Natural 4B Snapping ends from a blow dry...Oh boy!

dlove

dlove

Active Member
Dont you hate it when that happens? I get 1/4 to 1/2 inch 100,000 little broken pieces from blow drying with a comb attachment. I protein aphogee 2 min recontruct DC, I deep moisture condish with heat and a cap, I aphogee keratin green tea mist, I detangle with a wide tooth and tangle teezer and still get those broken hairs!!!

I wonder if its the cheap walmart "tourmaline" hand held dryer with the comb attachment? IDK?

Have you combat this?

Teach a sister or two please...

TIA , DLove
 
The EXACT same thing happens to me too :nono: I'm 4b. I blowdried recently and could not believe the amount of hair that came out, countless short pieces like its breaking and chipping right off the ends. I was so disappointed I swore I'd never blow dry again.
 
I stopped blowdrying. No amount of product or lack of product or DCing would prevent the havoc that a blowdryer wreaks on my hair. Every. single. time. Try using methods of stretching, like threading or banding (although threading works better for me than banding). It takes more planning than an impromptu blowdry, but its better for your hair. Some people seem to be able to blowdry with no damage, but it has never worked for me as a fine haired 4b.
 
i blow dry in small sections with my comb attachment. That help me cut down on the breakage. Make sure each section is thoroughly detangled and be super gentle! Or you can always strech by braiding/banding etc. Also Keracare Silken Seal is a good protectant for blowdrying- helps my hair glide through the comb.
 
wednesday said:
i blow dry in small sections with my comb attachment. That help me cut down on the breakage. Make sure each section is thoroughly detangled and be super gentle! Or you can always strech by braiding/banding etc. Also Keracare Silken Seal is a good protectant for blowdrying- helps my hair glide through the comb.
Click to expand...

I agree with blowdrying in small sections and investing in a quality ionic blow dryer and watch/read proper blow drying technics. I know people often think there's no need for investing in a good blower dryer but for a regular blow dryer and straightener user, trust me, it does make a difference to the overall condition of your hair. I used to use some cheap blow dryer on my hair and all I heard was 'snap and crackle' whenever I blow dried, not to mention the dryness! As soon as I invested in a good blower and l learned how to probably use the blow dryer (with a comb attachment), I stopped having those problems.

If it helps, I don't type my hair per se because I don't understand it and consequently do not find it useful. However, majority of my hair is quite coarse and my individual strands are thick. The whole perimeter and back and quite fine and my curls are very small/tight all over except for the front and back where I have a bit more of a wavy pattern (very hard to define). The front quarter of my hair has low sheen and the back has high sheen/shine.
 
^^^Thank you very much. Would you or any else recommend a youtuber with 4 something hair drying and a quality blow dryer? Off to do a search too...

I find typing hair helpful when recommending products, tools, and procedures for washing, styling, and detangling. Like for instance as a 4b, I cant wash my hair loose and expect it not to tangle. You see those commercials on TV all day with loose hair washing on 1 2 or 3 something hair. I have to wash my hair loosely braided in sections to combat most of the tangling.
 
sorry for your blowdrying ordeal dlove. It is a common issue for tight coiled hair that is not regularly straightened.

Steaming helps greatly! And despite what others may say regarding using a protein treatment when heat styling, tightly coiled/dusty hair require even more moisture than usual in order to increase its elasticity while blow drying, etc.

Another way to dry is to flat twist your hair in 4, sit under the dryer (not air dry) and then once its dry, take out the flat twist and blow dry your hair in sections.

Great suggestion on the Keracare silken @Wednesday
 
^ ^Thanks! Yeah, I dont flat iron often. I havent done it since May. Would you flat twist going back or going down?
 
dlove said:
^^^Thank you very much. Would you or any else recommend a youtuber with 4 something hair drying and a quality blow dryer? Off to do a search too...

I find typing hair helpful when recommending products, tools, and procedures for washing, styling, and detangling. Like for instance as a 4b, I cant wash my hair loose and expect it not to tangle. You see those commercials on TV all day with loose hair washing on 1 2 or 3 something hair. I have to wash my hair loosely braided in sections to combat most of the tangling.
Click to expand...

