How to Blow-Dry But Not Fry

Blow-drying is damaging to hair. Period. But it’s a necessary evil for most of us, so figuring out how to do it, while inflicting minimal harm, is the goal. Here’s my strategy.

I’m all about acceleration. I figure the faster Ithe dry, the less time to fry. So, after I shampoo, I spray in a generous dose of ColorWow Speed Dry Blow Dry. It shrink-wraps each strand with a clear polymer, trapping moisture inside the hair so there’s less to blow away on the outside. The result: quicker drying and sustained hydration.

Then, I use my Super Solano Professional Dryer set on the highest heat and strongest air flow to “rough dry” my hair. I learned this technique from celebrity stylist Kevin Mancuso, who once blew-dry my hair the day I had knee surgery—and I still looked fresh-from-the-salon three days later (if you ignored the fact that I hadn't showered and was wearing PJs. But my hair looked good.). Anyway, rough drying means aiming airflow primarily at your roots, while finger-tousling your hair from left to right, front to back, until it is about 90 percent dry. I also I flip my head upside down and rough dry at the nape for good measure.

Then I pull out my secret weapon: The Spornette 279 Prego Ceramic Round Brush. It is the size of Rocco’s head (Rocco being our 16-pound Miniature Schnauzer)—which means large. Four-inches-in-diameter large. It gets me curious looks when I'm going through TSA at the airport, but I cannot live (or travel) without it. Because it's ceramic, it will heat up when hit with blowdryer air, essentially turning into a curling iron, shaping and adding body to my hair in about five to ten seconds. I love the jumbo size, because it can hold huge sections of hair (again, it’s all about efficiency) but it doesn't create as much bend at my ends as smaller round brushes. (To me, too much bend at the end equals bad, ’90s-news-anchor hair.)

My final step: Blow all of my hair forward, toward my face, a la Cousin It. Then, I switch to cool air flow to set and smooth. Start to finish: under ten minutes—with minimal damage inflicted.