We often wonder why women are so obsessed with straight hair until we remember how notoriously unpredictable wavy and curly hair can be. Curly and wavy hair can be extremely painful to mold into soft and shiny and luscious curls that grace the red carpets and magazine pages.
If you come across anyone with natural curls, they will remind you how hard it is to diffuse hair and achieve those picture-perfect curls at home every time you compliment their beautiful locks. However, the right cocktail of hair tools and products can make life a little less painful and one of those tools is a hair diffuser.
What Is A Hair Diffuser?
Most often women tend to spend hours straightening their God-gifted frizzy locks and then re-curl them with curling irons, wands, or even a hair straightener to rock the locks. Instead of going through the painful ritual, all a woman with curls and waves needs is a good hair diffuser to diffuse hair. A hair diffuser can be said to be God’s gift to natural curls because of how life-changing it is to get the hair of your dreams.
Still, thinking what a hair diffuser is? Well, let us quote Stephanie Diaz, a hair colorist for Bumble & Bumble here as she says, “A hair diffuser is an attachment for the blow dryer that disperses the air to reduce frizz and keep from disrupting the natural wave pattern.” Hair diffusers work phenomenally for any texture of not-so-straight hair, from wavy as the sea waves during a high tide to corkscrew curls.
Diffusing Your HairHair diffusers also help even out curl patterns, according to celebrity stylist Britt White. She recommends it for anyone who has some form of a wave or curls in their hair and wants to show off their curls proudly instead of ironing it flat.
Why Should You Diffuse Your Hair?
There has been a “much-heated” debate regarding why you should or should not diffuse hair. While some opine that air drying is the best way to style your curls, a few others feel that a hair diffuser makes life much easier. So, let’s get to know and compare the results of both.
Our hair type is as different as our personalities. Some say that our hair has more variation and character than our personalities. While some people say that air drying is the best way to get the ultimate curl definition, some from the curl community who either have loose, thin/fine, or sometimes even damaged curls say that air drying makes their hairless defined. It is usually due to the weight of the water in the strands that stretch out the pattern of the curls during the time it takes for them to dry.
Also read: Want Strong Hair? 5 Natural Tips For Strong Hair
To diffuse hair, you must learn the proper techniques. If you are not careful enough, while you diffuse wavy hair, you can end up creating a lot of undesired frizz if you disrupt your curls too much throughout the drying process. Similar to air drying, different hair types experience different results when they diffuse their hair. While tighter curls experience extreme or uneven shrinkage, loose curls experience little to no shrinkage. But a hair diffuser makes curly hair more manageable than air drying. The drying procedure is faster, as well.
What Is The Best Kind Of Hair Diffuser?
As of 2020, the Dyson supersonic hair dryer is by far the best as compared to any other brand. The attachments are carefully designed and re-engineered to suit different hair types and the diffuser and styling con concentrator works get to diffuse hair and works delightfully on curls and waves respectively to bring out the natural beauty of your hair.
The diffuser is designed in such a way that it disperses air more evenly around the curls and simulates natural drying, helping to reduce frizz and define curls and waves. The longer prongs of the diffuser give you better access to have more control over the device and reach deeper into the hair.
How To Diffuse Hair Properly?
Step 1: Great curls always start in the shower. Make sure you use a super-hydrating conditioner to moisturize the curls thoroughly. While still in the shower, try to detangle the conditioned hair gently with a wide-tooth comb to smooth out the knots without causing hair breakage. Avoid combing out the curls once they have dried out as it can ruin their pattern and encourage frizz.
Step 2: Instead of using a towel, wrap the wet hair in a t-shirt, soft-cotton rag, or the best option, in a microfiber towel and squeeze out the excess water. The soft cotton is less abrasive to the hair than a traditional towel, which might cause more frizz to wavy and curly hair. A smoother fabric also reduces the chances of friction and therefore less hair damage.
Step 3: If you still have notorious knots in your hair even after the previous two steps, try to detangle your hair with your fingers after applying a hair mousse or leave-in conditioners. Curly hair tends to be super dry and requires frequent hydrating. You can also try the ‘rake and shake’ method to detangle your hair and shape your curls with your fingers and wrist during the process.
Step 4: Plug in your hairdryer and attach the diffuser. Start with misting your hair with a thermal protectant before you go all the way out with the heat on your hair. Lift sections of your hair and blow it dry with the diffuser. Do not use your fingers or comb at any point in time during or after this step unless you want to look like a modern-day Chia Pet. Begin with the ends of your hair as you run along the lengths to the roots. While working on the roots, flip your hair upside down to get more volume at the roots.
Diffusing Your HairStep 5: Make sure you run your hair diffuser all along with your hair on low. Gently diffuse your hair to only about 80 percent dry and let the rest of it dry in the air to get a bouncy finish that looks moisturized and hydrated. Once you are done styling your hair, keep your fingers to yourself because the more you touch it, the worse it will become. Do not disturb the curls and let them bounce and dance and set them free.
Also read: 5 Essential Oils That Create Magic For Your Hair
