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Hey there!
I need some advice. I am looking for better ways to dry my hair.
I do not own a blowdryer. It has been years since last I had one in the house and that was for my girlfriend/lover of five years. When I get done in the shower I simply towel dry my hair. Aside from saving time and hassle it is also something I have been able to get away with because of where I live, San Diego, and because of my hair having been short.
Well, now I have Longhair and I am finding there are risks to simply towel drying my mane. For one thing, Winter is coming on (and San Diego Winters can be sooo harsh!) and I don't like the prospect of running around with such a damp mass on my head in the cooler weather. Right now I am fighting off a nasty cold and am wondering how much my wet locks contributed to my getting it.
I am also recognizing that my scrubbing my head "dry" with the towel can not be good for the hair. Perhaps it is stimulating for the hair roots but not for the hair itself.
So, what should I do? As I said, it has been years since last I owned a blowdryer. What should I look for? How do I best use one now that I have all of this hair to deal with? What do you guys do? Hot air drying or unheated air drying? Deep questions I know but hey, if I can't ask them here then where can I?
Thanks,
Madoc
My site. Warning! Bi/ Gay content! Nothing X rated just that I like men too!
First, you can't get a cold from wearing wet hair... though being cold and wet can make you feel all the more miserable if you already have a cold. Gesundheit.
As far as dealing with hair drying... you can change the time you shower to when you'll be indoors for a couple hours to let your hair dry by itself. If that's not practical and you must use heat, use a low heat setting & don't completely dry your hair. You can squeeze excess water out by using a towel to smooth back your hair starting from the top and grasping the tail as you work your way down. I have a blow dryer that I use strictly for defrosting my freezer.
Good point. Thanks.
The main thing I am thinking of in asking this question concerns weekday mornings. I am up and off to work on weekdays and this now means sitting in my truck for the morning commute. In the warmer weather my hair would be mostly dry by the time I am at my job. Not now though.
I will have to go out and get me a blowdryer and give your suggestion a try. I am already trying the "squeezing" bit and that does help. One thing I want to avoid from using a blowdryer is winding up with "volumized" hair. I have enough of a mane already without making a helmet out of it!
Thanks for your suggestions - even the one about how to defrost my freezer! ;)
Madoc
My site. Warning! Bi/ Gay content! Nothing X rated, just that I like men too!
I just read your follow-up after I had already posted my previous message. Hate it when that happens.
I need all the volume I can get (and it's still not enough), but that effect depends to a large extent on how you handle the hair (brushing, fluffing) as you dry it. High speed blowing also tends to puff it up. I should add that the Potion 9 really cuts down on the frizz factor, and helps to keep you from looking like a bushman.
. . . JP in san diego.
*********
Thanks for the warning on your homo site... I almost clicked on the link. Can AIDS be transmitted through the internet?
"AIDS through the Internet." How droll. Oh, and look! No email address to send private love notes to. How real! How proud! How open!
And all of this from a one line follow-up to a multiparagraph message. My, what a lot of Longhair content and detail you are adding to this discussion. A real benefit to this Board.
Thank you.
Madoc
My site. Warning! Bi/ Gay content. Nothing X rated, just that I like men too!
Take a deep breath and consider that your response, which above all else reveals that you are aggravated with the message from 'Mike', only makes it fun for such people to post such messages. The ignorance, thinly disguised as humor, was best left alone as a testament to the narrow-mindedness of its author. I believe that the diverse participation of this board is to be celebrated- this includes the contributions of those who post before considering what their message really says about them.
Try using a blow drier with a diffuser attachment - these are generally used by people with curly hair who want to dry it, but don't want to mess up the curl pattern and get "big" frizzy-looking hair, but they're also good for anyone who just wants their hair dry and not "volumized."
To minimize damage, use at least a medium heat setting as no heat, or a low-level "cool" setting won't speed up the drying process much. Also, try using a leave-in conditioner. My favorite is Infusim 23 Original formula for dry/damaged hair. I works wonders even if your hair *isn't* damaged.
Dear Madoc:
As one who has been putting up with the cruel winters in San Diego for quite a few years, I hear ya dude! :-)
If I have time, I prefer to just let my hair dry without any help. If the air is dry (as it is most of the time here), it doesn't take that long. On work days, though, I need to get moving and since I tie my hair into a pony tail, it needs to be dry first, or it turns out looking like a hunk of rope.
On the mornings when I shampoo (as I do about 3-4 times a week), I *blot* my hair dry when I get out of the shower, then apply a small dollop (about the size of two Hershey's Kisses) of Potion 9 (Sebastian product, available at most beauty supply joints). I use a big clip to hold my damp hair up out of the way while I get dressed. Then I use a blow dryer on low-blow. I use the "Hot" heat setting which shouldn't hurt your hair as long as you keep the airstream moving and don't concentrate the flow to fry your hair. I finish with a few spritzes of spray (I like Sebastian Shaper Plus), wrap up my tail, and I'm ready to go.
As for dryers, the darned things are so cheap that they're practically disposable. Provided the wattage is high enough (1200 is the bare minimum you should use), they all work about equally well. At my house, noise is an issue in the morning (my wife doesn't have to get up as early as I do), so I invested in a professional model that was nice and quiet, even at high speed. I seem to remember it cost about $120 through a supply house, and it was a nice dryer. It lasted about twice as long as one of the drugstore type, but when it finally quit (fusible link burned out), it couldn't be fixed and wound up in the landfill, just the same as if I'd paid $9.99 at Longs. For the last six months, I've been using an old Conair that I pulled out of the bottom of the closet, and as long as I keep it on low speed, it isn't loud enough to wake the dead -- or my wife. Good luck.
. . . JP in san diego.
I do not blowdry my hair - that keeps it from beeing damaged.
I would prefer the San Diego winters to the Danish ones :-) However I am pretty much cold-weather resistant - I use to go in sandals and short sleeves even when the temperature hovers around the freezing point.
Regarding going out with wet hair: I live in a rural area, far away from smoke, dust and other "goodies", so that I wash my hair once weekly. I use to do it during the weekend. And I can go out with wet hair regardless of weather without any problem.
Durin the summer I wash the hair more often - every two or three days, or daily when I go for an evening swim in the Kattegat during July and August - but then the weather is no problem when it comes to drying.
Nick
hey just let it hang it will dry you wont get sick blow drying is bad for hair dont do that .....how long is your hair anyway
I've never been able to blow-dry my hair without its becoming frizzy - although I never had the patience to use the "low" setting, either.
Anyway, I think it looks best if it air-dries, so in the cold weather I've been trying to wash it at night, an hour or two before going to bed. Then in the morning I can just comb it out, tie it back and smooth a bit of gel on it if it's not quite tame enough.
This doesn't always work out, of course - some nights I don't have time, or I just forget - but usually I prefer it to having a wet head in the morning, and it doesn't look so slicked-down when it hasn't dried in the ponytail.