Lather up
Believe it or not, the most important part of the air-drying process happens while your hair is wet. Start by turning your shower faucet to warm to open up your hairs’ cuticles, in turn helping the active ingredients in your shampoo to penetrate deeper. Work in a high-quality shampoo to cleanse your hair of oils, dirt and product build-up that can prevent it from looking its best. Follow up with conditioner to give your strands a boost of moisture, reintroduce proteins and lock in nutrients.
Brush it off
While your hair is still wet (and preferably when your conditioner is still in), grab your favorite brush or detangling comb. Your hair will be less likely to frizz and will be easier to style once it’s dried if it has been cleared of knots and tangles while wet. Rinse out your conditioner with cold water to seal your hair’s cuticles and lock in shine while reducing frizz.
Toss your towel
Cotton and terry cloth body towels can actually cause more harm than good. The coarse texture of their fibers can aggravate cuticles, worsen split ends or even create cracks in the hair shaft, weakening hair. Instead of a body towel, opt for a cotton t-shirt or a microfiber cloth. The pressed fibers will remove excess moisture from hair without harsh pulling. Try blotting and squeezing with the two alternative materials—you’ll have tamer, silkier locks in the end.
Smooth things out
For locks that dry silky and smooth, invest in a nourishing leave-in conditioner or, if you’re a curly girl, a hydrating curl cream. Spread the product evenly over damp hair and use the scrunching method to make sure every strand is coated. If you have coarse or textured hair, a hydrating oil can also be helpful—adding a beautiful, natural shine to coils, and locking in moisture on dry, tight scalps. Oil can also be applied to ends to reduce the appearance of flyaways, giving you a more polished look. After you’ve worked in the product, label your hair a no-go zone. This means no touching and no twirling, unless you are setting your hair.
Get in position
Because you won’t be able to use heat to change the length and bend of your hair, you’ll want to position hair to dry as close to your desired look as possible. That means parting your hair to the side or middle while it’s still wet, or braiding and introducing loops for volume. You can even wrap hair, so it lays flat when dried. You may still have to play around with your hair once its thoroughly dried, but achieving your desired look is much easier when you’ve set it beforehand.
Kick off your air-drying routine with products that are custom made just for you. Get started with your Prose consultation here.
Comments [25]
Ive washEd my hair a few times now and so far i am lovin this product! The leave oil is great. I have to watch to jot use to muCh so my hair doesnt look as thou i havent washed it. Lol! Love the smell so much. Anxious to keep using it and see my results!
For straight and smooth hair, it says to “wrap” it. What does that mean? I like the idea of air-drying, but I’m not convinced I can get sleek smooth straight hair by doing so. Any tips?
My experience was great! I loved having a shampoo and conditioner designed around my hair cair needs
After two SHAMPOOS, my hair still does not come out curly or with any shine.
Great and easy to follow instructions! I have been air drying my hair for many years aNd this article put into PERSPECTIVE what i am already doiG works.
That’s an interesting point you make about the microfiber towel! I am going to try that out!
i have done all the recOmmendation you have mention… i have always been doing It that way for yEars.. my problem is oily hair than ever before..Half way down my hair is dry..the mask works great.. but oily hair is still there.. i have to wash my hair every other day..i need something to dry out the oil..but than half way down to the ends will be dry.. i use to be a letter carrier.. in the summer with the Heat i have to wash my hair eVery day..In the winters i dont have to wash it that often.. maybe once a week..my hair is thin.. maybe that could be one of the reasons..ill give it 3 weeks..if i doN’t see a Difference, Then i may not want to contiNue this product anymore.. its to costly and i don’t see a great difference…bUt At least i tried..not every product is for every one..what may work weLl for someone may not work Well for me.. thx
Good morning Amber, how nice to have someone check-in. Yes I have tried the products and do seem to like them. The shampoo and conditioner I believe are the only ones I signed up as autoship. I do have a question with the oil. I have quite fine hair, about shoulder length. I did the 2-3 drops as suggested and it looked like I had done an oil treatment by later that afternoon/evening. Greasy if you will. Should I only use it to condition as an oil treatment, or is it meant to accompany the styling cream?
I do like the curl styling cream and often air dry my hair as this article suggests as I have natural curl.
Thank You for your time.
Tia Mullins
Well, I used the products once only, so far. I think when I use conditioner my hair goes flat. I thought this and the curly leave in stuff would enhance the curl not smooth it. So, the verdict is out as I have only used once.
Not had a lot of luck with the curl cream product. The few times it’s not so frizzy in the morning it’s still a frizz ball by the end of the work day. The curl cream is also empty in 3 weeks. Just let my next order go in but if not improvement I will cancel and look for something else.
Hey Portia, we’re so sorry to hear you’re not loving your Curl Cream. Would you be able to share your Prose account email address so we can assure we get you your perfect formula? 🙂
-Keely, Prose Community Manager
Desde julio 3 hice mu primera orden y hoy es julio 8 y aun no llega, cuanto más debo esperar?
Great article! I like this new approach to hair care.
We do too! 🙂 Thank you for the love!
I bought one of the fabulous Prose hairbrushes and it is great. However, the directions that come with it say “don’t brush hair when it’s wet and more likely to break.” However, here the copy says the opposite “While your hair is still wet…” Can you tell me which is correct?
Hi Marty! We recommend using your Prose brush on dry and damp hair but not soaking wet hair as that is when strands are most prone to breakage. Hope this helps 🙂
-Keely, Prose Community Manager
I’m not happy with the shampoo and conditioner that I received! I can’t even brush my hair after my shower! My hair feels like straw! I won’t be ordering anymore products from prose! Very disappointed!!
Hi Jody, We are so sorry that you haven’t been liking your custom Prose shampoo and conditioner. We’d love to chat with you further to make sure your formula is perfect for your hair type, needs, and lifestyle. When you get the chance, please let us know what your Prose email account address is and we’ll have a member of our team reach out.
I find that air drying my hair leaves it too flat on top. I have fine, curly hair and I find that I need to add a gel of some type in addition to the curl cream for a bit of extra hold, and I need to dry with a diffuser.
Hi Barbara, if you want to give air-drying another chance, try clipping your roots after you apply your styling products on wet or damp hair. This will allow your curls to dry with a bit of lift and added volume! Hope this helps 🙂
-Keely, Prose Community Manager
Hi I’m Nora torres. I’m new and just started using product for Curley hair. I love the pre-shampoo moisturizer. But the shampoo makes my hair dry weird then the moisturizer feels like is not enough. I’m trying to figure out the leave in conditioner and curl cream I’m still using other products to keep my frizz tame. 🙏
Hi Nora, We’re sorry to hear you’re not liking your custom shampoo & conditioner. Our #1 priority is to get our customers the right formula for their hair. Please let us know what your Prose account email address is and a member of our team will reach out to chat further.
What a great article! I have always wanted to have my hair styled ( blow dryer free) by drying naturally. I especially loved the idea of wrapping it to help keep it flat! And I also love my first prose shampoo and conditioner.
Just started using my prose product (3 washes) and I feel that I have not since much changed on the texture of my hair . How long do I wait until I see a change .
Thank you
CathyD
Hi Cathy, we are so sorry to hear you’re not loving your custom Prose routine. We’d love to help you out with this! Please let us know what your Prose account email address is and a member of our team will be in touch.