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Drying Curly Hair

Drying Curly Hair: How To Use The “Hybrid Drying Method” For Perfect Curls

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When it comes to drying curly hair, you have several different options. Each one has certain benefits and certain downsides. To get the benefits of each technique without the downside, I developed the Hybrid drying method. Today I’m sharing Drying Curly Hair: How To Use The “Hybrid Drying Method” For Perfect Curls to walk you through exactly how I dry my curls. 

But before we get into the nitty-gritty of drying curly hair, I have a special gift for you. 

Because curly hair can be super confusing, I created a simple step by step cheat sheet that walks you through the curly hair process. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>get your FREE curly girl sheet cheat here

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Important note: Because this method incorporated a couple of different drying techniques, it’s important to note that this is not the quickest way to dry curly hair. 

I like to schedule my washday’s on the weekend or a day I’m spending at home so I have plenty of time to give my hair some love. 

Here are a few more posts I think you will love: 

When I first started my curly girl journey, I was committed to using as little heat as possible. 

At that point, my hair was damaged from heat and chemical processing so I wanted to spend a solid six months letting my hair heal. 

So I spent the first 30 days letting my hair air dry.

Although air drying is the most healthy way to dry curly hair, there are two huge downsides.

  1. It takes forever! My hair is fairly thick and air drying can take more than 4 hours. 
  2. My hair always seemed flat after air drying. And that’s a deal-breaker for a girl who loves volume.

I started experimenting with different ways to dry my hair to get the results I wanted. Which led me to combine a couple of different methods to maximize time and results.

Drying Curly Hair: How To Use The “Hybrid Drying Method” For Perfect Curls

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning that at no cost to you, I may make a small commission on anything you purchase through my link. But don’t worry, I never promote products that I don’t believe in or truly love <3 

Start With A Plop 

Right after you finish styling your curls, they are typically super wet. 

I like to let all those wonderful styling product rest before I hit them with my diffuser. So I like to plop my hair for 15-20 minutes. 

If you are not familiar with plopping, you can read this post for a detailed tutorial.

Note: I’m all about plopping but I think it’s super important that you don’t make a habit of plopping for too long. 

It can cause hair loss or a wear mark and after struggling with postpartum hair loss, I’m careful about pressure and rubbing on my scalp. 

Be sure not to use a regular towel for drying your curls. 

Traditional towels are too hard and break up your curl pattern adding frizz from the get-go. 

Any old t-shirt will do for plopping or if you want to get fancy, I use and love the tee-towel towel. 

>>>>>>>You can get the Tee Owl Towel here  – Use code CURLYCOLLEEN15 for 10% off.

  • plopping

Hair Clips For Added Volume

Hair clips are the bomb when it comes to adding volume. 

By using a hair clip to lift your curl clump off your scalp, it allows airflow which helps it dry with lift and doesn’t allow the weight of the water to weigh your curls down. 

This causes your hair to look flat.

I like the shorty two prongs clips that you can get on amazon 

>>>>>>>>>>Click here to get the two-prong hair clips

Once you’ve let your hair rest in a plop for 15 minutes, use your clips to pin your curls to your head. 

It’s important to not break up the curl clumps rather go with what your curls are already doing. You can see a video here.

Choose A Wide Mouth Diffuser To Lift Hair And Break Gravity 

The next step in the hybrid drying method is to use a diffuser to speed up the process and add volume. 

Using a diffuser helps distribute the airflow and is more gentle on your curls. 

The reason I recommend using a large mouth diffuser is that one huge benefit to using a diffuser is breaking the force of gravity and allowing your curls to dry without being held down by water weight. 

I use and love the Orchid diffuser because it is affordable, high quality, and has a largemouth.

Use the diffuser to gather your hair and push it up toward your head. This will break the force of gravity and enhance your natural curl pattern.

>>>>>You can get the Orchid diffuser here

Get The Benefits To Air Drying Without Your Curls Falling Flat At The Roots 

Like I mentioned earlier, air drying is the most healthy way to dry your curls. If you are struggling with severely damaged or dry hair, I recommended going a little while without using a blow dryer to let your curls heal a bit. 

When using the hybrid drying method, after plopping for 15 minutes, pinning your curls, and using the diffuser for 15 minutes, let your hair air dry for as long as you can.

I like to let it sit for an hour (if possible) with the clips in. 

Letting your hair air dry will allow your curls to dry naturally, make them softer, and will limit the amount of heat used on your hair. 

Finish It Off With The DevaFuser To Blast Your Roots Dry

Finishing your hybrid drying with a quick blast to your roots will help lift the hair shaft from your scalp and create volume. You can use any diffuser but I love the Devafuser. 

The Devafuser is the best way to isolate your roots because of its uniques design. 

It is designed like a hand so you can easily fit it between your curl clumps without disrupting them.

>>>>>>Click here to get the DevaFuser

Here are a few more posts I think you will love: 

In Conclusion:

When it comes to the best way to dry curly hair, I’ve found the hybrid drying method gets the best results with the least amount of damage to your hair.

Always start with a plop to allow your style to settle. This helps remove extra moisture. 

Use two-pronged clips to lift the hair strand from your scalp and allow airflow. This will speed up the drying process and adds volume. 

Be smart when it comes to air drying. 

When you do a partial air dry, you get the most benefits as far as hair health by limiting the amount of heat damage. 

And always finish the drying process by diffusing your roots until 100% dry. Because adding volume and lift is essential for big curly hair! 

If that’s not your thing, skip steps two and four.

I hope this method is as helpful to you as it is for me.

Xoxo

Colleen

P.S >>>>>>>>>>>>get your FREE curly girl sheet cheat here

P.P.S.S If you found value in this post, it would mean the world to me if you pinned it! Just hover your mouse over the photo below and select the “pin” icon in the top left corner. Thank you so much for taking the time to read!

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