Huh? Air Drying is Bad for Hair?
Don't panic, air-drying is not going on your list of things you need to feel guilty about. Won't you join me in getting all "critical thinking-y" about this subject? This post is in response to a blog reader's question about a recent study which reported that air-dried hair acquires some internal damage during drying whereas blow-dried hair accumulates more external damage. The study was published in the Annals of Dermatology, November, 2011: Hair Shaft Damage from Heat and Drying Time of Hair Dryer , Lee et. al. If you thought air-drying was best for hair - this catches you off guard, to be sure. But while I did a double-take when I saw that eye-grabbing factoid in what I think of as "hair social media" - after reading the article I think this information was taken out of proper context. In other words, it makes a great headline, but there is not enough information provided to support the idea that air drying is bad. Please, read on. Some things to con...