How do you air dry your hair in your 40s?

[Justa2015]

I try and limit the amount I blow-dry my hair, partially out of trying to protect it from damage, and partially because I'm lazy and there's not enough hours in the day! I've got quite a natural wave to my hair and in the past this has always worked well, but as I've got into my 40s its just started to look like scruffy, frizzy mess. I try to limit washing my hair to twice a week, and I've completely given up on regular conditioner; every time I wash my hair I use a hair mask or a conditioning treatment. Once its washed I wrap it up in one of those fancy Aquis towels to dry, then blow dry my fringe and put a balm through my hair, with either a serum or an hair oil on top but its just not working any more and I feel like a complete scruff bag! What am I doing wrong? Can you wise you ladies style your hair on the days you're not blow drying it?

[Scrunchy95]

I don't like to blow dry my hair if I can avoid it - same reason as you. I also look like a frizzy mess until it is dry enough to straighten. I'm afraid I don't have a solution. I work from home so people don't usually see me like that. If I'm going out I blow dry it and straighten. Will follow this thread though and hope someone more savvy has a hack.

[Budapestpest]

I wash my hair at night, go to bed with it damp (towel on pillow) then the next day I do whatever it needs to make it look good. Sometimes that’s just leaving it, sometimes straighten it or curl it with straighteners. I would rather not use any Heat at all but I don’t mind the straighteners so much given that it never ever gets blow dried

[fiorentina]

I wash it at night and leave to dry overnight and then style in the morning, with a bit of product either to straighten or to give a wave.

[Mrsdoubtfireswig]

I tend to always blow dry my hair (just rough drying not sections with a brush) then straighten, used to do it every day but now 2-3 times a week during lockdown, but have used drier on cooler setting to reduce damage.

If I can’t be arsed drying my hair I let it air dry for a couple of hours then straighten it, but it never seems as smooth compared to when blow dried

[Queenofjamtarts]

Your hair sounds very similar to mine. On the days I'm not styling it (ie: no one will see me days) I just wash, condition, towel dry, then put a few pumps of Frizz Ease 'Air dry waves' though the lengths with my fingers. Very importantly do not touch again until hair is dry. I find this controls the frizz and makes my hair dry naturally without looking like a complete mess.

[CallarMorvern]

I'm just out of my 40s. I go to bed with it wet, with a soft towel over my pillow. Then I dampen and sort it in the morning. I swear by Elvive extraordinary hair oil run through when hair is nearly dry.

[MrDarcysMa]

I asked my hairdresser about this. She said hair texture changes as you get older m/ start to go grey. I now have loads of short frizzy baby hair !

[Endlessmizzle]

I am saving up for the dyson straighteners as I hear they damage hair less. I also follow a curly girl routine as SOMETIMES it still dries nicely. No shampoo, no silicones.

[PontiacBandit]

I leave mine to dry naturally, using BB hair cream or extraordinary oil on it until nearly dry and then use BBH to smooth out. I have lots of thick, long wavy hair so can take around 4 hours to dry on its own.

[UnicornMadeOfPinkGlitter]

I just wear it up after I’ve air dried it. I’m 44 and have hair just passed my shoulders. I rarely wear it down.
Usually up in a low ponytail or bun or I twist it and then put a clip in and have a kind of sprouts bit above the clip. Sounds ridiculous but I think it looks nice.

On the days I can be bothered I part it in the middle (I have a fringe so that’s down as normal) And then plait each section then either pin them up like milk maid or pin them across the back of my head usually twisting them to make a thicker braid.

My hair is quite fine and that’s what’s happened to me post 40. A lot less volume and finer flatter hair so styles like curls don’t tend to last and when straight it just is limp and lifeless.

I even brought the dyson airfwrap but it just doesn’t hold. No matter what product or no product. Looks fab and then by the time I’m downstairs it’s half dropped out by the time I pick up my bag and put my shoes on it’s just a flat horrible mess.

[FedUpAtHomeTroels]

Mines curly and gone more fluffy as I have got older, where it used to be more controlled curls (unless I was in a high wind) I think I was over conditioning it. So went back to basics, using a small amount of conditioner and some frizz serum and letting it air dry. I do it in the mornings, and find the 30 mins having breakfast and getting sorted and 10 mins in the car with the heater on if cold, is enough for mine to be dry enough by the time I get to work.

[Pigeon31]

If I'm going to air dry it, I usually just put it in a plait while it dries and then brush it out.

[EatsFartsAndLeaves]

I wash mine, use conditioner and then leave it alone until it's dry, that's it. I don't blow dry it unless completely essential, I don't colour it or straighten it or put products in it, I don't read "women's" magazines full of ways to torture your hair. Is there anything you could stop doing to yours that might help?

[AnnaMagnani]

It's curly so I run some curl cream through it, then some curl gel. twirl it into sprials, towel dry then leave it alone.

Best option - dry in car with heaters on.

[ThaGugaBlasta]

I wash my hair twice a week, one of those times with a hair mask, and then run Aveda Curl Cream mixed with a smoothing cream through it while it's still soaking wet. Leave it to air dry and I get smooth ringlets. My hair's fine and naturally wavy, leaning towards curly, but left to itself it's just a frizzy mass. This gives it some shape and volume for a few days.

[minipie]

I wash, brush the fringe so it’s not sticking upwards, then leave it.

My hair is fairly straight and fine so it never does anything crazy. It never does anything fabulous either 🤷‍♀️ so I may as well just leave it alone.

[Karwomannghia]

If I leave mine to air dry it goes incredibly frizzy and if I sleep with it wet it gets kinks in all the wrong places. I’ve tried silicone free conditioning only and it got more frizzy. The best seems to be good old Pantene and when damp put some l’anza trauma treatment through it before blow drying and then straightening. Everyone comments how nice it looks when I put this effort in and I wash my hair twice a week so it’s worth the effort!

[MorrisZapp]

Can I ask how you shower on non hair washing days? Do you use a shower cap, and do the edges of your hair get wet?

[ChardonnaysPetDragon]

I towel dry, and then use some serum or leave in conditioner which I apply with my fingers. I like Swell hair serum. I had a sample of it, I think M&S used to sell it, but then I went there looking for some and don’t think they do it. It’s really good and it would be a shame it’s gone.,

[planningaheadtoday]

Wash my hair before bed. Wrap a very absorbent towel around it whilst I get ready for bed. Brush it through, ruffle it, put it in a soft turban and go to bed.

I have fine hair with a natural curl that is accentuated with drying it flat at night.

[MagratsDanglyCharms]

I use the t-shirt method - its often known as 'plopping'. Look up t-shirt method for curls or look up curls and plopping. It actually works!

[ItWorriesMeThisKindofThing]

I have waves and some curls and I used to do similar with the hair oil and then it just stopped working. Try putting in a mousse or curl cream while hair is still very wet, scrunch it in and then don’t touch hair at all while it’s drying. It made a big difference to mine.

[Karwomannghia]

On non wash days I just clip it up/back.

[ThaGugaBlasta]

After a lot of research I've reached the conclusion that curl cream has to go on very wet hair and then don't touch it. I have only two methods of doing my hair now - that way, or full-on concentrating with a Dyson Airwarp, sectioning clips and mousse. Anything else = Frizzville-on-Fluff.

[ThaGugaBlasta]

AirWRAP. Airwarp. FFS. The Dyson Airwarp is probably the new innovation that allows you to go back in time and buy a Miele.