I learned how to blow dry from different sources. I would recommend MopTopMaven's blog (aka GabbanaGirl here on LHCF) or BeautifulBrownBabyDoll on youtube (she may also be a member here). I think MopTopMaven uses the blow dry with paddle brush or roundbrush. I don't know how to do this but I think her tips in general are helpful. The biggest lesson for me from BeautifulBrownBabyDoll when blow drying with a comb attachment is to start from the ends (as you would when detangling). I've seen so many youtubers start from the middle (between the roots and ends) of the section. I used to do this too but that resulted in dry hair! What I do is grab the section, hold it taut and blow dry from the ends and work my way up to the roots (again as you would when detangling) - all the while holding the section taut. It is also important to blow dry in the direction of the cuticle i.e. downwards to encourage the cuticle to lay flat. Once the section is dry, I quickly bantu knot it and move to the next section. If it helps, I use the Vidal Sassoon Solutions Hairdryer. This model is found in the UK (where I'm from) but I could be wrong. Having said that, I'm sure there are better ionic blow dryers in the US than in the UK.

A good ionic blow dryer with high wattage should be able to dry your hair in significantly less time than a lesser quality one. This ultimately means you expose your hair to less heat because you do not have to repeatedly go over the sections as with a lesser quality blow dryer. Good luck and hope this was helpful.
 
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I am 4b texlaxed and while natural, my hair would be all over the floor even though it was was healthy, moisturized, heat protected AND deep conditioned.

Finallly someone here helped me figure out what to do. I use the tension method to blow dry and since then I've been retaining length like crazy. Just remember that you have to detangle gently with a large tooth shower comb (I use Jilbere from Sally's beauty supply) and try using a serum. It's unbelievably wonderful with detangling.

I use a blow dryer from Sally's beauty supply and I just bought the generic "Chi" blow dryer and flat iron combo. I believe in using quality tools, but cutting costs where possible.

Be gently and go slowly. That's the only way to avoid breakage. I also do not use the comb attachment any more. I'm very happy with the results.
 
My hair is relaxed and I use a blow dryer, but I don't use the comb attachment that comes with it. The comb attachment actually resulted in more breakage on my hair when I used it in the past. I divide my hair in 4 sections and use a brush with plastic bristles to blow dry and experience absolutely no breakage from this. Also, I agree with the other posters that you need to invest in a better quality blow dryer preferably one that has a variable heat temperature gauge and is ionic. Also, try to blow dry your hair on the lowest heat setting possible.
 
I still use the "tension method" while texlaxed.

In case someone new doesn't know the tension method...you detangle in sections and then using a small section you comb gently, hold the hair taut and then run the blow dryer up and down the hair strands until dry. Then you move on to the next section. The key is to comb gently and then blow dry without the comb attachment. This has saved my hair and only by using this method did I go from shoulder length to beyond APL, almost BSL completely. Glad to help.
 
It sounds like your ends may be fragile already and the blowdrying may have just been too much for them. I like to use some aphogee leave in mixed w/a moisturizing one before blowdrying. I also use a comb attachment that has very wide teeth. I am very gentle when I blow dry the ends, I don't even try to get them straight. I make sure my hair is detangled BEFORE blowdrying.
 
I don't think it's the blow dryer, it's the technique. You can have a multi hundred dollar dryer and tear a lot of hair out - anyone who's gone to a salon where they use expensive equipment but stylists aren't experienced in handling tightly coiled hair can attest to it. Fact is that combs don't just glide through natural 4b hair - that goes against the laws of physics. If the hair is very well detangled before u blow dry it helps. And the tips above about going in small sections sound like good ideas.
 
OP, this happened to me yesterday. Tiny hairs all over the floor:(. I was upset. The last time I blow dried I didn't have any breakage. I know where I went wrong. I did a moderate protein treatment and followed up with an over night deep condition. After rinsing out the deep conditioner, after doing the strand test, I could tell that my hair still needed more moisture due the level of(or lack of) elasticity. I think the protien treatment was too strong for my current hair needs. However, I still chose to blow dry. In hindsight I should've waited to blow dry until my hair was well moisturized (at least 1-2 more deep conditioning treaments). Also, as soon as I was done blowdrying my hair started to revert almost immediately!! All that breakage for nothing..I was pissed..lol! That was another sign that my hair wasn't well moisturized as it was drawing moisture from my environment.

I detangled before I washed and detangled again right before I blow dried. I used leave in conditioner paired with a heat protectant. I use a quality blowdryer (tourmaline) with a comb attachment. I also blow dried on warm heat at high speed. Ironically enough, my last blow dry was at high heat & high speed and I had no breakage and my hair didn't revert until it was time to wash. My hair was also well conditioned as I deep conditioned over night and it had been several weeks since I did a protien treatment.
 
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HijabiFlygirl said:
Steaming helps greatly! And despite what others may say regarding using a protein treatment when heat styling, tightly coiled/dusty hair require even more moisture than usual in order to increase its elasticity while blow drying, etc.
Click to expand...

