How To Blow Dry Type 4 Hair

1000, so fifty-fifty though blowing out your natural pilus might seem like a self-explanatory process, in that location'southward actually a lot you lot need to keep in mind if you're trying to avert heat damage or breakage. "One of the biggest misconceptions well-nigh natural hair is that it'due south stronger than other pilus textures—just it'due south actually really delicate and needs to exist treated as such," says Ashanti Lation, celebrity stylist and founder of VIP Luxury Pilus Care. That ways you need to (A) prep it with the right products before you get started, and (B) take your time and be super gentle while you lot work.

Then to brand the procedure as piece of cake as possible, nosotros chatted with Lation and Jazzee Santiago, hairstylist and natural hair adept, to get all their pro advice on natural hair blowouts. Keep reading for everything you demand to know, from the prep work (like, starting-in-the-shower-prep work) to the maintenance that'll proceed all your work in place.

How practice you accident out natural pilus?

According to Santiago, there's a couple ways you tin can exercise a natural-hair blowout (similar in the tutorial above), but the main goal here is to stretch your pilus, not necessarily straighten it. "You can and then clothing your blowout every bit is, or y'all tin run a apartment atomic number 26 or crimper wand through it at the end to smooth and style the stretched-out hair," she says.

Blowouts are too a crucial step if you're planning to silk-press your hair (aka when you flat-fe your hair subsequently the accident dry and so it'southward bone-straight and shiny, says Santiago). Regardless of how you lot choose to mode your blowout, though, Lation says there are a few things y'all'll demand to have on manus before you get started:

Your blowout tools:

Got your supplies all laid out and ready? Cool, now keep reading for a uncomplicated pace-by-step tutorial (and, psst, if you're more than of a visual learner, you can gyre support to see how YouTuber Nickybnatural does information technology).

Stride 1. Cleanse and condition

First things first: You want to start off with freshly cleansed and conditioned pilus. "If yous blow-dry your pilus with whatsoever production buildup or oil, you're going to risk it non being as smooth or as soft," says Lation. Product selection is really personal preference hither, but it'due south not a bad idea to use a super-hydrating co-launder (call back, you'll lose some wet when yous estrus style). While you're working your conditioner through your hair, go alee and detangle your hair with a wide-tooth rummage or a gentle castor.

Moroccanoil Ringlet Cleansing Conditioner

Briogeo Be Gentle Be Kind Avocado + Quinoa Co-Wash

Briogeo Be Gentle Exist Kind Avocado + Quinoa Co-Wash

Mizani True Textures Cream Cleansing Conditioner

Curlsmith Curl Quenching Conditioning Wash

Curlsmith Curl Quenching Workout Launder

Step ii. Get out-in and heat protection

After you've rinsed, grab your leave-in conditioner and work it through your hair while it's still moisture. "You want a exit-in conditioner that's super lightweight—anything too rich or heavy will weigh down your blowout," says Lation. Next comes the virtually important step: locking in all that moisture with a heat-protecting serum or oil.

"Depending on how much pilus you lot have, take a dime- or quarter-sized dollop of serum, rub it between your palms, and then run your hands through your hair until it's evenly distributed," she says. The central here is to make certain that every strand is coated.

Footstep iii. Separate and stretch

Lation typically likes to separate her clients' hair into 4 sections (a few alligator clips or pilus ties will come in handy hither). "Before you even take hold of your blow dryer, gently pull each section of pilus as tight as y'all can from the root all the way down to the tip," she says. "This pre-stretching means yous won't take to put as much heat or tension on your pilus when you're fix for the dryer."

You can do through this step with zero heat like Lation suggests, just if you demand some extra stretching help, you can too plough your dryer on the everyman, coolest setting and run it along each section every bit you stretch.

Pace 4. Accident-dry

You've got a few options when y'all're set up to blow-dry out. Both Santiago and Lation agree that blow-drying with a comb zipper is the easiest technique for beginner south (information technology allows you to have a bit more than control), but if you're already extra comfy with heat tools, you can besides blow-dry with a paddle brush. Peek through whatever of the natural hair blowout tutorials on YouTube and you'll come across a third option: blow-dry brushes (like the cult-favorite Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer), which are loved for their power to create quick and easy blowout styles (though should but exist used on detangled hair, FYI).

Seriously—these blow-dryer brushes WERK

Bed Head Blow Out Freak One Step Dry + Volume

Bed Caput Blow Out Freak One Footstep Dry out + Volume

Conair InfinitiPro Hot Air Spin Brush

Drybar The Double Shot Accident-Dryer Brush

John Frieda Hot Air Castor

"Set your dryer on medium heat to get started, and never go up to the highest oestrus—especially if it'due south your first time," says Lation. Why? Because overheating your hair is a recipe for damage. You'll want to bending your comb attachment (or paddle brush) and gently run through each section with medium tension, starting at the bottom and finishing with your ends. "Make sure you blow-dry out each section gently and actually take your time with it. If y'all get frustrated, stop, take a breather, and start once again," she says.

Pro tip: If y'all're afterward a fuller, more than voluminous look, Lation says you tin flip your caput over when it's just well-nigh dry and quickly hit your roots with the dryer. Either fashion, in one case your hair is totally dry, switch off the heat and go over your hair one concluding fourth dimension with cool-shot setting on your dryer to help set your look.

Step 5. Style

When information technology comes to styling your blowout, Lation says it'south totally personal preference. Y'all can wear your blowout exactly as is, practice a twist-out, run a curling iron through it, or grab your flat iron and try a silk press (P.S. Check out our silk printing guide before starting). Basically, don't exist afraid to play around with your wait until yous figure out what you like best for your hair.

How long practice blowouts concluding on natural hair?

That depends on how long you want to wait until wash day, only Lation says 1-2 weeks is the standard. There's really only 1 gilded rule: Lation says you should never touch upward your blowout with heat later you've styled it. "If you keep putting estrus on your blowout during the week, y'all're going to go harm," she says. So just leave information technology alone until y'all're ready to launder, then deep condition and prep information technology again, g?

As far equally maintenance goes, Lation says those who go the straighter, sleeker route should employ a silk or satin wrap at nighttime to foreclose any frizz or friction while you sleep (silk pillowcases are also a groovy idea). If you similar to wear your blowout as is, she suggests doing two large braids before y'all jump in bed, and then taking them down and fluffing your hair in the morning for volume. Or, if yous want to maintain the sleekest of sleek looks, endeavor Doobie-wrapping your hair before bed.

The concluding word

Like Lation says, the major cardinal to bravado out natural hair is all in the prep work. Just remember to be equally gentle as possible while you're blowing out your hair to prevent whatsoever unnecessary damage or breakage. And, hey—at-abode blowouts are very much a skill, and then don't exist too difficult on yourself if it takes a few tries to really nail down your routine.

Carmine Buddemeyer Red was the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covered beauty across print and digital.