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What You Need:
Prep Time Needed:
2 or 3 minutes
Total Time Needed:
Varies depending on hair length, texture and thickness
Difficulty:
Medium
Most of us have limited appreciation for hair diffusers. These styling tools are an often-overlooked hair dryer accessory that can help upgrade your primping process.
At first glance, this pronged attachment can be intimidating—you may be envisioning a complex process, but once you learn how to use a blow dryer with a diffuser, we promise you’ll be singing its praises.
If you’re not sure exactly what a hair dryer diffuser is, don't feel bad. A lot of people don't!
A hair diffuser is a blow dryer attachment that often comes with new hair dryers. The attachment has a bowl-like shape with prongs that are meant to cradle hair while it’s drying.
If your hair dryer didn't come with a diffuser, you may have to buy the attachment separately, but they're typically inexpensive and buying one on its own will allow you to find the perfect diffuser for your hair type and preferred style.
This nifty attachment closely mimics air drying by diffusing warm air around each section of hair. It also stops you from pulling hair straight or making it frizzy as you blow dry it.
Essentially, the diffuser’s bowl gives your hair space to dry while keeping the curls separated by plastic spikes. The air is circulated around the wet hair, which mimics the properties of air drying, results in more clearly defined curls. Hair will generally feel softer, and those with straight hair will often get more volume.
Ready to try it out? Follow these steps to use your hair diffuser.
Before you get out of the shower, use a wide-tooth comb to detangle your hair. Scrunch your hair with a microfiber towel to remove excess water—don’t use a terry cloth towel, as this can increase frizz.
Apply your preferred hair product through your hair.
Place a small section of hair into the diffuser bowl, then bring the dryer toward your head, making sure all of the hair is cradled within the bowl.
Hold the diffuser in place for 30 seconds before moving on to the next section. Continue this process until your hair is dry. You may need to use hair clips to hold sections out of the way to reach the under layers of your hair.
Make sure you don’t rotate the dryer while your hair is in the bowl, as this will cause major tangles.
Once your hair is dry, add any finishing products to maintain volume or curl, and scrunch your hair one last time.
Diffusers are most commonly used on curly hair.
If you’re using a hair dryer with a diffuser, you’ll see the best results if you have naturally wavy or curly hair. However, it’s still possible to achieve a voluminous, wavy look if you have straight hair.
Here are some tips on using a diffuser on every type of hair.
If your hair diffuser has been sitting in the bottom of a drawer since you bought it, now's the time to break it out. It takes a little practice, but you'll quickly get the hang of diffusing, and it can bring new life to your tresses.
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