Did you know that Black hair textures and similar curly types are susceptible to unnecessary cuticle damage from the blow-dryer?

Blow-dryer heat can often cause breakage, moisture-loss, burned scalps, and heat damage. So how can we keep our hair happy and healthy, while also rocking our favorite blowdried hairstyles?

Follow these simple steps, to learn how to stretch your kinks and coils without causing damage to you delicate tresses.

1. Make sure you are working with freshly cleaned, detangled hair. You should detangle your hair using a proper brush.

2. Divide the hair into four or more neatly separated sections. Sectioning your hair makes it easy to focus on a specific part of your head, while not snagging other strands.

3. Wet each section of hair with a generous amount of water and heat-protectant. Water will evaporate as you blow-dry, so keep wetting other sections of hair as you continue drying. Heat-protectants are extremely important because they put a protective barrier over your hair cuticles.

4. Make sure you don’t use too much of your favorite natural oils. Natural oils are great for sealing in moisture. However, when you use natural oils and apply heat, the reaction may cause your hair strands to smoke, melt, and burn.

5. Use a moderate heat setting and begin drying your hair. Increasing the heat beyond a moderate degree will cause more surface damage to your hair strands, so be careful not to go too hot!

• For an aggressive blow dry treatment, use a brush or a comb attachment. If you use a brush, follow the blowdryer directly with your brush down your hair from root to tip. Hold the blowdryer 15 cm away from your hair and work in a continuous motion.
• For a light blow dry treatment, you can use your fingers with a diffuser attachment. Hold the blower away at least 15 cm away from the hair, and dry your hair from roots to tips in a continuous movement. Do not hold your hair directly in front of the dryer.

6. When you’re done drying, finish your look with a protective styling aid to add and extra layer of protection.

Blowdrying Vs. Air-drying

Here’s the truth: Blowdrying natural hair exposes the delicate hair strands to possible damage. This especially problematic when done frequently on a high-heat setting. Arguably, a weekly blow-dry will prevent you from seeing any real growth.

However, if you use proper technique, blowdrying can be considered a staple to a healthy haircare regimen. Light, infrequent heat stretches the hair strands and helps them become more resilient. Ee recommend blowdrying no more than twice per month!

Air-drying is an alternative method to dry natural hair. However, research has shown that air-drying causes damage to the cell membrane complex. This damage can be just as harmful as damage from heat-styling…

Rather than air-drying after every wash, try sitting under a hairdryer hood on a medium/cool low setting for at least 15 minutes.

Stretching is any method used to minimize shrinkage and elongate curly hair. However, over using heat to stretch your hair can lead to damaged and dryness. But fear not! There are plenty of alternative methods to stretch your curls that can leave you hair healthy, tangle-free, and ready to style. Looking for some new ideas on how to stretch your hair and keep it happy and healthy? 

Consider these 6 heat-free ways to stretch any curl pattern.

1. Braids

Yes, braids are more time-consuming than twists, but if you have kinky, high shrinkage hair, braids can also elongate your strands more than any other method of stretching. While braiding is a little bit more work, the results will be well worth it. Plus, in addition to being great for stretching, braids are a great protective style!

2. Twists paired with hair clips

If you don’t feel like braiding and decide to go along with twists, give them more stretch by adding hair clips to your roots and ends. The extra weight of the clips will add tension to the roots and curls, giving them more stretch.

If you don’t have high-shrinkage hair, adding clips may not be necessary and you can twist your hair without them.

3. Two-strand flat twists or cornrows

Two-strand flat twists and cornrows can be timely but, often produce great results! Along with stretching your hair, these methods can give you amazing curl definition. 

4. Pineappling

The Pineappling method is commonly thought of as the best, because its the absolute easiest way to stretch your hair. Simply moisturize your hair,  then place your hair into one or two high ponytails. Then, wrap your hair with a satin scarf or bonnet before going to bed.

5. Banding

With banding, your stretching results will be phenomenal. Plus, this method works on all kinky coily hair types. Another added benefit: when you band your hair, it looks like you’ve gotten a fresh blow dry!

To do the banding method:

1. divide your hair into sections.
2. Gently wrap the ponytail holders around each section of hair from root to tip.
3. Allow your hair to completely dry overnight before removing.
4. wrap your hair with a satin scarf or bonnet.

You can use ponytail holders or hair weaving thread to band too.

6. Roller, Perm Rod, and Flexi Rod Sets

This method doubles as both styling and a stretching technique! Whether you use perm rods, rollers, or flexi rods you will get some stretch. Flexi rods will give you the most elongation because they are longer than perm rods or rollers.

There are more than just a few ways that you can stretch your curls without relying on heat. The best way to find out which method is for you is through experimentation. See what works best for your hair type and your schedule!

ABOUT THE WRITER: Ariane Williams has been wearing her hair natural for years. As owner of BlackNaps.org, she’s committed to helping other women on their natural hair care journey with articles and tips on how to take care of kinky, curly, and coily hair.