Continue wearing the "turban" while you dress and apply your make-up. This gives
your towel the chance to continue soaking the excess moisture from your hair. When
you're ready to take your turban down, be sure to spray on your leave-in conditioner
and massage it through your hair with your fingers. You can blot up any excess (to avoid dripping) with your towel.
If you can let your hair "air dry", do so. Otherwise, if you must use a blow-dryer,
use the dryer on the lowest heat setting, regardless of the fan speed you choose to
use. The heat will only cause the damp hair's cuticle to swell which is what allows the
dryer to force the moisture out of the hair. In addition, always direct the flow of hair
in the direction your hair grows; in other words, away from your head. This prevents the
cuticle from being roughed up by the warm airflow, and has the benefit of keeping the hair shiny and smooth.
As you begin drying, start out by using your fingers to comb through the hair, then
switch to a wide toothed comb, and then a vented brush as the hair gets progressively
drier. As the hair gets drier, you also want to lower the airflow speed on the dryer (or
better still use your diffuser attachment) to prevent the ends of the hair from being
buffeted against one another. The key in all these drying tips is to encourage you to
be gentle with your hair. Without realizing it, many women are really hard on their hair when there is no reason to be.
Unless you need to use other heat methods to style your hair, you should stop
blow-drying the hair while it is still slightly damp. At the very least, leave the areas of
the hair that don't need further styling steps to remain a little damp and let them finish drying naturally.
Styling Products:
Nearly all of us use some type of styling product on our hair in getting the look we
want. The important thing to remember is to use products that aren't going to cause as
many problems as they "fix". Check the ingredient lists of your styling gels, mousses
and sprays to be sure they don't contain alcohol. Alcohol is used in making these
products to help them dry faster, but what it does for the product it will also do to your
hair. This will only worsen the tangling problem.
Instead of using a styling product after your hair is mostly dry, try applying it
before you begin towel-drying the hair. Make sure it is alcohol-free still, but apply it
while your hair is wet and work it through the hair. You can then gently towel-dry your
hair and turban it as described above. You'll find you get more even coverage, and a
smoother-looking and shinier finished style.
While on the subject of styling products and preventing tangles, I have to mention
anti-frizz serums. For those of you with curly hair or frequent problems with tangling,
these products are wonderful. They must be applied to wet hair to work their best and
get the most even coverage and should be worked through the hair from the scalp to
the ends. Anti-frizz serums are designed to coat the hair shaft, smooth the cuticle
and seal it. They are great for preventing the roughing of the cuticle that happens
during blow-drying, and will help your hair look its very best.
Detangling Your Environment:
We all know about of many of the situations that can cause tangles, but sometimes
solutions don't come readily to mind. For instance, when my own hair was long, my
biggest problem was getting tangles and knots while driving in my car with the sunroof
or windows open. My solution to this was simple: I kept a snag-safe elastic band in my
car (on the gear shift) and before I started the car I would pull my hair back into a
ponytail at the nape of my neck and tuck the tail down the back of my shirt or jacket.
Then, when I arrived at my destination, I removed the ponytail elastic, ran a brush
through my hair and I was ready to go. For some of you, this solution will also work,
but if your long hair is curled as a part of styling it, pulling it into a ponytail would
defeat the purpose. For these problems, I recommend a quick visit to the beauty
supply store and pick up a few hair nets. The hair nets will hold the style in place while
you're in transit, and at the worst-case scenario, when you arrive you simply remove the
net and fluff the style back up with your fingers.
