How to Blow Dry African American Hair Male in 6 Easy Steps

African American man with an afro under title HOW TO BLOW DRY AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIR MALE: TOP TIPS

This tutorial wouldn’t be like others because I will be giving complete details on how to blow dry African American male hair!  

Not only would I run through the complete process, but I will also give you a few tips on blow drying a blowout black hair for males.

What You Need For Blow Drying Black Blowout Men’s Hair

A perfect blowout black hair may seem hard to achieve, but if you are prepared with a comb, a reliable and the best blow dryer, and a heat protectant, you wouldn’t have a problem!

So, what things do you need to be able to properly maintain and blow-dry your textured hair?

Check out this hair transformation!

@habeshabeautyx Men’s twists are ? #menstwists #menstwostrandtwists #menshair #4chair #4bhair #afrohair #curlyhair #coilyhair #hairtransformationvideo #fypfyp #fy ♬ original sound – Priya Ragu

1. Using a Reliable Hairdryer

No matter what hair type you have, you will need a good-quality blow dryer for the job.

Several Hairdryers

Choose a blow dryer that has high wattage –but not so high that it can cause heat damage, even with a protectant.

In addition, you’ll also find it easier if you purchase a hairdryer with a nozzle or comb attachment for the concentration of heat to only be at a narrow area.

EXPERT TIP: It would be best to use the blow dryer on damp hair. Dripping wet hair is the most vulnerable to hotness, which can cause your hair to overheat.

2. Choosing a Sturdy Comb

African hair is often thick and tangled, so, you’ll need something that can weed these things out.

I recommend using a comb –those with fine teeth as it’s better and more effective in detangling hair knots from the hair shaft. An afro comb [1] would be the best for this, but any comb would do.

You can also consider using a wide-toothed comb. However, you’d have to complement it by using your fingers.

EXPERT TIP: if you have thicker hair, invest in a strong, high-quality comb so that you could use it without the fear of it breaking.

Here’s a video discussing the correct way of picking your textured hair.

3. Complementing it With a Heat Protectant

Last, but most definitely not least is to complement the blow-drying process by using a heat protectant to keep your hair from overheating or from absorbing excessive heat.

With a heat protectant, the risk of hair heat damage is reduced because of less heat exposure.

In my experience, I even used heat protectants that helped enhance and overall develop the glow and the color of my hair.

Other than heat protectants, other afro hair products you can use include moisturizer, cleansing conditioner, hair gel, hair masks, and many more! 

Now that you know what you need to use, let me give you the complete and intricate step-by-step instructions on how to blow-dry African-American hair.

READ MORE: How to Towel Dry Men’s Hair

How to Blow Dry African American Men’s Hair? [Complete Guide]

Unleash the beauty and finesse of your blowout hair by learning the correct way of doing it!

Follow these blow drying steps to keep the astonishing look of your crown while maintaining hair health!

Step 1: Wash Your Hair

Before doing anything, make sure that your hair is clean and fresh.

Wash your hair using a mild shampoo, but make sure that it can cleanse your hair thoroughly.

As much as you can, avoid using sulphate-based shampoos every time you wash your hair.

Although sulphate-based shampoos are effective in cleaning your hair, they’re too strong. They contain harsh chemicals, making them fall into the group of harsh hair products.

Instead, use dry shampoo to clean your hair; they give more volume to the hair. Just ensure that you’ll wash and scrub your hair properly because dry shampoo can leave buildups on your strands.

Step 2: Apply Deep Conditioners to Your Hair

After rinsing, put leave-in conditioning products on your hair. Afro or African hair is typically drier.

Therefore, you need to cushion the blow by applying a leave-in conditioner or any other product that can moisturize and freshen dry hair strands.

Deep conditioner is helpful for hair that has been bleached, colored, permed or damaged hair. It can also help protect against damage from heat styling tools.

Pour hair oil on your palm the size of a pea, then spread it out to your fingertips or use a wide-tooth comb. Carefully rake it through your hair from the roots, all the way up to the ends.

Let it sit for about 15 to 60 minutes.

EXPERT TIP: For hair oils, you can use coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, or any other type of oil that can moisturize not only dry hair but also dry scalp.

Step 3: Pat Your Hair Dry

Your goal is not to completely dry your hair down, but to make it damp. You just want to remove excess dripping water from your hair by patting it dry.

Use a clean towel and gently pat on your hair strands, making the towel absorb excess water from your head. Do this until your hair feels wet but not to the point that the water is dripping.

EXPERT TIP: Avoid vigorously scrubbing your hair with a towel. Your hair follicles are weaker when wet and scrubbing it hard with a towel can make your hair frizzy or lead to hair loss.

Step 4: Use a Comb and Detangle Your Hair

The next thing you want to do is detangle your hair using a comb. Carefully comb through the curly hair from the scalp to break all the tangles and knots.

Check out this video!

@jadenlovelle Hair #comb #break #men #black #curls ♬ original sound – ?ℎ?????? ੈ✩‧₊˚

Step 5: Apply Your Heat Protectant

Then, the next step is to apply a heat protectant to your hair. Pour a nickel-sized heat protectant at the top of the head, and one (1) each on both sides.

Spread the hair product evenly onto the hair, but only halfway through. This is vital in keeping your hair healthy.

QUICK NOTE: You can also separate and divide the hair into different sections and apply the heat protectant on each of them, respective of the amount of wavy hair.

Step 6: Blow Dry Your Hair

When the heat protectant has been applied, the last and final step is to blow-dry the hair.

  1. Set the dryer to medium heat.
  2. Make sure that you’re blow drying at least 15 cm away from the head. [2] 
  3. Start at the roots on at back of your head, working your way to the ends of your hair.
  4. Repeat this method until all sections are dry and smooth.
lady blow drying the hair of a man with an afro hair

If you have a comb attachment, you can use this to scrape the hair in the same direction.

Alternatively, you can also use your comb to complement the drying process by allowing your hair to dry out on all sides.

And that’s one bit of the afro hair care you need to learn to maintain healthy hair!

FAQs

In case you have more questions about blow-drying African-American hair, here are a few of the most asked questions about it.

What Should Be Used Before Blow Drying the Hair?

man flipiing his curly hair

In an afro hair routine, a heat protectant must be applied to the hair to protect it from being damaged.
You can also use afro hair products like hair oils, afro combs, deep conditioners, and other products that would enhance the quality of your hair.

How Hot Should Your Hair Dryer Be?

The most ideal temperature for hairdryers would be around between 80 and 140 °F (27 to 60 °C). Going over this range constantly will cause hair breakage because it exceeds the temperature hair can handle.

Blow Dry Your Afro Hair Without Causing Hair Breakage!

You’ll find a lot of tutorials on how to blow dry African American hair male online, but most of them are generic.

This guide/tutorial, however, is from my own experiences in dealing with African hair. You can bank on it if you want to learn a practical way to do it in detail.  

a happy African American man under the title HOW TO BLOW DRY AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIR MALE

Resources: 

  • 1. Coote J. Origins of the Afro Comb: 6,000 Years of Culture, Politics, and Identity: The Fitzwilliam Museum University of Cambridge July 2–November 3, 2013. African Arts. 2017;50:80–2.
  • 2. The science of drying your hair [Internet]. www.ghdhair.com. Available from: https://www.ghdhair.com/us/articles/the-science-of-drying-your-hair