How To Blow Dry Natural Hair Using The Tension Method

Hello Shrinkage? I have a message for you, she told me… to tell you… that shes’ just not that into you! ha! Ok all jokes aside if you want an alternative to ‘regular’ blow-drying, meaning using a comb attachment, a brush or direct high heat blow drying then tension blow-drying might be your guy.

Tension blow-drying is really simple, it means holding a section of your hair taut and running the dryer up and down the section using a cooler setting than normal. This might not seem that effective but trust me when we tell you that it actually dries your hair and stretches it.

The key to getting the stretched look is holding the hair firmly keeping the sections straight. Your hair has great memory especially when it is slightly damp and that is why tension blow drying is able to work so effectively.

The benefits of tension blow drying are as simple as the method itself :

1. Protects the hair from excessive manipulation – All that tugging and puling on the hair with a comb attachment that might cause breakage is virtually eliminated so you lose much less hair.

2. Straightens and smooths the hair – You are trying to get your hair straight or want stretched hair as a base for a style? Well the tension method can do just that, what’s great is that you control everything by holding the hair as taut as you can.

3. Reduces the chance of heat damage –  Heat damage is definitely possible with the use of any heat source however you greatly reduce the chances of getting it by utilizing a cooler heat setting avoiding high direct heat all together.

A few Tips

► Do not blow dry your hair when it is dripping wet, use your microfiber towel* or a T-shirt to dry some of the water from your hair first.

► I know this post has natural hair in the title, but this method is also great for women with relaxed hair as it stretches your new growth effectively especially if you are on a long relaxer stretch.

► Do not use a ton of products but please still use a heat protectant*, you cannot skip the heat protectant* just because you are using a different method to blow dry your hair. Heat is heat right?

And finally, watch both of these tutorials on very similar techniques on tension blow drying. First off it’s Tiajonay:

And second it’s KinkyKurlyQueen