Visit our sister sites:
  • All You
  • Coastal Living
  • Cooking Light
  • Health
  • My Recipes
  • Southern Living
  • Sunset
  • This Old House
Real Simple | Life Made Easier, Every Day
  • food & recipes
    • Browse All
    • Recipe Search
    • Recipe Galleries & Favorites
    • Cooking Tips & Techniques
    • Shopping & Storing
    • Tools & Products
    • Ingredient Guide
  • home & organizing
    • Browse All
    • Organizing
    • Cleaning
    • Decorating
    • Home Improvement
    • Gardening
    • Green Living
    • New Uses For Old Things
    • Cleaning 101
  • beauty & fashion
    • Browse All
    • Hair
    • Skin Care
    • Makeup
    • Makeovers
    • Clothing
    • New! Finish the Look Fashion Game
    • Instant Beauty Makeover Tool
  • holidays & entertaining
    • Browse All
    • Holidays
    • Entertaining
    • Gifts
    • Real Simple Gift Guide App
    • Holiday Decorating Ideas
    • Easy Home Entertaining
    • Holiday Entertaining
  • weddings
    • Browse All
    • Flowers
    • Cakes & Catering
    • Ceremony
    • Dress & Attire
    • Etiquette
    • Budget
    • Guests
    • Planning
    • Registry & Gifts
    • Real Weddings
    • Checklists
  • family & work
    • Browse All
    • Health
    • Money
    • Family
    • Life Strategies
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Etiquette
    • Books & Entertainment
    • Money Management Tips
  • checklists
    • Food
    • Beauty & Style
    • Household & Finance
    • Health & Wellness
    • Travel
    • Cleaning
    • Family
    • Organizing & Home Improvement
    • Holidays & Entertaining
    • Weddings
  • blog
    • Browse All
    • Adventures in Chaos
    • Conversation Starters
    • Daily Thought
    • New Products
    • Simple Tip
    • Where We're Clicking
  • magazine
    • Browse All
    • Subscribe
    • Table of Contents & More
    • Road Tests
    • Daily Finds
    • Newsletters
    • Real Simple Products
    • Real Simple Offers
    • Real Simple Rewards
    • Back Issues
    • Give a Gift
  • VIDEOS
  • MAKE 1 SIMPLE CHANGE
  • NO-OBLIGATION BOOK CLUB
  • REAL SIMPLE OFFERS
  • SUBSCRIBE

Pretty Ideas for a Bad Hair Day

  • Email
  • Print
  • Save
Illustration of a red hair dryer with nozzleBrown Bird Design Page 1 of 12

3 Easy Steps to a Perfect Home Blow-Dry

By Elizabeth Graves

Get out the door on time: How to dry straight or curly hair faster―and better.

To Blow-Dry Straight Hair

Get the Tools

  • The right dryer: Look for at least 1,800 watts and multiple heat and air settings, says New York City stylist Sarah Potempa. Medium heat is best for predrying hair. High heat manipulates your hair’s shape, and air sets a style.
  • Nozzle: Don’t discard this. It is key to a smooth look and keeps hair from getting too close to the heat.
  • Round brush: Straighten strands, make ends flip, or create waves with this tool. Time-saving tip: The bigger the surface area of a brush, the faster the drying time. Brushes with vents also shave off minutes.
  • Hair clip: It keeps layers separate and easy to manage and prevents damage caused by overdrying sections.

 

Next: Pick Your Products
Skip to Daily Finds slides.
Illustration of a red hair dryer with nozzle
Illustration of styling products for straight hair
Predry and section hair illustration
Dry top layers illustration for straight hair
Shape ends and finish illustration for straight hair
Hair dryer with diffuser
Illustration of styling products for curly hair
Apply leave-in and gel illustration for curly hair
Diffuse hair at the roots illustration for curly hair
Smooth and finish illustration for curly hair

Most Popular Galleries

  • Blue present with silver stars

      29 Great Gifts for Grads

  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

      50 Great Books That Will Change Your Life

  • Kristen Jones Connell with her dad Billy Jones

      36 Unique Gifts for Dad

Hot Topic

“Leather-soled shoes don’t stand up so well to all the wear-and-tear they’ll eventually take. Rough surfaces like pavement destroy them surprisingly quickly. Keep your shoes in top condition by having...” - rebeccadaly
More From

Extend The Life Of Your Shoes

What do you think about this article? Share your own solutions and ideas

View Earlier Comments
Lipstick

New beauty finds delivered monthly 

Get real-life beauty and fashion tips, plus special offers. 

Advertisement

What's Hot

How To: Tie a Necktie

Learn How to Tie a Tie

A step-by-step guide to tying the knot.

  • 10 Free Ways to Make Charitable Donations
  • Huffington Post Home: 10 Inspiring Closets
Computer deskNew on the Web
Secrets to Small Space Entertaining from Jordan Reid of Ramshackle Glam
For years and years my husband and I lived in an apartment that was fairly avera...
from The Nest Blog - Home Décor, Cooking, Money, Health & Sex News & Advice » house & home
Dating advice: Who you should (and shouldn't) listen to
When you start dating a new woman, everyone becomes a critic: She's great, she'...
from FOXNews.com
Design Field Trip: La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles
If you're ever in Los Angeles, make it a point to visit La Brea Avenue'...
from POPSUGAR Home
HuffPost Tastemakers: A Meal At Nopi
Ottolenghi is a lucky man. Read more: Tastemakers , Ottolenghi ...
from Tastepartner on The Huffington Post
PHOTOS: Our Pinterest Account's Most Popular Crafts
Feel free to repin....
from Home on Huffingtonpost
Dream Spaces: Trash Becomes Treasure in a Massive Seattle Garage (7 photos)
A love of restoring junk to its former glory led a professional Porsche driver ...
from Houzz
  • Browse RealSimple.com:
    • Ask Real Simple
    • Contests & Sweepstakes
    • Games
    • Makeover in Minutes
    • New Uses for Old Things
    • No-Obligation Book Club
    • Photo Contests
    • Quizzes
    • Road Tests
    • Shop, Prep, Cook
    • Real Weddings
    • Tools, Videos, Checklists
    • Site Map
  • Customer Service:
    • Contact Us
    • Customer Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your California Privacy Rights
    • Subscribe
    • Give a Gift
    • Real Simple Products
    • Real Simple Offers
    • Real Simple Rewards
    • Back Issues
    • Media Kit
  • On the Go:
    • Real Simple iPadRead Us on Tablet
    Get our Apps:
    • No Time to Cook
    • To-Do Lists
    • Gift Guide
  • FREE Newsletters:
    • Weekly Tips
    • Daily Finds Newsletter
    • Keep-It-Together Checklist
    • SEE ALL
    Time Inc. Lifestyle Brands
  • Connect With Real Simple
    • Pinterest
      JOIN US
    • Facebook
      LIKE US
    • Twitter
      FOLLOW US
    • Google Plus
      FOLLOW US
    • YouTube
      WATCH US
    • Instagram
      FOLLOW US
  • Food & Recipes
  • Home & Organizing
  • Beauty & Fashion
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Weddings
  • Family & Work
  • Checklists
  • Blog
  • Magazine
Real Simple Home and Lifestyle Network
Copyright © 2013 Time Inc. Lifestyle Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.