Who among us doesn't dream of forgoing the hairdryer for a "scrunch and go" technique? Not I.
So when Redken's No Blow Dry NBD Airy Cream for fine hair landed on my desk I was very keen to try it. My blow drying technique is nothing short of woeful and the idea of washing my hair; scrunching through some product and letting it air dry fills me with unbridled joy.
I test drove it this morning and, while my hair did take an hour to dry, the results are perfect, slightly-tousled hair. Bingo.
With this air-drying mission in mind I tracked down some other favourite techniques.
· The key to a good air-drying technique all starts with a blotting towel. A good one is the Turbie Twist: it sops up excess water and is light-weight, so it won't weigh your head down.
· For fine hair, try using a volumising shampoo like Aesop Volumising Shampoo and skip the conditioner. Blot your hair dry with a towel (rubbing can cause friction and frizz) and follow up with a thickening product like Aveda Thickening Tonic. Make sure to comb it through with a Tangle Teezer or a wide-tooth comb. Then, run a miniscule amount of Redken Diamond Oil (that you have evenly distributed on the palms of your hands) through the ends of your hair to keep the flyaways at bay.
· For hair that has a bit of wave to it and is medium to thick, try Virtue Polish Un-frizz Cream, as a leave-in treatment. Shampoo, condition, blot dry, comb through and leave to air dry.
· If you like to wash your hair at night, this may not give you much air-drying time before bed. So wash and condition your hair, towel dry and comb. Then spray a booster like Kevin Murphy Anti-Gravity Spray to create some volume while you sleep. For me, as I have a fringe, I would also give my fringe a quick blast with the hairdyrer before bed.
· If your hair has lots of texture try some Kiehl's Smoothing Oil-Infused Leave-in Concentrate. Use it on damp hair as it nourishes and smoothes the cuticle. The combination of argan and babassu oil in the ingredients list makes it an ideal leave-in treatment.
· To create lovely even waves try braiding hair wet and letting it dry naturally that way. The end result? Cascading Rapunzel-like curls.
· Finally, for scrunch and go inspiration, Kate Moss with her signature soft waves, is a perennial favourite. To get the look, tuck your hair behind your ears as it dries and clip a metal hairpin above each ear to exaggerate the bend.