Is Getting a Blowout Bad for Your Naturally Curly Hair?

What Is A Blowout?

Simply put, a blowout is a method of straightening (also drying) natural black hair using a blow dryer with a diffuser. It transforms your hair from its natural texture to a smooth straight texture by stretching out your coils.

What Styles Do You Get From A Blowout?

After stretching your coils with a blow dryer and brushing them out with a comb attachment, you are left with a voluminous, textured, semi-straight look like that of Solange Knowles’ afro blowout. Although a blowout is a style on its own, it is also an important step in creating other styles. Get inspired by some of the best blown-out curly hairstyles below:

Voluminous Afro

Go home or go big with this gorgeous bigger-than-life Afro attained after a perfect blowout.

Small Afro

Take your look to new heights with this fresh blowout on your short haircut. Keep it short, keep it cool.

Round cut

To put your perfectly structured afro on display, blow out your naturally short curly hair.

High ponytail

Whether puffy or sleek, this is the easiest style to boost a second-day blowout while giving out a high-fashion vibe.

Popping curls

You can fashion your blown-out hair into this gorgeous lush ringlet using a rod set.

FRO hawk

The funkiest way to rock a blowout- a captivating frohawk, the trendiest short curly hair of 2020.

Curly hair do

A Curly Girl’s Guide To A Non-Damaging Blowout

Add more life to your blowout style by adding these stunning defined curls.

Topknot

Sleek half-up top knots are a great and easy alternative to putting blown-out hair up.

Side braid

Pull all your hair to one side and do a simple braid off the shoulder. This style has generated optimum volume and length by a blowout.

Chignon

Chignons are all the rage these days. A smooth neat chignon on blown-out hair brings class into formal and casual looks.

Big bun

Look at this gorgeous sleek bun Weave hairstyle on blown-out long hair. It’s an elevated alternative to a regular messy bun.

Afro puff

Accent a short blown-out Afro puff with a headband- an easy way to upgrade your everyday style.

Halo twist

The key to a beautiful thick halo twist-up do is to blow out your hair first. This twisted halo is definitely a stunner.

Is A Blowout Bad For Naturally Curly Hair?

While heat can be potentially damaging to curly hair, even more so than straight hair since this type of hair is very dry and prone to breakage, a blowout if carried out correctly and safely can be beneficial to your natural texture. This method is also gentler on the hair compared to other straightening methods that use heat. If you are not confident enough to create this style on your own, always seek professional help and make sure you commit to healthy aftercare. Blowouts are what make naturally curly hair even more magical!

Also Check – How to Use an Afro Pick for Big Curly Hair

Best Curly Hair Products Of 2020

• Shampoo: Garnier Fructis Curl Norish Shampoo
• Deep conditioner: Deva Curl One Condition Original
• Heat protectant: Indique Hair Care Essentials Heat Guard
• Moisturizer: Afro Sheen Texture Gel Cream, Quidad Curl Quencher Moisturizing Gel
• Finishing cream/serum: Indique Hair Care Essentials Shine Spray
• Blow dryer: Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
• Styling brush: GHD Ceramic Vented Radial Brush
• Detangling brush: Tangle Teezer
• Towel: Deva Curl Deva Towel Anti-Frizz Microfiber Towel

Tips For A Natural Hair Blowout

To achieve a natural blowout with minimal hair damage, here are some tried-and-tested tips and haircare steps to follow

Pre-poo

Although optional, it’s advisable to detangle and prep your hair first before you jump into the shower. You can slather on a deep conditioner or a lightweight oil to help with the process. For detangling, first, use your fingers and then a wide toothcomb or a detangling brush. Let the pre-poo sit for half an hour before washing it off with water. Pre-poo prepares the hair for the washing process. This extra step will make your routine much easier by making the strands soft and tangle-free and also adds extra nourishment to dry hair.

Always start with clean hair

The first and foremost step to achieving a good blowout on naturally curly hair is to get your locks properly washed and well-conditioned. This mainly assists in ease of product application and detangling hair. Curly hair is much drier than other hair types because of the lack of natural oils due to its curl pattern. And blow drying can further dry the hair. Therefore, we suggest using the most hydrating and nourishing (also sulfate and paraben-free) shampoos and conditioners for your curly hair. Rinse out the shampoo with warm water to open up the cuticle and conditioner with cold water to seal in the moisture.

Semi-dry your hair

Never try to apply products or blow dry soaking wet strands. Instead, wrap your hair into a super absorbent towel right after washing to remove excess water.

Hydrate your locks

Once your hair is damp and free of knots, massage a super-hydrating leave-in product through your hair and let it sit. Besides its hydrating qualities, it also works as a heat protectant, which is crucial to use before applying heat to hair.

Get the right tools

Invest in a high-quality ionic blow dryer with a nozzle attachment and multiple settings for both air and temperature. Curls work great on medium and low settings. Regarding the power of the tool, 1400 watts is enough. Also, get a good round brush (of a size that matches your curls) with soft bristles to help you get the straightened look.

Tips To Protect Your Curly Hair

Protect

Prior to the blowout, use a heat protectant suited for your hair type. For maximum coverage, part your hair in sections and apply the product from mid-shaft to ends. A heat protectant saves your ends from breakage, maintains color-treated hair, and also makes your blowout last a bit longer.

Rough dry your hair

Before you start working in sections with a brush, rough dry your hair on medium heat until your hair is about 70 percent dry. Use your fingers to do so.

Section and blow-dry/style

Now it’s time to finally blow out your natural hair. Section off your hair into manageable parts and secure them using individual clips. Start at the top of your head. Using a brush, on a low or medium heat setting, blow dry hair from ends to root with the concentrator nozzle pointed downward in order to keep the cuticle smooth. Patiently repeat this process section by section until you achieve your desired straightness.

Apply finishing cream

Once your strands are beautifully blown out, apply a dime-sized amount of finishing cream onto your lengths and ends. This final step seals in moisture and wards of frizz.

And Voila! You now have a voluminous Indique Hair salon-worthy blowout that you can style any way you want.