Out of pure laziness, I’ve always been an air-dryer. Of course, when I’m lucky enough to get a blowout, I leave the salon looking like my best self, but even as a self-diagnosed beauty obsessive, I don’t have the skill (or patience) to recreate a sleek, polished look while I’m rushing to get ready for work.
Alas, post-shower, I let my hair do its thing, which, depending on the day, usually results in some sort of a wavy mess. But since I’ll more or less stick to my lazy-girl ways for life, I refuse to believe air-drying has to equate less good-looking hair, which is why I chatted with celebrity hair expert Kristin Ess to learn expert-approved tricks for naturally drying every hair type.
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“It goes without saying that, obviously, the less heat styling the better,” says Ess, who regularly transforms the heads of Lucy Hale and Jenna Dewan Tatum. “Air-drying allows the hair to lay a little smoother over time, and essentially, minimizes damage. But we’re also moving into this world where air-dryer textures are cool — they don’t look so forced or pattern-y, just more of a natural, cool-girl look.”
Ahead, Ess reveals 10 tricks for drying wavy, curly, straight and thin hair types — all of which are incredibly easy, super-quick and lazy-girl approved.
Originally posted on StyleCaster.
If you have wavy hair…
“Anybody who has a natural wave or curls has either a consistent or inconsistent pattern,” says Ess. “I have this one client, who if you go through her hair after it’s air-dried, next to a curly piece there will be a straight piece. When the wave patterns don’t mesh well, it creates frizz,” Ess explains. Drying inconsistent patterns requires picking a direction. “If most of your hair is wavy, but there’s a little bit of it that’s on the straight side, you have to decide if you want to wear it wavy or straight.”
If you have wavy hair…
“Anybody who has a natural wave or curls has either a consistent or inconsistent pattern,” says Ess. “I have this one client, who if you go through her hair after it’s air-dried, next to a curly piece there will be a straight piece. When the wave patterns don’t mesh well, it creates frizz,” Ess explains. Drying inconsistent patterns requires picking a direction. “If most of your hair is wavy, but there’s a little bit of it that’s on the straight side, you have to decide if you want to wear it wavy or straight.”
If you have wavy hair…
“Anybody who has a natural wave or curls has either a consistent or inconsistent pattern,” says Ess. “I have this one client, who if you go through her hair after it’s air-dried, next to a curly piece there will be a straight piece. When the wave patterns don’t mesh well, it creates frizz,” Ess explains. Drying inconsistent patterns requires picking a direction. “If most of your hair is wavy, but there’s a little bit of it that’s on the straight side, you have to decide if you want to wear it wavy or straight.”
If you have curly hair…
One of Ess’ favorite strategies for air-drying curly hair is the T-shirt method. “The T-shirt method creates significantly less frizz than a towel does,” she says.
If you have curly hair…
One of Ess’ favorite strategies for air-drying curly hair is the T-shirt method. “The T-shirt method creates significantly less frizz than a towel does,” she says.
If you have curly hair…
One of Ess’ favorite strategies for air-drying curly hair is the T-shirt method. “The T-shirt method creates significantly less frizz than a towel does,” she says.
If you have straight hair…
“If you’re going to embrace the air dry with straight hair, you have to commit to a flatter, straighter, shinier style, which I think is such a look right now,” says Ess. “When you’re air-drying straight hair, you’re just not going to get major volume.”
If you have straight hair…
“If you’re going to embrace the air dry with straight hair, you have to commit to a flatter, straighter, shinier style, which I think is such a look right now,” says Ess. “When you’re air-drying straight hair, you’re just not going to get major volume.”
If you have thin hair…
Like Ess’ technique for straight hair, people with thin hair should gravitate toward air-drying in a bun. “Air-drying it in a bun will give it a little wave,” she says. But don’t worry, you don’t necessarily need to walk around looking like Princess Leia. “You can just throw one bun back there, play it down a little bit and make it look normal,” she laughs. To ensure you’re getting maximum volume, don’t remove the bun until it’s completely dry.
If you have thin hair…
Like Ess’ technique for straight hair, people with thin hair should gravitate toward air-drying in a bun. “Air-drying it in a bun will give it a little wave,” she says. But don’t worry, you don’t necessarily need to walk around looking like Princess Leia. “You can just throw one bun back there, play it down a little bit and make it look normal,” she laughs. To ensure you’re getting maximum volume, don’t remove the bun until it’s completely dry.
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