This year, I've used heat about 5 times.
Next year I hope never to use it ... (except with deep conditioners... I don't think that's damaging at all).
Otherwise, I avoid heat ... if there's an emergency and I MUST get my hair done quickly, I'll use an ionic blow dryer (which is supposed to be good for your hair).
My old favorite was a huge hot air curling iron that could dry damp hair and curl it at the same time. I loved that thing ... but it was damaging and I had to cut it out years ago. I still have one, but I never ever use it.
Now, if I get up late for work... would you believe I can condition wash and dry my hair in 30 minutes
. Yep, I unwisely sit in front of a fan and shake my hair periodically until it dries. It takes about 20-25 minutes to fan dry it the fan's on high and you don't use liquid leave ins ... spraying a sealer or glossifier also helps it dry fast -- so does shaking!
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Luckily I have not gotten a cold from this method, but I do sometimes get the sniffles.
Ideally, I need an hour to an hour and a half to air dry my hair so I'm just planning of going to bed earlier so I can get up , work out, air dry ... Caruso and do no damaging heat.
And to tell the truth, my hair looks just as great when I air or fan dry as when I use heat. The only real benefit of heat is convenience for me, it doesn't make my hair look that much better ... so it's not worth the risk.