Going natural is a real treat for your hair: it breaks free by shedding all the layers of silicones and other film-formers that used to coat it.

Once its texture is back, hair needs to be protected as much as possible from all the stresses it can face, the worst being heat.

Why heat should be banned for natural hair, and how to dry your hair without damaging it while still creating volume: that's what we invite you to discover in this article.

What are the effects of heat on hair?

These days, we all know that heat is bad for hair, but do we really know why?

To understand how heat acts on hair, it helps to go over the structure of the hair. Hair is made up of several parts: the medulla, the cortex and the cuticle. The cortex is the main component of the hair, rich in keratin, a protein that gives hair its suppleness, elasticity and strength. The cuticle is made of scales, which help protect the keratin in the cortex.

Healthy hair is hair whose scales are flat, smooth, even and closed. When hair is exposed to heat, its scales open up, and the keratin is more exposed to outside stresses. Depending on the intensity, heat itself damages the scales and the keratin.

As a result, hair loses suppleness, shine, softness and strength. Split ends can appear, and your hair will be dry and duller.

The scalp can also be affected through irritation, since heat removes all the moisture contained in both your hair and your scalp.

Of course, some hair types are more resilient than others and react better to heat.

How to dry your hair without heat?

Whether it's a hair dryer, a flat iron, a curling iron or any other source of heat, these tools seem like the ideal solution for drying or styling your hair quickly. Heat tools quickly became our best allies until the day we realize the damage.

Cold air

The solution many people prefer: switching to a cold air hair dryer, which avoids heat while still being quick and lets you use the airflow to style your hair with the help of a brush.

Squeeze out the water, then air dry

To air dry your hair with a proper squeeze-out that doesn't damage the hair structure, several steps are needed:

First, we recommend doing a first detangling of your hair before stepping into the shower. The goal here is to keep a pleasant hair texture for the drying stage.

Once you've done your hair routine suited to your hair type, you can squeeze the water out by pressing on your hair gently, without twisting or pulling on it (which could damage it). You can then take one of your old cotton t-shirts or a towel made of the same material and place your hair inside it. The goal here is, again, not to torture your hair: don't twist it or squeeze it hard. Just wrap the t-shirt around your hair and tuck it in at the back of your neck.

Once most of the water has been squeezed out through your t-shirt, you can gently brush your hair from the bottom up with a suitable hairbrush or comb. For example, to avoid frizz, you can count on a boar bristle brush which, besides removing water, will smooth the hair fiber while taming frizz.

If you feel the need, you can repeat the cotton t-shirt step, which can help prevent frizz completely. However, don't wait for your hair to dry fully inside your cotton t-shirt. The t-shirt helps to prevent frizz and gives the drying step a head start, but your hair will obviously finish drying faster in the open air.

How to get volume without heat after the shower?

If we're generally so fond of the hair dryer, it's mainly because it promises voluminous results fast.

To add volume to your hair naturally, especially at the roots, we recommend following the steps above and then, if you like, adding one last step: tying your hair up in a high ponytail with a hair tie, ideally a silk one, that doesn't leave a dent. Your hair will finish drying completely in this position to give your roots volume. You can brush your hair one last time to gently tame it.

To finish, to add shine to your hair, we recommend applying a few drops of your serum to your lengths.