Why You Need Blow Dry Cream

Is your hair frizzy and unmanageable? Do you have a hard time brushing and find your hair tangles easily? Have you been styling your hair without heat protection? If you're nodding in agreement, or suffer from other styling woes, you will likely find blow dry creams a game-changer.

Before we get into the magic that is blow dry cream, let’s first talk about why a good blow out is essential. We love styling with high heat, our hot hair tools are practically our best friends. And what's not to love? They transform our worst hair days into our best. But, extremely high temperatures and too much time spent with our hot tools can damage delicate strands, leaving hair dull and colour faded. By using your hairdryer to its fullest potential you can minimize the amount of time spent with hot hair tools while still getting the style you want. Hairdryers still use heat, but their lower, indirect heat make them a less-damaging option. Where do blow dry creams fit in? A blow dry cream can make working with your hairdryer faster and easier, while protecting your hair. There are many ways a blow dry cream can give you a better blowout, let's take a closer look!

Speed up drying time - Look for quick-dry options to streamline your styling routine and reduce the amount of heat you need to apply from your hair dryer.

Protect against heat damage - This is necessary to protect you from the heat of your dryer and particularly important if you plan on using a high heat hair tool after your blow out.

Smooth your cuticle - Your hair cuticle is made up of layers that form a protective coating on each strand. Every day stress can cause the cuticle to lift and damage your hair. By smoothing the cuticle your hair will appear stay healthy and look shinier.

Fight frizz - This goes hand-in-hand with a smooth cuticle. When dry strands with lifted cuticles find moisture in the air, they soak up the water and swell, making hair unmanageable. Creams work by smoothing the cuticle, increasing moisture and creating a protective barrier against frizz.

Reduces breakage - soft silky hair means less friction and snags when brushing, which equals less breakage!

Style Memory - The light hold keeps your style in place longer.

There are different types of blow dry creams. Most commonly they are broken down into primers and lotions. Primers are similar to primers used in skin care in that they create a base to better receive other styling products. They lock out humidity and help styles last longer. Lotions make hair silky to reduce friction and breakage. Both are available in sprays or creams to better accommodate varying hair types. Sprays tend to be lighter and more suitable to fine hair where creams are better suited to thick, coarse hair.

Do blow dry creams really work? I put one to the test.

Over two days I tried a blow dry and style with Redken Pillow Proof Express Treatment Cream Primer  and without the Primer. I tested for blow dry time, styling ease and style memory. 

Both days I followed the same routine:

1. My hair was washed and conditioned with Kerasilk Repower Volumizing shampoo and conditioner.

2. I then wrapped my hair in a towel and let my hair air dry for 15 minutes.

3. I applied Redken Pillowproof Express Treatment Primer in my first trial, and a regular thermal protectant on my second trial

4. I blow dried my hair, while recording the time from damp to completely dry

5. I curled using a flat iron

6. Lightly brushed out curls so they were loose waves

7. Finished with a light spritz of medium hold hairspray

On to the Results!

With Primer

Dry Time: 3 Minutes 24 Seconds

Style Memory: I still had some waves on day two, which is very good for my hair. My hair doesn't hold curl very well, so this is a great result for me!

Manageability: I found brushing and moving the flat iron through my hair was so much easier with the Primer. And it made my hair much softer and shinier!

Without Primer

Dry Time: 3 Minutes 37 Seconds

Style Memory: There was a very slight wave on day two, but not nearly as much as when I had used the Primer.

Manageability: Brushing was difficult Very tangled and very hard to brush through. Curling with my flat iron was also much harder. The iron didn't glide over sections and dragged. My curls didn't hold as nicely when I loosely brushed them.

What's the verdict?

While I didn't find a drastic improvement in drying time, but overall I definitely preferred using the primer over not using a primer. It made brushing and styling much easier  and made my style last longer. I also noticed more body, softness and shine.

As you can see, blow dry creams are a major component of a good blow out. There are many available in-store or online, ask your Stylist or a Beauty Consultant for their recommendations!

Or, line your arsenal with these top picks:

CHI Luxury Black Seed Oil Blow Dry Cream

Nurturing moisture for very dry damaged hair, yet lightweight for fine hair.

Unite 7Seconds Blow Out Creme

Cuts blow dry time and leaves hair weightlessly hydrated.

Biolage Blow Dry Glotion

All the features of a great blow dry cream plus a light hold that can be reshaped to revamp your look for days.

Redken Pillowproof Express Treatment Primer

Protects, hydrates, adds body, makes styles last longer and preps hair to boost benefits of other products. So many benefits in one little bottle!