Everything about diffusing curly hair – What, Why, How

I always wash my hair at night and let it dry overnight and so I’ve never had the issue of stepping out of the home with wet hair and wanting to dry my hair faster. But I had seen so many curlies raving about diffusers that I badly wanted to try one. And I purchased the Revlon RV544PKF 1875W Tourmaline Ionic Ceramic Dryer . (I also like the Wahl 5439-024 Hair Dryer with Diffuser)

Here’s everything you wanted to know about using diffusers on curly hair!

What is a diffuser?

A diffuser is usually a plastic bowl like attachment with nozzles/fingers which can be usually fitted on to your regular hair dryer if they are of a universal size (Just check the dimensions before buying). Or buy a dryer that comes with a diffuser attachment. Like I did 🙂

They can also be in the form of a hot sock that diffuses hair through tiny spaces in the sponge.

Since direct hot air from a blow drier can disrupt and ruin the curl pattern by blowing hair here and there, we diffuse the hot air so that the pressure is less (Go back to our physics classes in school! Pressure = Force/Area). So when the area through which the air comes out is more, the pressure is less thus keeping curls intact.

Advantages of using a diffuser

• Decreased drying time – That is a no-brainer and the very reason a diffuser may have been invented for curlies.
• Enhanced curl pattern – Though a diffuser cannot change your curl pattern to become tighter, it can enhance your natural curl pattern so that your curls look the best they can be. This is because there’s no water weight pulling down your curls for hours like while air drying.
• More volume – This is one reason I love using a diffuser occasionally. I love big hair. I have now become so good at keeping frizz at bay that my curls look too defined and stuck to my head. I love voluminous curls and with the diffuser blowing air between curl clumps, they dry with a lot of volume.
• There are ladies with straight hair who have discovered they actually have some waves in their hair after using a diffuser. But remember a diffuser is not a curling tool – it will not curl hair. It will just bring out the natural texture of your hair.

The not-so-good things about using a diffuser

• Heat damage – If the heat and speed settings are not right, you can cause heat damage to your hair. Heat damage in curly hair
• Frizz – Again, if not done correctly, diffusing can cause dry frizzy hair.

Tourmaline, ionic or ceramic blow dryers?

• Ionic dryers create negative ions that break down water droplets faster which means that your hair dries faster.
• Ceramic dryers emit infrared laser-like heat that’s non-damaging and gently dries hair from the inside out which again speeds up drying time.
• Tourmaline dryers boost the production of negative ions (mentioned in the 1^st point).

What about Watt? (Haha) The lower the wattage the cooler the heat (and we want cool heat (oxymoron?)).

1875 Watts – For medium to coarse, thick hair

1500 to 1600 Watts – For fine curly hair and wavy hair

Diffuser temperature and speed settings

Hair damage or cuticle cracking during blow drying occurs when there is a rapid change from wet to dry hair. The sudden vaporization of water causes the cuticle scales to contract, become rigid and crack. This is the reason it is better to go as low as possible w.r.t temperature (even though it will take longer to dry). Set the dryer setting to the warm or cool temperature. I love starting with warm temperature when my hair is quite damp (Water absorbs the heat during the process of changing from a liquid to steam so it is almost same as using a cool setting) and the moment it starts to feel not damp, I switch to cool. This way the hair is not damaged at all.

Set the speed to the lowest setting. High speed will blow your hair around and cause frizz and fly aways.

How to diffuse curly hair

1. Wash your hair and apply the products you normally do and scrunch your hair. Then scrunch with a cotton tee to absorb excess water. You need to diffuse damp hair not wet hair.
2. Set the dryer according to the settings mentioned above.
3. Start at the scalp and in a circular motion, massage throughout the scalp with the diffuser’s fingers. Do this for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Flip head down. This step will ensure lots of volume and avoid flat roots.
5. Use the diffuser bowl to scoop sections of hair toward the scalp (almost like a scrunching motion). Let the diffuser’s fingers do the grabbing. The less you touch your hair during the drying process, the better the results will be.
6. Hold each section in place for several seconds before releasing and moving on to the next. It is important that you continue to keep the dryer moving rather than just holding it in place so that the curls can fall and take shape naturally.

You can also try pixie diffusing – Switch off the dryer every time before moving to a new section. This will decrease frizz and fly aways.

You can also use the Net Plopping Bonnet from Hair Love for diffusing.

7. If you use a gel, you will find the gel cast forming as you diffuse. At the end of the drying, scrunch out the crunch as mentioned here with bare hands or with any leave in or curl cream or serum for added shine.

I diffuse in 2 ways:

1) If I want big voluminous hair I diffuse till it is 100% dry. I do this occasionally only.

2) I diffuse till my gel forms a gel cast so that there is no water to weigh my hair down + there is a gel cast to protect my hair during my sleep(since I wash at nights and air dry overnight). This way my hair is only about 40-50% dry after using the diffuser.

Phew that was a long post! But hope it clears all your doubts regarding diffusers and curly hair 🙂