People with curly hair are unique. The tips that help manage straight or wavy hair, don’t always work with curly hair as curly hair tends to be very different from other types of hair in pattern and texture. Most people with curly hair are always concerned with how frizzy it tends to get after drying. Drying curly hair without making it frizzy is a big challenge. In this post, we will talk about how you should dry your precious curls properly so that they stay luscious and bouncy, never becoming dry and frizzy. Let’s get started.

How to Dry Curly Hair: All You Need to Know

What affects the drying time of curly hair?

Curly hair tends to be very thick and its high porosity can lead to it taking longer to dry. Putting on a lot of hair products also causes curly hair to take longer to dry. You should avoid build up of hair products in your curl with the help of clarifying shampoos. 

What are the best ways to dry curly hair?

Air drying

A highly recommended and proven option is the simple way to do it outdoors. While it’s the best for your hair, it will be tough to do if you are short on time.

Steps:

• Remove excess moisture with a cotton or microfiber towel
• Apply a leave-in conditioner
• Keep your hands away and wait for it to dry.

Now you can apply your favorite styling product. At this point, you should bear in mind that the more product you use, the longer it will take for the hair to dry completely. This will have to be weighed depending on your specific case.

Another thing, try not to touch your hair while it is air drying, there may be a risk of frizz.

Plopping

This technique is known for being very good and shortening the drying time, for this you need a cotton or microfiber shirt (microfiber ones are highly recommended) and you just have to follow the following steps:

• Place the towel or t-shirt on a chair
• Turn your head forward and place the curls in the middle of the towel
• Fold the bottom of the shirt and tie the sleeves to keep it in place.

Why is it better to use a microfiber towel?

These towels are more special and have proven to be the best for drying curly hair, compared to common towels. These are the benefits of microfiber towels:

• Avoid frizzy hair on curly hair
• It offers a super soft feeling, thanks to its texture and it is very pleasant when removing your hair.
• Thanks to its microfiber fabric, it absorbs excess water from your hair faster.
• These types of towels are made with the best fabric even better than silk, no lint or cotton residues, they also last a long time, as long as you give them the necessary care.

Thermal caps

Thermal caps are not very flattering. On many occasions, they might seem like a part of some kind of Halloween costume. But they are a very useful tool for drying hair. Plus they are also great for getting the maximum benefits from deep conditioning treatments. They are very easy to use, and their price is more than affordable.

The great advantage of thermal caps is that they distribute the heat evenly throughout the hair and not directly on one point, as can happen with the hand dryer. In this way, the hair is much less dry.

Diffusers

Who has that long to wait for their hair to dry? But who is brave enough to use a normal hair dryer on curly hair? That is why diffusers exist.

The diffuser will control the heat stream and get you out of a tight spot, you may need to get a separate one (a special one for curls) but they will definitely be worth it.

How to dry and maintain curly hair: Important Tips  

• Do not use the same towel with which you dry your body, this is the main mistake that many of us make, you have to have a towel exclusively for your hair, forget about using the same towel.
• Another problem is the material of the towels, we think that all the towels they sell in the market are the same, but that is not the case because for your hair you have to buy a microfiber towel because this material does not harm your hair. In case you are a little tight on your budget, use a cotton shirt to dry instead.
• And of course, let’s not forget this wonderful invention, the diffuser is a must for people with curly hair. You can not use a normal hair dryer to dry curly hair. However, you should only use a diffuser to remove excess moisture and not dry your hair completely. As a matter of fact, if you just dry your roots and leave the rest of your hair slightly damp, it’s great for curly hair.

What mistakes should you avoid when drying your curly hair?

If you want to know exactly how to dry your curly hair so that it does not frizz, avoid these 4 mistakes:

• Avoid leaving your hair with excess moisture, it is important that you leave it very dry with only the excess.
• Never rub your hair with a towel, it is the worst damage you can do to your hair.
• Do not abuse it when using the diffuser, it is preferable that you let it dry naturally, although there are times that we do not have much time and a diffuser is necessary.
• Don’t twist your hair, just squeeze your hair to remove excess water      

So those were some key tips for drying curly hair. Hopefully, you will be able to include them in your hair care routine and flaunt your lively, bouncy curls.