Beauty Fix: 5 tips that will seriously change the way your dry your hair (for good!)

Every week our Beauty Fix columnist takes on your questions about makeup, skincare, hair and more. Have a beauty question we haven’t answered? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com or ask away in the comments below.

My hair takes forever to dry. Can I speed this process up?
Hair’s ability to absorb and retain water can be higher if your natural hair texture leans towards the drier side of things. You have a few options to reduce your overall blow-dry time: apply a hair oil before shampooing to prevent hair from absorbing as much water as it normally would (hair oil acts as a barrier so that water isn’t able to penetrate into hair shaft as much), which should cut your blow-dry time down a bit. Alternatively, you can shampoo and condition as usual and hit your damp hair with a liberal misting of Matrix Oil Wonders Flash Blow-Dry Oil ($23, matrix.ca). This micro-fine oil-based mist contains argan oil, which will protect hair from heat styling while nourishing it, and it can cut your blow-drying time in half without frying your hair. Definitely worth a try to cut down on heat styling any day of the week!

I know teasing my hair isn’t healthy for my hair, so what else can I do to boost my volume?
Teasing hair can sometimes feel like a necessary evil, but without a doubt, it is damaging to hair. If you have the type of hair that just can’t hold a style no matter how much you try, give your hair a bit of grip with Garnier Fructis Style De-constructed Texture Tease ($7, well.ca). The innovation lies in the micro-mineral powder formula, which is designed to give even the slickest hair flexible grip to hold your desired style without any additional weight. Hair will also be left touchable, never sticky or tacky. Bonus: a quick spritz of this can give hair a scent refresher if you’re in a pinch!

I just cut my long hair into a bob, and I’m used to running products through the lengths of my hair. What do I use to give overall volume that I can use root to tip before blowing my hair out?
A major hair cut represents a change not only in style, but styling products. You’re probably used to using products to give hair a bit of polish and weight, but with shorter hair, volume and movement is usually achieved with weightless products that are used throughout the hair, not just through the lengths. Try applying Fekkai Blowout Texturizer ($25, at Shoppers Drug Mart) throughout your damp hair, which will smooth your hair without sacrificing volume or softness to touch for a flawless professional finish that’s doable without the help of a stylist.

How can I get long-lasting volume at the crown of my head? It always seems to be the first area to fall flat.
The hair at the crown of the head is most likely to fall flat when the scalp starts producing sebum, which can weigh your hair down as time passes. The best way to counter this is to physically lift your hair as much as you can when styling to prevent it from laying against the scalp so that your hair can avoid sebum for a longer period of time. When you’re nearing the end of blow-drying your hair, while it’s still warm, take Drybar High Tops Self-Grip Rollers ($10, sephora.ca), and lift a section of hair directly at the crown of your head. Smooth it out and place it onto the roller, moving the roller towards the scalp and away from the face. Repeat this for 4 to 6 sections at the crown of the head. Let your hair fully cool with the rollers in place and gently remove from hair for newly discovered volume, finishing by finger-combing hair into place.

Do all sea salt sprays leave hair crunchy? I hate that stiff feeling.
Not all sea salt sprays will do this to hair, but it also depends on what you do to hair after applying the spray. If you’re interested in a softer texture, try a fine-mist sea salt and hitting hair with a bit of strategic heat afterwards. To bring out your natural wave, try misting damp hair with Schwarzkopf OSIS+ Session Label Sea Salt Spray ($20, spaboutique.ca) throughout the lengths of your hair, and then dry hair with a diffuser attachment on your blow dryer set to low. The mist is quick to dry and helps hair form tousled waves for an undone look that will only be enhanced by the diffuser’s gentle heat.

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