6 Ways to Help You Air-Dry Hair Perfectly in the Winter
1. Wash and Dry at Night
To avoid getting a cold, never air-dry your hair in the morning. Chances are your hair will take longer to completely dry than the amount of time you’ll have in the morning. If you happen to step out in a polar vortex with damp hair, your hair can literally frost (true story!). Avoid that issue altogether by air-drying at night in the warm comfort of your home. Start by washing your hair with a moisturizing yet clarifying shampoo, which will help give hair that gently cleansed, hydrated feeling, even in the morning. We love TRESemmé Purify & Replenish Shampoo and Conditioner for silky yet properly cleansed hair.
2. Squeeze-Dry
This step is a good idea regardless if you air-dry your hair or not. Instead of rough-drying your hair, squeeze or blot gently with a towel instead. This is much easier on damaged hair and it helps prevent frizz and breakage due to too much friction. You can go the extra mile with this step and squeeze your hair dry with an old cotton t-shirt, which is usually gentler than terry cloth and is even less likely to cause frizz.
3. Add Moisture
Adding moisture after washing is critical, especially during winter when there is less humidity. We like a quick application of Suave Professionals Avocado+Olive Oil Smoothing Leave-In Conditioning Cream to help condition as we air-dry our hair. It adds enough moisture to normal to dry hair, without the heavy feeling. If your hair is dry or damaged, try using a hair oil infused with coconut oil, like The Good Stuff Complete Repair Balm to hydrate your lengths and ends. A little goes a long way especially if you’re not washing your hair the morning of, so apply one to two pumps throughout the mid-lengths to ends.
4. Avoid Frizz
One thing that can be a problem when you’re air-drying hair is making sure it’s not vulnerable to frizz. This happens because the hair strand isn’t sealed down in one direction when it’s dried naturally (as opposed to when it’s blow-dried in one direction), so raised cuticles end up absorbing moisture in the air and consequently swell up, leading to a frizzy appearance. In short? It’s the worst. If you are particularly prone to frizzy hair, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind. First, the more you fuss with your hair (like combing through with your fingers, or tousling it to help it dry faster), the more likely you are to cause frizzy flyaways and unmanageable cowlicks, as you’re basically setting your hair in no particular direction as it dries. You can help avoid frizz by using a smoothening serum, like TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Keratin Infusing Serum, which helps keep locks sleek, shiny and frizz-free.
5. Be Mindful of Your Sleep Position
When air-drying hair at night, you can end up with flat hair from sleeping. To avoid this limp look, wear your hair in a loose braid or loose top knot when you go to bed. A loose braid can help give straight hair extra texture in the morning; going for a top knot helps give somebody and volume at the roots. Just be sure to use a hair tie that won’t leave a dent, like the trusty old scrunchie!
