Why Does My Hair Shed Little to None When I Blow Dry?

[foxxymami]

I have yet to find the answer to this. I have natural 4a hair and even when I was relaxed, I seemed to have better results with blow-drying compared to air-drying. I know some ladies can relate, as their hair reacts the same way. **Does anyone know why?** I think I'm going to just continue blow-drying my hair because all this shedding over the years has taken it's toll on how thick my hair once was.

 

[scorpian]

I have yet to find the answer to this. I have natural 4a hair and even when I was relaxed, I seemed to have better results with blow-drying compared to air-drying. I know some ladies can relate, as their hair reacts the same way. **Does anyone know why?** I think I'm going to just continue blow-drying my hair because all this shedding over the years has taken it's toll on how thick my hair once was.

I lost hair when airdrying if I tried to comb it after it dried.Combing or styling airdried hair leads to a lot of breakage for me. Blowdrying helped me retain more length even as a natural.

 

[foxxymami]

^^ Me too.

I'm trying to figure out if there is a scientific explanation for this exception to the no heat rule.

 

[ashiah]

I've noticed this, too. It's also kind of like when you get a fresh relaxer and then flat iron your hair bone straight, you lose maybe 5 hairs...for the WEEK. And yet, even though it seems like you're retaining more hair, the hair still gradually thins due to heat damage. It's quite bizarre.

 

[fluffylocks]

My hair is kind of the same

I think its because my hair really hates/grows faster when its left alone and has little manipulation/stress
when its straight, i dont have to detangle and i pretty much leave it alone hanging down or whatever

When its airdryed, then like stated you cant comb or style and loose more hair
But all of the blowdrying was too much stress and started thinning and makeing my hair more weak

So i get the same results from airdrying and not touching at all (detangling in the shower and leaveing alone after that)

Or airdrying and flatironing.


----But, something else that worked was blowdrying on cold, then leaving alone or for about 5 seconds blowing on hot to give it a better look

 

[PrettyBrownEyes]

Because the hair cuticle is getting sealed when you dry with heat.

 

[Neroli]

Because the hair cuticle is getting sealed when you dry with heat.

ITA. In the short term, hair IS way more manageable, smoother, silker, etc. with heat (that's why it's so seductive and appears to "help" hair!). It's a "short cut" with a huge downside for some, because over time, heat thins and causes breakage that happens little bit at a time and is not noticeable (all the "little" broken pieces in the sink!) but the damage is done, week after week, even with the best of products, there's damage however limited. For years I couldn't understand why my hair wouldn't grow past shoulders, but once I gave up heat, my hair has grown like weeds. It DOES take little more TLC and time to manage, but thicker, longer without heat. I know this not for everyone, but for me, it was God's blessing and Grace and well worth the extra effort and time . . .

Just my humble opinion 'cus it took quite a while for me to realize this, I couldn't CONCEIVE of managing my 4B hair without heat, but it can be done and done very well indeed with awesome results. My mom and rest of family still can't get over how long and thick my hair is cuz I ain't never had no hair and no one in family has hair like I do now (LOL!). A coupla cousins or two are finally listening to me and are seeing results, but my biggest hair culprit was heat . . .

 

[Seeking8Rights]

I have yet to find the answer to this. I have natural 4a hair and even when I was relaxed, I seemed to have better results with blow-drying compared to air-drying. I know some ladies can relate, as their hair reacts the same way. **Does anyone know why?** I think I'm going to just continue blow-drying my hair because all this shedding over the years has taken it's toll on how thick my hair once was.

I just discovered this too. After 2 years of air drying and since last weeks salon visit, I have shed slim to nothing.

 

[Seeking8Rights]

ITA. In the short term, hair IS way more manageable, smoother, silker, etc. with heat (that's why it's so seductive and appears to "help" hair!). It's a "short cut" with a huge downside for some, because over time, heat thins and causes breakage that happens little bit at a time and is not noticeable (all the "little" broken pieces in the sink!) but the damage is done, week after week, even with the best of products, there's damage however limited. For years I couldn't understand why my hair wouldn't grow past shoulders, but once I gave up heat, my hair has grown like weeds. It DOES take little more TLC and time to manage, but thicker, longer without heat. I know this not for everyone, but for me, it was God's blessing and Grace and well worth the extra effort and time . . .

