Which Is Better for Your Hair: Blow-Drying or Air-Drying?

By Pang-Chieh Ho
Senior Home & Appliances Writer

Updated August 27, 2024

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One of the biggest culture shocks I experienced moving to the States has to do with the hair dryer. Many Americans I know, including my partner, don’t use a blow-dryer. Instead, they prefer to air-dry their hair after they wash it.

That, to me, was never an option when I was growing up. I lived in a household where you would get yelled at if you walked around with wet hair. My dad’s reasoning was that you had to blow-dry your hair immediately after washing it or risk getting a headache. And now whenever I see my partner puttering around the apartment with dripping wet hair, I yell at him as well. It’s all come full circle.

We’ve had a long-standing debate over hair drying. For one, will you really get a headache if your hair is wet for a long time? Also, which method is actually better for your hair, i.e., which will cause your hair less damage—blow-drying or air-drying?

This is what doctors told me.

Wet hair has not been a proven constant trigger for migraines, according to research, says Matthew Robbins, MD, president-elect of the New York State Neurological Society. However, people who suffer from migraines often have scalp and hair sensitivity called allodynia, and for them, wet hair might be a plausible cause of headaches, he says.

And if you go to sleep with your hair wet, other factors can contribute to a headache. For example, a cold, wet pillow could cause brief awakenings that disturb sleep and prompt a migraine.

What about hair damage? There’s little evidence that either air-drying or blow-drying is better for your hair. And there are advantages and disadvantages to both, says Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, MD, a dermatologist and fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

If you’re not careful when you blow-dry your hair, the heat damage can cause split ends and breakage. Also, pulling on your hair while drying can cause trauma to the hair follicles, which may lead to hair loss later, says Lauren Ploch, MD, a dermatologist in Aiken, S.C.

But blow-drying without heat isn’t damaging, says Julia Tzu, MD, a dermatologist and founder of Wall Street Dermatology in New York City.

And while excessive heat from a hair dryer can damage your hair more than not using a dryer at all, blow-drying your hair at the right distance and temperature can actually cause less damage than letting your hair air-dry, Houshmand says.

That’s because when hair comes in contact with water, it swells. The longer the swelling goes on while the hair is wet, she says, the more pressure it puts on the proteins keeping your hair intact, which can lead to more damage.

Okay, so what’s the best way to dry hair? If you prefer to air-dry, it’s recommended that you let your hair dry completely before you lie down because the friction of wet hair against a pillow or other fabric can cause split ends, Ploch says.

And if you want to blow-dry your hair, remove excess water with a towel first, then use your dryer on a medium setting, holding it 6 inches away to minimize heat exposure. Using a heat protectant on your hair can also lessen breakage, Houshmand says.

It might also be worthwhile to consider using indirect heat, such as sitting under a hooded dryer or using a diffuser, to lessen the damage, says Janiene Luke, MD, an associate professor in the department of dermatology at Loma Linda University in California.

One thing to keep in mind is that the choice of a drying method should depend on your hair type, texture, hairstyle, and hair goals. Blow-drying can add style and volume, but if your hair is more processed, blow-drying and using hot tools like curling irons and flat irons can be more damaging compared with letting your hair air-dry.

Looking to upgrade your blow dryer? Our pick for the Power User is the GHD Helios (available at Amazon and Walmart for $279).

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Pang-Chieh Ho

Pang-Chieh Ho is a senior content creator at Consumer Reports who writes about the intersections of home products and health. She has been working in the media industry for almost 10 years. Books are her first love, but movies come a close second. You can send tips to her at pangchieh.ho@consumer.org.