Do Hair Dryers Damage Your Hair?

Does your hair feel dry, brittle, and unhealthy? If so, this might be because of your hair-drying routine. The way you dry your hair and the hair dryer you use could have negative effects on the overall health of your hair. But to what extent? Does using a hair dryer damage your hair every time, and if so, how? If you’re wondering how a hair dryer can damage your hair and how to avoid it, keep reading. 

Understanding your hair

To understand why a hair dryer could potentially damage your hair, we first need to get to the root of your hair’s anatomy. All heat-styling items damage your hair when you use them. This includes curlers, straighteners, and hair dryers. Studies show that those who avoid using a hair dry tend to have healthier hair, while those who do have slightly damaged hair. To understand how this damage occurs, here is the make-up of your hair stands:

• The cuticle is the outermost layer of the hair fibre, made up of overlapping scales that are either loosely arranged or closely aligned with one another
• The middle layer is the Cortex, which contains the keratin and structural lipids
• The medulla is the innermost layer of your hair, which consists of loosely packed cells in a disorganised manner
• Finally, the cell membrane complex is the glue that holds all of the cells in your hair together

Does a hair dryer damage your hair?

All right, so we’ve already alluded to the fact that heat damage is a result of using heat-related hair styling tools. But how exactly does this happen? Here’s a breakdown for you:

When you use a hair dryer, it can strip your hair of its moisture. Your hair comprises three main layers: the cuticle, cortex, and medulla. Each layer has its role. The cuticle acts like armour, protecting the inner layers. However, when exposed to heat, these overlapping scales that protect the hair can weaken and crack, leaving the cortex underneath vulnerable. 

When the cuticle is damaged, moisture from the underlying layers is drawn out rapidly, essentially causing the hair to bubble or blister from the inside out. The hair is left damaged and becomes more brittle over time, leading to fizz, a dull look, and split ends. 

If you blow-dry every day without heat protection or proper technique, you compound the damage. Over time, the hair loses elasticity and strength, making it more prone to snapping and harder to grow out healthy. The higher the temperature and the closer the dryer is to your scalp, the more intense the damage can be.

Tips to reduce heat damage done to your hair

With what we’ve just learned, does this mean you shouldn’t use a hair dryer? Not at all. There are several ways to use a hair dryer in a way that reduces the damage done to your hair, and we’re going to give you some:

Condition your hair

There’s a reason hair stylists prefer to wash and condition your hair before they style it. This is because the ingredients in a conditioner generally pack your hair with nutrients and hydrate it, making it stronger and more resistant to the heat a hair dryer applies. It could also reduce friction between hair fibres, resulting in fewer tangles and less fizz. So, wash your hair well and condition it before drying. 

Let it dry first

Blow-drying your hair while it’s sopping wet is never a good idea. While you may be right that it will help your hair dry faster, it is one of the fastest ways to damage it. Rather, gently squeeze the water from your hair and then wrap it in a towel to absorb the leftover water. Once your hair is about 70 to 80% dry, detangle it and brush it before finishing with the hair dryer. 

Use a heat protectant

This is an important one. You must use a heat-protectant spray! Heat-protective sprays are specially designed to coat your high fibres with a layer of protection that reduces the damage done to your hair when heat is applied. In addition, many modern-day heat protection sprays have ingredients that promote your hair’s health and appearance. So, before you start drying your hair, make sure to give it a good spray with a heat-protecting product. 

Check your heat settings

Try using a lower heat if your hair dryer has variable heat settings. While it may take longer, the lower heat may have less impact on your hair. It’s also important to keep moving your dryer over your hair instead of focusing on one spot. Allowing the dryer to sit blow in one spot may lead to a hot spot forming, drawing more moisture from that area than from others. 

Buying the right hair dryer

Have you heard the saying, “A good workman is only as good as their tools.” While there are two sides to this, having the wrong tools could limit you. The same applies to hairstyling tools like a hair dryer. Having the right hair dryer is important. If you don’t know where to start when buying a hair dryer, here is a helpful page that will help you compare hair dryers. 

Final thoughts

Let’s recap. When we dry our hair while it’s wet, the heat rapidly draws the moisture from it, leaving it weakened. Because of this, it looks unhealthy and may break more easily. However, if you allow your hair to air-dry mostly before using the dryer, you give it time to maintain its moisture and dry faster, reducing the damage done to it.