Just my humble opinion 'cus it took quite a while for me to realize this, I couldn't CONCEIVE of managing my 4B hair without heat, but it can be done and done very well indeed with awesome results. My mom and rest of family still can't get over how long and thick my hair is cuz I ain't never had no hair and no one in family has hair like I do now (LOL!). A coupla cousins or two are finally listening to me and are seeing results, but my biggest hair culprit was heat . . .

Honestly, I have never experienced breakage from blow drying. Prior to moving here (italy) 2 years ago, I got my hair done every week by my stylist and she blow dried my hair straight. My hair was healthy and thrived, my hair grew from 1.5 inches to shoulder length in 2 years. And like I said, every week I got my hair blow dried and flat ironed. You can see in my fotki from 2003 to 2005.

 

[foxxymami]

Honestly, I have never experienced breakage from blow drying. Prior to moving here (italy) 2 years ago, I got my hair done every week by my stylist and she blow dried my hair straight. My hair was healthy and thrived, my hair grew from 1.5 inches to shoulder length in 2 years. And like I said, every week I got my hair blow dried and flat ironed. You can see in my fotki from 2003 to 2005.

HAHA! I was just in the middle of posting this exact same statement, but I deleted it to see if I can wait for additional responses. I understand what Neroli means, but I never had the breakage issues that several women experience. I don't know maybe I have weird hair.

 

[foxxymami]

Honestly, I have never experienced breakage from blow drying. Prior to moving here (italy) 2 years ago, I got my hair done every week by my stylist and she blow dried my hair straight. My hair was healthy and thrived, my hair grew from 1.5 inches to shoulder length in 2 years. And like I said, every week I got my hair blow dried and flat ironed. You can see in my fotki from 2003 to 2005.

hey what's your password?

 

[fluffylocks]

Because the hair cuticle is getting sealed when you dry with heat.

I thought heat and high ph's open the cuticle

And cold water and low ph's close the cuticle

 

[Aveena]

My hair is texlaxed and I've found that I do not shed as much when I blowdry as well. My hair tangles when airdried and is prone to breakage if I don't blowdry. I haven't been able to totally stop blowdrying.

 

[Aidenberry03]

I never had a problem with blow drying either But I don't have a problem airdrying either. Now I am a slave to that stupid flat iron, (I think I need to upgrade)


(P.S. The wallbash is my fav. smiley)

 

[Neroli]

Honestly, I have never experienced breakage from blow drying. Prior to moving here (italy) 2 years ago, I got my hair done every week by my stylist and she blow dried my hair straight. My hair was healthy and thrived, my hair grew from 1.5 inches to shoulder length in 2 years. And like I said, every week I got my hair blow dried and flat ironed. You can see in my fotki from 2003 to 2005.

I believe you cuz you hair is gorgeous! The zero heat thang isn't for everyone cuz IMHO, some people have higher tolerance for heat than others. The key is finding what works for YOU . . .

 

[Seeking8Rights]

hey what's your password?

It is the numbers 911

 

[Seeking8Rights]

I believe you cuz you hair is gorgeous! The zero heat thang isn't for everyone cuz IMHO, some people have higher tolerance for heat than others. The key is finding what works for YOU . . .

Thank you. I agree with your last statment. Ever since I joined LHCF, I've been on this no heat wagon (why I don't know) for really reasons other than my own. I mean you hear people preaching No Heat, No Heat!, but heat hasn't put my hair in any danger. And I unfortunately jump on the wagon too. Really, it's about your hair and balance. Some people have strong hair, like my mom you could put all kinds of heat on her hair and it will still be strong as if it was apart of the WWF.

The only time I really (past and present) see breakage or excess shedding is when I either 1) stress to much which causes my temple area to shed or 2) curl my hair everyday. Once my old stylist taught me that I could wrap my hair at night everday to avoid curling it, #2 was solved. Stressing, well.....

But never the less, blow drying has never did any damage to my hair or ends. So, I'm going back to the basics, with moderation of course.

 

[BroadstreetBully]

A while ago, someone started a thread about this. I don't remember what was said, but they were told by someone that airdrying can cause breakage.

I do not believe this per se for most hair types since many of the women on this board have attributed air drying to their hair health. HOWEVER, I do believe that certain hair types can be damaged by airdrying.

In this thread it was suggested that airdrying can be bad for the hair since the weight of water on the strands can cause too much tension and cause the hair to split or break.

