Type "wet hair" together with "cold and flu" in to any internet search engine, and the first few pages will be filled with sites which refute any connection between wet hair and colds; dismissing it as an old wives' tale. Colds and flu are caused by germs and viruses rather than the weather, so many people carry on leaving the house in the winter with wet or damp hair, paying little regard to the effect this may have on health.
However, anyone who dislikes the cold may still believe that taking care not to get chilled, in months when cold and flu are prevalent, is just common sense. Certainly being cold, damp and shivery can lead to feeling generally miserable and under the weather. This should be reason enough to practice blow drying skills: Feeling happy in the depths of winter does not come naturally to everyone.
Wet Hair and the Common Cold
The British NHS points to a study conducted at the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff, which suggests that becoming chilled can result in whether people go on to develop a cold. Although the NHS agrees that the idea of wet hair actually causing a cold is just a myth, the authors of the common cold study say that "some people carry cold viruses without having symptoms. Getting chilled causes blood vessels in the nose to constrict, affecting the defences in the nose and making it easier for the virus to replicate."
Whatever the science behind this, anyone who enjoys hot soups and drinks in the winter, warm clothing and dislikes feeling chilled will benefit greatly from learning how to do a quick blow dry.
Many people roughly dry hair in the winter but a proper blow dry will not only leave you looking glamorous, it is a more efficient way to get hair bone dry. A good blow dry has styling in mind and ensures that each hair is completely rid of damp which will cause a style to flop or frizz minutes later.
How to Blow Dry Hair the Professional Way
Wavy hair dried with a diffuser rarely gets bone dry so, for the winter, get out a styling brush and prepare to be sleek. Practice means that by the end of the winter you will be doing this as well as any salon junior. The whole process should only take a maximum of ten minutes for all but extremely long and thick hair.
- Blow dry hair in sections, starting with the underneath. Top layers of finer hair could just be piled on top of the head or use clips to section up and access the underneath.
- Brush hair through constantly as drying it and keep the nozzle pointing down the hair shaft and close to the hair. This ensures shine.
- Use a radial brush to build volume or curl hair under.
- A paddle brush works well for straighter and less bouncy styles, or for heavily layered, elfin hair.
- Poker straight hair can be achieved by running flat irons over a perfect blow dry. However, fashion fans note that a little movement looks more chic.
- Make sure hair gets truly dry, all over.
Boost Your Blow Dry With Styling Products
Most hairdressers are sparing with product when blow drying. It is also important to learn the difference between products which are heat activated and help to style hair during the drying process, and those that are finishing products. An efficient blow dry without too much product is also a good way to avoid hat hair. As long as the hat is clean and free from grease, hair should just fall back in to place when you pull it off.
Products that have hold such as mousse and setting lotion, will inevitably be affected by being compressed under a hat and mean that hair can lose its shape, unfortunately taking on a new one. A simpler blow dry with products just designed for shine and protection should rectify this. The big, volume-boosted blow dry styles will not work well with hats but a simple, shiny, modern minimal look will.
- Keep hats washed and beware of sticky or greasy finishing products such as certain waxes. If residue of these gets inside the hat, it can make hair look greasy.
- Hat-friendly styling products include Aveda Damage Control, the Aveda Light Elements Finishing range and Bumble and Bumble Sumo Tech.
- A slick of serum or a moisture repellant pomade, on finished hair, will stop damp weather from making hair frizzy.
It might take a little practice, but achieving a near perfect and fast blow dry is an easy and cheap way to stay looking good throughout the winter. Knowing how to go a good blow dry can even lengthen time between hair cuts, which can be handy during an expensive festive season. Keeping hair warm and dry may not officially help too much with the prevention of coughs and colds, but it certainly will make anyone feel groomed and more cheerful when warmth and daylight are in scarce supply.
Sources:
The NHS, Preventing Colds and Flu (accessed 25th December 2010).
Cardiff University Common Cold Centre (accessed 25th December 2010).
Shefali Choudhury - Writer and visual artist, Suite Beauty topic editor, Shefali spent 10 years in professional makeup artistry from beauty to blood ...
Join the Conversation