This is so true based on my recent experience. I'm seriously considering getting a steamer for when I use heat in the future.
 
I think its great so many pitch in and offer advice about how they do it, or how someone else talks about doing it; however there are specifics that always must be taken into consideration.

Hair is not just hair and even with hair typing there are varying differences that separates the results each person will receive.

Those that say they are 4b may just be referring to the thickness of their hair. - when in reality most individuals that suffer from this type of snapping are true 4b-c hair types. Not only is it difficult to straighten, what makes it worse is that the hair is easily silkened from the scalp to about midstrand. Midstrand to the end the hair is crinkled, bends on top of each other, bubbles on the end and looks like you need a trip EVERYTIME you straighten.

The hair is generally not coarse, but for most it feels so.

The hair has no shine - some say its "dusty" in color or has no brightness in tone.

Roughness on the ends also occurs in some 4a hair types as well - especially those who are prone single strand knots.

Single strand knots and knotty ends are not the same thing but at time come from the same sources.

* It is for this reason that many 4b-c begin a heat training routine
* It is also a reason why so many have had success with banding or not allowing the ends to be exposed (i.e. w&g, twist outs, puffs)
 
Same thing happens to me. :wallbash: :wallbash: I was just thinking about this yesterday. I have finally gotten to a point where I have minimum shedding during shampooing/conditioning/detangling, but I lose "all" my hair during blowdrying.

I let my stylist do it the last two times and I lost plenty of hair then, too. I had decided to stop blowdrying in an effort to keep my hair on my head.

There's gotta be a solution to the madness. I see youtube videos of ladies blowdrying and they aren't losing hair. :perplexed
 
Wow that's me Hijabiflygirl, everytime i blow dry my ends always seem raggedy, which has me reaching for the scissors.

I gave up on blowdrying, I really wanted it to work for me...but after a year of giving it a try I realized I didn't retain any length. And it's definitely the blowdrying that's breaking off my ends, bc I would try air drying for a period of time and I retained ALL of my length. I'm just going to air dry in box braids and heat train with a hot comb from now on and see how much length I retain.
 
dlove said:
^^^Thank you very much. Would you or any else recommend a youtuber with 4 something hair drying and a quality blow dryer?
Click to expand...

@ the bolded: absolutely! Don't speak defeat has a great tutorial on how to blow dry with a comb attachment. She explains how to start at the roots, and she even points out common mistakes. She does it on natural 4b hair. Her daughter has beautiful natural extra long 4b hair. Let me find it.

Ok, so here it is! Start at 1:55 on this video. Before that she was using a brush, and then she uses the comb attachment.
YouTube - Blowdry on Natural Hair Part 2
 
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virtuenow said:
I am a 4b natural and I get my hair much more straight using the tension method. I blow dry after nearly every wash- and gave up the comb after I saw this technique worked better for getting more length and stretch. I looked up a video on youtube and followed (except used high heat), here it is:

YouTube - BLOW DRY HAIR STRAIGHT W/O COMB ATTACHMENT
Click to expand...

Oh wow, I didn't realize you can use the tension method without using the denman brush, and just your hands. Interesting, and it worked for her. Thank you for that link.
 
shunemite said:
Oh wow, I didn't realize you can use the tension method without using the denman brush, and just your hands. Interesting, and it worked for her. Thank you for that link.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was also surprised by this. It also miraculously gets your ends straight. Don't ask me how, but it just does!
 
Definitely glad I saw this thread. I've been wearing my hair straight a lot more the past few months, and I noticed a couple of short broken hairs. It's small now, but I need to stop this before it turns into something major. I think my sections for blow-drying were probably too big and the sections were too wet.
 
Ms Lala said:
It sounds like your ends may be fragile already and the blowdrying may have just been too much for them. I like to use some aphogee leave in mixed w/a moisturizing one before blowdrying. I also use a comb attachment that has very wide teeth. I am very gentle when I blow dry the ends, I don't even try to get them straight. I make sure my hair is detangled BEFORE blowdrying.
Click to expand...

Wow I just checked out your fotki and your hair is absolutely amazing!!! What an inspiration :yep:
 
virtuenow said:
I am a 4b natural and I get my hair much more straight using the tension method. I blow dry after nearly every wash- and gave up the comb after I saw this technique worked better for getting more length and stretch. I looked up a video on youtube and followed (except used high heat), here it is:

YouTube - BLOW DRY HAIR STRAIGHT W/O COMB ATTACHMENT
Click to expand...


I am sooo glad you said you practice this method because I woke up this morning thinking, the young woman in the video is texlaxed on the ends. I sure cant wait to see how this is going to work on my tightly coiled ends.
 
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