Many of the women responded by calling this whole idea false. But I do believe that this could have some truth for a small percentage.

Some people have fine strands that tend to hold lots of water. Water can be very heavy on individual strands and I'm guessing that if the strand is forced to hold on to that water for an extended period of time (airdrying) then it's possible that the strand will break at some point.

However, I'm sure that this could be prevented if the elasticity of the hair normalized or if instead of airdrying soaking wet hair, one would airdry towel-dried hair.

But I'm no hair scientist, so don't quote me on that.

I find that my hair tends to tangle more easily when I airdry, because the strands shrink and wrap around each other. I haven't really used heat on my hair, but I'm going to see if blowdrying in sections ever so often will help.

 

[hOnii]

I lose less hair if I blowdry after a wash as well. So I have began to do so again, but using a tourmaline/ceramic dryer and the lowest heat settings. Now and then I will rollerset.. when I feel like it, but otherwise, I do find that blowdrying does best.

 

[foxxymami]

A while ago, someone started a thread about this. I don't remember what was said, but they were told by someone that airdrying can cause breakage.

I do not believe this per se for most hair types since many of the women on this board have attributed air drying to their hair health. HOWEVER, I do believe that certain hair types can be damaged by airdrying.

In this thread it was suggested that airdrying can be bad for the hair since the weight of water on the strands can cause too much tension and cause the hair to split or break.

Many of the women responded by calling this whole idea false. But I do believe that this could have some truth for a small percentage.

Some people have fine strands that tend to hold lots of water. Water can be very heavy on individual strands and I'm guessing that if the strand is forced to hold on to that water for an extended period of time (airdrying) then it's possible that the strand will break at some point.

However, I'm sure that this could be prevented if the elasticity of the hair normalized or if instead of airdrying soaking wet hair, one would airdry towel-dried hair.

But I'm no hair scientist, so don't quote me on that.

I find that my hair tends to tangle more easily when I airdry, because the strands shrink and wrap around each other. I haven't really used heat on my hair, but I'm going to see if blowdrying in sections ever so often will help.

Wow that's really something to consider. I know that whenever I do airdry, I never use a towel. I mean, I blot it dry but after that I let it air dry. Perhaps, what could work is a combination of different drying methods. For instance:

Towel blot dry 20%/Air dry 80%
Air dry 70%/Blow dry 30%
etc.

Or something like that. I want to start doing more frequent conditioner washes but I definitely don't want to use heat on my hair each time, AND I definitely don't want to keep having my hair shed by letting it air dry.

 

[FactoryMouse77]

Ladies, since we are talking about shedding/air-drying I was tempted to start a NEW post, but I figured I might be able to slip something into a current thread. I too have HORRINDOUS shedding when air drying. I've been trying the no-heat method (since joining) and whenever I touch my wet hair i remove STRANDS upon STRANDS of hair. When shampooing, co-washing, adding moisturizer, sealing, finger combing, ALL of it. How can I stop this. Am I causing myself to go bald!?erplexed

 

[Ms Lala]

My hair is texlaxed and I've found that I do not shed as much when I blowdry as well. My hair tangles when airdried and is prone to breakage if I don't blowdry. I haven't been able to totally stop blowdrying.

I am natural and have this issue too. My hair is tangle city if try to wear it loose without blow drying or flat ironing. My styles last longer too so I don't have to do as much manipulation. I have been doing the low to no heat thing for months and I don't think it's working well for me.

 

[Ms Lala]

Just curious about what kind of blowdryer's you ladies are using? I need one that works faster, over an hour blow drying is just too much. (It's a cheap dryer)

 

[foxxymami]

Just curious about what kind of blowdryer's you ladies are using? I need one that works faster, over an hour blow drying is just too much. (It's a cheap dryer)

I ordered and just received this one by Conair:

 

[meaganita]

I lost hair when airdrying if I tried to comb it after it dried.Combing or styling airdried hair leads to a lot of breakage for me. Blowdrying helped me retain more length even as a natural.

Ditto.

 

[Ms Lala]

I ordered and just received this one by Conair:

Have you tried this yet? Does it just give you a looser curly look?

 

[cg92]

I am so so glad someone posted this thread. I just posted a similar observation on another hair forum. It's kind of long but I highlighted in red my points about blowdrying and heat not necessarily being your enemy in some cases. I posted to help other people who might be having the same problem but keep doing what's not working and losing hair. Thank you again.

