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Although having fine hair means that your hair doesn’t take that long to dry when it comes out of the shower, you are at risk of it looking constantly flat and lifeless — plus extra frizzy in humidity.
A lot of people with fine hair will choose to blow dry their hair with a hair dryer after the shower to maintain a smooth and sleek style, but what about when you want to cut down on the heated hair tools?
Air drying your hair is a good way to ditch the heat, but if you just leave your hair to dry by itself it can start to look very flat and frizzy – especially if you have thin hair.
In this article, we’ll be talking you through our top tips on how to manage fine hair, as well as some of our favorite products to add to your haircare routine.
Our top tips to help your fine hair air-dry
If you want to stop using so much heat on your hair and embrace your hair’s natural texture, air-drying hair is a good route to go down. However, the drying process is a bit longer and will require a bit more care if you want the best results.
Here are some of our top tips on how to achieve air-dried hair that still looks smooth and frizz-free.
1. Gently Pat Your Hair Dry With a Microfiber Towel
After washing your fine hair, resist the urge to vigorously rub it dry with a towel. Instead, gently pat your hair to absorb excess water. We’d recommend using a microfiber towel, or even an old t-shirt, to dry your hair as these are less harsh on your delicate strands.
Remember that fine hair is more prone to breakage than other types of hair texture, so be gentle – making simple switches to more gentle products can really make a big difference in maintaining its health and shine.
3-pack Microfiber Hair Towel
2. Choose The Right Leave-In Conditioner
Fine hair tends to get easily weighed down, but a lightweight leave-in conditioner can be a game-changer.
Apply it evenly through your damp hair, focusing on the ends. This not only helps with detangling but also provides extra moisture without the heaviness of traditional conditioners.
3. Take Care When Combing Your Hair Out
Use a wide-tooth comb to gently detangle your fine locks by taking a section of hair at a time. Start from the end and work your way up to minimize breakage. This prevents unnecessary stress on your hair, leaving it smooth and knot-free without causing damage.
Using a wide tooth comb is a good option as it’s the best way to brush out any tangles without having to pull on your hair too much. Wet hair is especially fragile, so using a brush that is extra gentle on the hair is very important.
Paul Mitchell Pro Tools Detangler Comb
4. Use The Root Lift Technique For Volume
For added volume, flip your head upside down while your hair is still damp and gently scrunch the roots. This creates a bit of lift without the need for heat styling. Once your hair is dry, flip it back and enjoy the natural bounce and body.
You can always use texturizing sprays or dry shampoo to give your hair some volume and enhance the natural waves of your hair.
5. Give No-Touch Drying A Go
If your hair is feeling extra fragile, apply your product and then let your hair air dry naturally without constant touching or tousling.
Excessive handling can lead to frizz, especially with fine hair. Allow your hair to air dry in peace, and once it’s completely dry, you can use your fingers to break up any stiffness for a more relaxed look. This is the time when you can finish off with some of your favorite styling products or add in some curls with a curling iron.
6. Adopt a Good Hair Care Routine
One of the top mistakes we see people make when trying to have the perfect air-dry routine is not having a good overall hair care routine in place.
This means that they’re using a lot of heat tools when blow drying and styling, which leads to heat damage, and using their products in all the wrong ways. Of course, there are plenty of different hair types out there, and there’s no ‘right way’ to look after your hair, but there are some general best practices that everyone should follow.
Try and use a clarifying shampoo at least once a week to get rid of any build-up of natural oils (you can use a volumizing shampoo the rest of the week, don’t worry), sleep on a silk pillowcase if you can which is much gentler on the hair. Dry your hair with a cotton t-shirt to prevent breakage, even though it will increase the drying time, and use plenty of hydrating leave-in products to protect and prevent frizzy hair.
The Best Products For Air Drying Fine Hair
Fine hair, often delicate and prone to breakage, deserves a tailored approach to enhance its natural beauty.
Here is our curated selection of products designed to optimize your air-drying routine, leaving your fine hair effortlessly chic and full of life. From lightweight leave-in conditioners to strategic styling creams, we’ve sifted through lots of products to find the right products that nourish, volumize, and define without compromising your hair’s delicate texture.
Kristin Ess Weightless Shine Leave-In Conditioner
When you get out of the shower, one of the first hair products you should use is a leave-in conditioner. This is a great way to lock in as much moisture as possible before you start going in with various different products.
Our top tip is to find a leave-in conditioner that is lightweight, but still offers maximum hydration. We love the Kristin Ess Weightless Shine Leave-In Conditioner. Not only does this smell amazing, but the light, milky spray goes on super finely on the hair without weighing everything down.
