If your hair stylist has been nagging you about not using the blow dryer every day because it is making your hair dry and damaged, it is time you paid some heed to her words. What you might not know is that the beautiful blow dry you bank upon day after day to look chic and beautiful, may be the very cause for your hair woes. Find out the dark side to regular blow drying.
You look and feel beautiful and confidently walk in to a meeting because you know your blow dry makes your hair look stunning. Fine, today your blow dry might be the reason you bag so many projects, but what about a few years down the line? Hair dryers are a staple for many of us. We walk out of the shower with dripping wet hair, lather on some hair volume boosting mousse, switch on the hair dryer and create magic with our hair every day. But think about this – are you sacrificing on scalp health today just for short-term results?
According to an expert article published in WebMD, using the blow dryer everyday will result in hair loss, thinning and damage of hair. Mayo Clinic reveals that it is normal for you to shed up to 100 hairs every day. Anything more than that means you have a problem at hand. And your trusted blow dryer may very well be the culprit here.
Is Blow Drying Your Hair Every Day A Good Idea?
No matter how much you love your finally finished hairstyle after a blow dry every day, it is recommended to not use a hair dryer day after day. Not only does it rob your hair of natural moisture, it also makes hair more prone to breakage. Any kind of heat therapy does that, which is why you have always stayed away from flat ironing and perming of your hair. Then why not stay away from the blow dryer too?
Using any heating device on your scalp robs your hair of natural moisture. When you take a shower, water enters each strand of hair follicle. When you step out of your bath, you immediately power up the hair dryer to create that great hair style. But what you don’t realise is that the moisture that has seeped into your scalp gets heated up instantly, and to evaporate it pushes your hair fibres and creates open spaces. It is these open spaces that make your hair prone to damage and breakage. After all, the roots are weakened by that sudden blast of hot hair, which means the hair isn’t as firmly attached to your scalp as it was.
Are You Committing These Crimes Against Your Hair?
Blow drying every day is bad for your hair. But that is not the only thing affecting scalp health. Even curling irons and hair straightening irons are bad news for wet hair. The way you dry your hair vigorously with a towel can also result in weak hair, more prone to breakage. It is best to allow hair to dry naturally. This way, your scalp stays protected while the blow dryer works it magic only on the strands of hair, not the roots.
Using a good hair protecting serum before you use a blow dryer, or even curling and straightening iron is a must. This creates another protective layer between the hair follicle and the hot blast of air, reducing the damage. Use a wide-toothed comb on wet hair and avoid using a paddle brush or hard bristle brush for styling if the hair is still wet.
Avoid tight hairstyles if your hair is already weak, and keep any heat therapy or styling agents to a minimum. Of course you can go for an elaborate hairstyle if you are going someplace special. But don’t go in for the same blow dried set hair every day as it will damage your hair in the long run. Instead, cut off dry damaged hair and choose a hairstyle that looks good even when naturally air-dried.
Your natural hair care routine plays a huge role in your scalp health. The lesser you expose it to heat styling, chemicals and stress, the healthier your hair and scalp will be. What is the point of creating an illusion of voluminous thick hair by blow drying every day when it only means that 10 years from now you will have no hair to play with?!
PUT THAT CHEESE BURGER DOWN 