Will a Cold Hair Dryer Damage Your Hair?

If you use a hair dryer on your hair every day, then you will more than likely be aware that adding too much heat to your styling regime can definitely cause damage. Consistent heat styling your hair will make it dry, brittle, and full of split ends.

And if you’re dealing with dry and brittle hair, then you may be wondering whether the cold setting will help you to avoid any further damage. So, your next question may well be: will a cold hair dryer damage your hair? 

The answer is that cold drying can still damage your hair (there’s still some heat) but it’s much less harmful than regular heat drying.

We’ll go over it below!

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Will a Cold Hair Dryer Damage Your Hair?

Letting your hair dry naturally is arguably the best way to avoid the most damage to your daily hair care routine. Alternately, properly towel-drying your hair is a good solution. However, most of us don’t have the time to do this, especially if you have longer locks that need a bit more attention.

Letting your hair dry naturally is arguably the best way to avoid the most damage to your daily hair care routine. However, most of us don’t have the time to do this.

Unfortunately, though, heat drying your hair every day will cause damage to it, even if you use the cold air setting. However, heat will do much more damage than cool air! So if you have to use a dryer all the time, you will decrease the damage by using cold air.

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Now For The Science Bit

Why does using a hair dryer, even on a cold setting, cause damage to our hair? Well, it’s because whenever your hair comes into contact with water, it swells up as the cuticle opens on the hair shaft.

And the longer the period the swelling occurs, (like when you take a long hot shower), then the more pressure is added to the proteins that keep the hair intact. And more pressure means the potential for more damage to your hair’s roots and follicles.

So, when your hair is already wet and weaker because of it, if you then add heat, it increases the potential of further damage being caused. This is particularly true if you use high speed and high heat at the same time, which many of us do to dry our hair faster.

How to Air Dry Right

This means the best way to dry your hair if you need to add heat styling, is to allow your hair to air dry as much as possible, at least about 70% — 80% is even better. Then you can start drying your hair in the cold setting.

Even using too much heat when hair is 80% dry can cause any water that’s still trapped in it to boil and bubble. And doing so at higher air speeds can cause the cuticle to deform.

When you do use the hair dryer after air drying, and it’s on the coldest setting at the lowest speed, make sure that you hold it around six inches away from your scalp. Using a diffuser that you can attach to it will also provide a more gentle cold airflow.

Some also argue that using an ionic hair dryer is much less damaging to your hair than non-ionic models. And yes, making sure you have all the right tools will add some inconvenience, but your hair will thank you for not causing it any more damage.

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Product Protection

The best thing you can do to avoid damage when using a hair dryer on the cold setting is to apply a heat protection product like Hair Food Coconut & Argan Oil Heat Protectant Spray Blend  which is also free of sulfates, parabens, and mineral oils to leave your hair healthy and shiny.

Section your hair to apply the heat protectant so that you cover all the strands, and then let your hair air dry to about 70% before you start using the hair dryer in the cold setting.

You may also want to consider adding a leave-in treatment to your regime to support your hair even further. Saranara Water Salon Silk Treatment  is a water-based leave-in treatment that will prep your hair before you add the cold air.

This leave-in will help to prevent split ends and overall damage in just the 10 seconds needed to activate its fast penetration. The product is free of silicone, parabens, and mineral oil.

And although these products won’t completely prevent damage to your hair, using them, as well as drying your hair in a microfiber towel, will help to remove the excess moisture so that your hair can air dry up to 80% before drying it, will work to minimize any further damage.

The BYCOO Large Microfiber Hair Towel Wrap  is generously sized, and will rapidly wick water away from your hair, without the need for rubbing it.

The result is healthier hair that will benefit from reduced drying time by up to 50%, even when using the low speed/cold setting.

When you use the best products to help condition and protect your hair when it’s being cold dried, it will end up looking healthier and more vibrant for longer.

When you use the best products to help condition and protect your hair when it’s being cold dried, it will end up looking healthier and more vibrant for longer.

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Conclusion

Drying using a hair dryer is super convenient and can create great styles.

But using a hair dryer on your hair every day will eventually damage your hair by making it dry and brittle, which can even lead to the nightmare of your hair breaking off. And this isn’t something that you want to do!

So, if you want your hair to stay the healthiest it can be with the least amount of damage, using a hair dryer in the cold setting will help you to do this. And whenever you get the chance, let it dry naturally so that whatever style you’re rocking will look better for longer.