Spray this to the ends and midsections of your short or long hair, try to avoid the roots if you can just to prevent too much buildup. Let it sit for a minute or two before you start brushing through your hair, this will ensure it has enough time to make your hair super soft and smooth before going in with a wide-toothed comb (or any other brush that has gentle, flexible bristles).
Kristin Ess Hair Weightless Shine Air Dry Crème
Next is another product from Kristin Ess, their Weightless Shine Air-Dry Cream. You can get this from the drugstore as it’s a great price and, although it wasn’t made for any specific hair type, we think that most people would get along with this product.
It’s a great low-maintenance product that gives you smooth and frizz-free hair that looks like you’ve just walked out of the salon. It’s very light as well so as long as you don’t go completely overboard, it will feel like absolutely nothing in your hair. The best time to use this is when your hair is damp, and leave it to dry the rest of the way.
When you use this product, you’ll notice that your hair will stay silky smooth — think of it like a makeup primer for your hair that will give you flawless locks. The amount of product you will use will depend on your hair type; if you have thick hair, you may need to use a bit more product than someone with thinner hair, for example.
Ouai Air Dry Foam
A hair stylist once recommended the Ouai Air Dry Foam to us as the first step to take when you have lifeless hair. As far as air dry products go, this is a must-have if you really want to amp up the volumes.
Take one section of your hair at a time near the roots and massage the foam into the roots for some added lift. If you have other specific needs for your type of hair that you want to solve with different hair products, we’d recommend going in with those first and then using the foam after.
Bread Beauty Supple Hair Oil Everyday Gloss
Once you air-dry hair, it’s normally best to go in with some type of oil on the ends of your hair. Especially if you have dry hair, a top mistake would be to just let it dry without using anything to restore your hair’s moisture. We really like the Bread Beauty Supply Hair Oil, it works for all hair types, smells amazing, and feels luxuriously hydrating.
You really don’t need too much product, especially if you have fine hair as things can get oily very quickly when you have this for everyday use and using a lot of products at once.
Dae Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream
If you need a little extra help in the smoothing department, we’d recommend the Dae Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream. This is a hair treatment that you can apply to damp hair to prevent any major frizz. But you can also use it to slick back your hair to make it last until wash day.
If you’ve never used this before, you’ll be amazed at how good it smells the first time you use it. Even if it didn’t do anything, we’d be just as happy using it just for the smell.
It’s a good idea to wash your hair the day of, or the day after using this product, if you’re using it to slick back your hair, just so you can wash out all the build-up.
How to air-dry wavy hair
When your hair is in between curly and straight, it can take a little bit more effort to enhance your natural hairstyle — which is why the right styling products are really going to come in handy here.
Start by blotting excess moisture gently with a towel, or even a paper towel, just to make sure your hair isn’t completely damp and to get rid of as much excess water as possible. Go straight in with some sort of lightweight mousse or texturizing spray to enhance your waves. You should also scrunch up your hair with your hands to encourage the waves.
If you’re worried about your hair getting frizzy, a touch of anti-frizz serum can work wonders. Allow your hair to air dry without constant touching to maintain the shape and texture.
How to air-dry curly hair and coily hair
Begin by applying a generous amount of leave-in conditioner or curl cream to maintain moisture and define your curls. Detangle gently with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb to avoid disrupting your hair’s natural pattern.
For coily hair, consider using a styling cream or gel to enhance definition and combat frizz, any curl-enhancing product that you prefer will do. We like The Inkey List Chia Seed Curl Defining Cream which has chia seed extract to protect your hair. Also, if you can, resist the urge to touch your curls while they are drying, just let them set in place and then you can go in with other products afterward as needed.
If you were to dry your hair with a blow dryer, you’d usually use the diffuser attachment to keep all your curls in place – the same rules apply when you’re doing an air dry hair routine, you need to keep your curls intact and avoid weighing them down or brushing them out.
How to air-dry straight hair
For those blessed with naturally straight locks, the air-drying game is all about enhancing that sleek simplicity. Begin by gently towel-drying your hair with a microfibre towel or Turbie Twist to remove as much water as you can without disturbing your hair’s natural pattern for a dry look.
Apply a lightweight leave-in conditioner to keep your strands hydrated and frizz-free. Comb through with a wide-tooth comb to prevent breakage and encourage a smooth finish.
Avoid constant touching and let your hair air dry naturally if you can. The only thing left to do is to flip your hair upside down while it’s drying if you want that little bit extra volume in your locks.
