience : Blow Drying vs Air Drying

For instance, I used to air dry my hair all the time thinking it was healthier but recently went back to blow drying. My hair stylist noticed I had an increased number of single strand knots which was affecting my length retention goals. She suggested I blow dry every wash day over 3 months until my next trim to see if I noticed a difference and I did. Straight away I noticed I was losing less hair when styling my hair after blow drying compared to air drying. I also experience less single strand knots – I used to dry my hair in twists but it would still shrink up coiling against each other causing knots. As I’m a low porosity natural – I also noticed – I was able to get the moisture into my strands quicker as it wasn’t just sitting on my hair strands for hours at a time.

I share my experience just to show the importance of testing out the two methods to figure out what will work best for you.

FINAL THOUGHTS

You should now feel empowered with a range of effective techniques for drying your hair! We’ve delved into the debate of blow drying versus air drying, equipping you with insights to make the perfect choice. And remember, you can always use both methods for ultimate flexibility. Just stay mindful of the proper techniques to safeguard your hair’s health.

We’re curious: What’s your go-to hair drying method? Share with us in the comment section – we’re all ears!

1.  Lee Y, Kim YD, Hyun HJ, Pi LQ, Jin X, Lee WS. Hair shaft damage from heat and drying time of hair dryer. Ann Dermatol. 2011 Nov;23(4):455-62. doi: 10.5021/ad.2011.23.4.455. Epub 2011 Nov 3. PMID: 22148012; PMCID: PMC3229938. ↩︎