Okay, so I’ve been wondering about this whole thing with blow-drying hair. We all know that heat can fry your strands, but what about using the cold setting? Does that actually damage your hair too? I decided to put it to the test myself, ’cause who needs more split ends, right?
Getting Started
First off, I made sure I started with a clean slate. I washed my hair with my usual shampoo – nothing fancy, just a basic one. I did my best to rinse all of it, ’cause I read somewhere that leftover shampoo can mess with things. After rinsing, I gently squeezed out the excess water with a towel, no rough rubbing or anything. I decided not to use a conditioner this time, just to see how the cold air worked on my hair in its most basic state.
The Experiment
So, here’s what I did. I grabbed my trusty old hair dryer – the one with the cool shot button that I never used. I sectioned off my hair like those fancy YouTubers do, you know, to make it easier to handle.
- First try: I tried just air-drying a small section of my hair. I just let it do its thing under a fan I set up nearby. It took ages, seriously. I was watching paint dry, but it was my hair.
- Second try: Next, I used the cold setting on my dryer for another section. I kept the dryer moving, not letting it sit in one spot for too long. I figured, if heat in one spot is bad, maybe cold in one spot isn’t great either? I don’t know, just a guess.
- Third try: I decided to try a combo method. I let another section of my hair air-dry about 70% of the way, like some people suggested online. Then, I finished it off with the cold air from the dryer.
The Results
Honestly, I didn’t notice any immediate damage with any of the methods. My hair felt pretty okay after each one, maybe a little dry from the fan, but nothing terrible.
- Air-drying: It took the longest, but my hair felt the softest with this method. No frizz, either.
- Cold blow-drying: This was quicker than air-drying, but it made my hair feel a little rougher. I definitely noticed some frizz, too.
- Combo method: This seemed like the best of both worlds. My hair dried faster than just air-drying and felt softer than with just the cold blow-dry. It still felt a little rougher than when just air dried, though.
Wrapping It Up
From what I can tell, just using cold air on your hair dryer probably isn’t going to cause any major damage. It’s definitely better than blasting it with heat. But, it does seem like it can make your hair a bit frizzy. I guess it makes sense – cold air shuts down the hair cuticles, which is good for locking in moisture, but can also make it feel a bit rough.
I think the combo method is probably the way to go. You get the speed of blow-drying without the heat damage. I’ll probably stick to that from now on and see how it goes in the long run. Maybe I’ll even start using that cool shot button more often!
This was just my little experiment, though. Everyone’s hair is different, so what works for me might not work for you. But hey, at least we’re all learning something, right? If you’ve tried something similar, let me know how it went for you!
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