How to blow dry and straighten hair

Learn how to straighten your hair with a blow dryer.

Photo Credit: Graca Victoria
By Melissa Mayntz

So, you aren’t Farah Faucet, and not even close to being Jennifer Aniston. Well, that doesn’t have to stop you from have good hair. How do they do it? They know the techniques, the have the right equipment and they spend the time. You, too, can have straight, shiny locks. Here are two methods that I have used to straighten my hair for at least ten years now.

First, you will have to have the right utensils. A good hair dryer is essential to blow drying your hair straight and still keeping your hair strong and healthy. There are so many blow dryers out there now, it is impossible not to find one that is right for you. I recommend one that has a setting for low and high heat.

A lot of the stars are using ionic hair dryers which put out negative ions. These ions flatten the cuticle and leave it protected. This is apposed to regular blow dryers that put out positive ions which push up the cuticle and let out the moisture. These are more expensive, and I personally have not tried one for that reason.

For the first method, all you will need is a good blow dryer. For the second you will also need to add a round styling brush. There are many of these also, however I would recommend one that is large. The larger the brush, the more volume your hair will have. I also recommend that the brush be ventilated, meaning it contains holes that allow the air to pass through the brush.

The first method is meant to save time. It will not work as well as the second method, but will suffice for many women and will save a lot of time. Simply blow dry your hair with your head turned over. This will add volume as the hair dries with the strands positioned away from your scalp.

Start with the roots and as they start to dry you can than use a regular brush to straighten the rest of the strands while you are blow drying them. It is important to use the high heat setting, as the harder your hair is to straighten, the higher the heat will need to be. It is also important to position the hair dryer at least five inches from your hair, so you don’t cause any damage to the strands.

For the second method you will need to blow dry your hair in sections. The sections should be held on your brush and be a thin enough layer to dry easily. In fact, the thinner the sections, the better the end result. The sections should be held straight out away from the scalp to maximize volume.

Start with the hair dryer pointed at the roots of your hair until you see it drying. Than you will gently pull the brush away from your scalp while pointing the hair dryer at the new section. When you get close to the ends of your hair, twist the brush around. At this point it doesn’t matter if the hair is secured to the brush or only held loosely on top of it, either way is fine.

Whether you want to spend 5 minutes or 30 minutes, you can have that straight, healthy hair as long as you follow a proven method. The methods listed above have worked for my hair and I know they will work for yours.