Topic: Keeping it Simple Relaxed Coarse 4a/b
My hair has been breaking more than usual the last few months. There was nothing wrong with my hair b4 and the products I was using were working along with my techniques. So why was I trying to fix something that wasn't broke? I don't know. I just became a product junkie and wanted my hair to grow as fast as possible. Every new thing I heard about I wanted to try. I think I have definitely learned more about hair, but the trial and error of it has been brutal.
I have 4a/b relaxed coarse hair which I have learned does not like having too much done to it. It is very unforgiving. Baggying, cowashing, Jherri curl spray, water/glycerine, Moisturizing 2x day and sealing my ends with oil, alternating from protein to moisturizing treatments, etc... did not work for me. I also discovered heat if used correctly is not my enemy. My hair tends to curl and krinkle up in places which leads to breakage later on when I try to manipulate it. Yes I did use a detangler but my relaxed hair does not airdry straight. Airdrying is fine but I need to go thru with a blowdryer/attachment to make sure it is straight. I use to do this all the time after I applied my leave-in and I think it made my leave in work better. I did not take the attachment through roots when my NG started getting thicker. Avoiding combing when dry is not an option b/c that will eventually lead to more tangles. The hair that is shedding will get tangled up in my remaining hair b/c I am not removing it by combing it. Rollersets are okay right after a relaxer but after 5 wks leads to breakage for me. All the little snags have added up these last few months. I knew better not to put oils on my scalp b/c my scalp pores tend to clog easily. I am not saying avoid trying new techniques or products. I am just telling you my story. And maybe if someone else is experiencing what I am it could help them.

What was I doing b4 you ask? I would wash my hair 1x week with Keracare detangling or Aveda DR shampoo and condition with Aveda DR or Nexxus Humectress (I think these products for me already had a pretty good combined moisture/protein balance. my hair is not a fan of too much protein). Next I applied Keracare leave-in sometimes a little Kemi Oyl, air dry 60=80% then blowdry on low with an attachment, maybe bump my ends with an iron if I wanted to wear it down or put rollers in it right after I finished a section while it was warm if I planned to wear it up. If it is just after my relaxer I might roller set wet. Then maybe if my hair felt dry moisturize 1-2x week with ORS Olive Oil creme, but usually it was only necessary when my hair was past the 5week point. Probably b/c my new growth was getting thicker and my natural oils were not reaching the rest of my hair. Then Pin my hair up at night and tie it up with a scarf. I would comb in the morning and maybe at night if necessary. That's it. I got relaxers done at the salon and only trimmed when my ends looked ratty.

So I am going to challenge myself (this is not a group challenge) for the rest of the year to adapt a simple hair regime with products that do work for me. I will have a couple of shampoos, conditioners, and moisturizers to mix it up but that's it unless something stops working. I will strech as far as I can but vow to relax if my new growth gets to thick and I experience evening a little breakage. And most importantly be patient. I hope this helps someone.

 

[Browndilocks]

It's like the difference between taking a pair of freshly washed jeans out of the washer and letting them tumble dry, versus hanging them up to dry.

Once the jeans are tumble dried, they are soft and you can fold them or put them right on. The heat makes the fibers very managable.

When you hang dry a pair of jeans, they dry like stiff boards that ultimately need heat and a little moisture fron an iron to get rid of the stiffness. Air dried fibers are stiff and less flexible.

Same thing with hair. I don't really know the science to it but that's how it is. Blow drying always works better for me.

 

[cg92]

I don't know the science either. We may just be that small minority where heat is not bad for our hair. I was not one to use heat everyday. Only when I washed my hair and the settings were low-med. I am disappointed b/c I lost a lot of hair this summer, but at least I figured it out.

 

[PrettyBrownEyes]

It's like the difference between taking a pair of freshly washed jeans out of the washer and letting them tumble dry, versus hanging them up to dry.

Once the jeans are tumble dried, they are soft and you can fold them or put them right on. The heat makes the fibers very managable.

When you hang dry a pair of jeans, they dry like stiff boards that ultimately need heat and a little moisture fron an iron to get rid of the stiffness. Air dried fibers are stiff and less flexible.

Same thing with hair. I don't really know the science to it but that's how it is. Blow drying always works better for me.

Good analogy!