How to Wash and Blow Dry Natural Hair

Co-authored by Gina Almona

Last Updated: January 29, 2021

“Natural hair” is loose hair with curl patterns 4a or higher. This type of hair requires a gentle touch to ensure that breakage doesn’t occur, because hair this curly tends to be very fragile. Blow drying is a quick and easy way to dry hair loose natural hair.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Washing Natural Hair

1
Rinse your hair under warm water for at least five minutes. Textured hair is more manageable when thoroughly wet. Warm water opens the cuticle to allow products to penetrate hair strands.
2
Finger detangle your hair starting from the ends. Run your fingers gently through your hair to separate knots and kinks. Do not use a brush or a comb, this could lead to unnecessary breakage and shedding. Starting at the roots of your hair may cause breakage, even with gentle finger detangling.
- Try to get all of the shed hair out; shed hair often has no way to actually fall out of your hair so it stays mixed in with the healthy hair and creates knots.
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3
Shampoo your scalp with warm water. Shampooing the hair strands may lead to over dryness, and if you are planning on blow-drying your hair this could very likely lead to breakage.
- Only shampoo your scalp once or twice, or it could lead to flakiness. Warm water opens the hair cuticle to allow shampoo to fully cleanse.
4
Rinse with warm water.
5
Use hair clips to section hair into manageable chunks.^{[1]
X
Expert Source

Gina Almona
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 12 December 2019.}
6
Condition your hair either with a deep conditioner or a hot oil treatment. Apply the oils or conditioner by running the product thoroughly through your hair. You can use a store bought deep conditioner or make your own. Use all natural, 100% organic virgin oils.
7
Put all of your hair into a plastic shower cap and wait at least 30 minutes before rinsing it out.
8
Use cold water to rinse out conditioner. Rinsing with cold water will close the hair cuticle and retain moisture.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Blow Drying Natural Hair

1
Use the cotton t-shirt to dab dry your hair until damp. Avoid towels, as they can leave lint in the hair and can cause breakage. Blow drying soaking wet hair can lead to serious damage, including extreme dryness and brittle hair.
2
Apply heat protectant to avoid heat damage.^{[2]
X
Expert Source

Gina Almona
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 12 December 2019.}
3
Use the diffuser attachment around your head until hair is dried completely.^{[3]
X
Expert Source

Gina Almona
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 12 December 2019.}
4
Apply a moisturizer of your choice to replace moisture lost during the drying process.

Expert Q&A
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Question

Why is my hair so frizzy after blow drying?

Gina Almona
Professional Hair Stylist
Gina Almona is the Owner of Blo It Out, a New York City-based hair salon. With over 20 years of beauty training experience, Gina's work has been featured in People Magazine, Time Out New York, and Queens Scene. She has been able to keep a fresh perspective in the industry by demonstrating and participating in trade shows and workshops like the International Beauty Show. She received her cosmetology training from the Long Island Beauty School, Astoria.

Gina Almona

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

If you're not sectioning your hair or applying the proper product prior to blow drying, your hair is going to frizz. Proper product application and tools will help avoid frizz. Make sure you're using the proper brush for your hair and that you're utilizing the nozzle on your blow dryer.
Question

I always wash my hair twice a week and I still can't stop the build-up. Are there any other methods?

Community Answer

If you let your hair build up for a longer period of time (let's say, a week), the grease should get used to forming less.
Question

I use a shampoo that makes my hair feel rough, but then it feels smooth once I use a conditioner. Do I really need to use a conditioner, and what happens when I don't use one?

Community Answer

Conditioner makes it so you get back the soft, bouncy feel of your hair your shampoo most likely took by washing away natural oils along with dirt. Shampoo is known to make hair brittle. If you don't use conditioner, your hair will feel stiff. It's a bad idea to use any other products or heat on hair if conditioner is not applied.

Warnings

Typically, hair that is a tighter curl pattern is washed only once every week or once every two weeks.

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Even with a moisture routine and heat protectant, blow drying can lead to serious heat damage.

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Avoid blow drying and shampooing often because it could lead to a very tedious moisture routine to retain healthy hair. Typically, hair that is a tighter curl pattern is washed only once every week or once every two weeks.

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