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Heat may be great at speeding up the drying process and aiding in styling, but cold air just may be the key to your shiniest, smoothest, healthiest locks ever. In this guide, we’ll uncover what makes a cold air hair dryer unique, highlight its benefits, and reveal our top tips and recommendations. Read on to discover the advantage of a cold air hair dryer!
What Is a Cold Air Hair Dryer?
As the name suggests, a cold air hair dryer emits cool air rather than hot air to facilitate the hair drying process.
Cold air hair dryers aren’t necessarily their own category of hair dryers – they’re typically regular hair dryers that come with a cold air setting. This could come in the form of a cold blast button, or a cool temperature setting that allows the user to continually dry with cooler air instead of hot air.
The Benefits of Using a Cold Air Hair Dryer
Is using a cold air hair dryer good or bad?
Drying wet hair with cold air might sound strange or even unappealing, but hear us out – there are lots of benefits to using a hair dryer’s cold setting.
Heat is a known enemy of healthy hair, which means that continually using a hot air hair dryer can lead to damage. Excessive heat exposure weakens every layer of a hair strand, creating dryness, dullness, and an overall brittle feeling.
The damage begins at the cuticle, the hair’s external layer. Heat causes cuticle cells to lift and separate, rendering the hair’s inner layers more vulnerable. Once the cuticle’s texture has been compromised, the proteins that make up the hair’s structure begin to break down. A healthy strand of hair is made up of tightly linked chains, but heat causes these chains to lose their strength and elasticity as they shrink and melt. Damaged hair will appear dull, dry, and frizzy as a result.
An easy way to prevent heat damage is avoiding exposure to hot air, which is where cold air hair dryers come in. In addition to protecting strands from heat damage, cold air also has the power to …
- Enhance smoothness by sealing hair cuticles
- Boost shine – a sealed cuticle promotes light reflection
- Prevent frizz by retaining moisture within strands
It’s an all-around gentler and safer choice for hair that promotes long-term health, though it may take slightly longer than a hot air setting.
When to Use a Cold Air Hair Dryer
Sticking to the cold air setting is a good idea any time you dry your hair, but it’s especially beneficial for …
- Damaged, sensitive, or frizz-prone hair*
- Setting textured hairstyles like waves and curls
- Locking styling products in place
If you’re concerned about a cold air hair dryer feeling unpleasant after a hot shower, don’t worry! The air stream is typically cool rather than cold, so you won’t be blasting freezing air onto your scalp. It can be quite a refreshing sensation that doesn’t lead to overheating on your scalp. Those that don’t tolerate cold well can always alternate between cool and warm air streams to create a pleasant feeling while reducing heat exposure. Just remember to use a heat protectant before you start blow drying, and always finish with a cool blast to seal those hair cuticles.
*Cold air hair dryers are best suited for these hair types, but they are effective and beneficial for any kind of hair.
How to Get Cold Air from a Hair Dryer
Getting the cold air is a simple process, as long as you know your hair dryer has a cool setting. Look for your hair dryer’s heat and temperature settings and choose accordingly. Sometimes cool air buttons are marked with a snowflake symbol, other times you may have to toggle between hot and warm settings. Once you find the setting, you’ll definitely be able to feel the cool air come through!
Can Cold Air Effectively Dry Hair?
You may be wondering if cold air can effectively dry hair. After all, heat is synonymous with dryness – if you put anything wet under the hot sun or next to a heater, it’ll dry up in mere moments.
It’s true that heat can speed up the drying process, but cold air is still effective at drying hair. It’s really the airflow that works to evaporate moisture from strands rather than the temperature of the air – that’s why cold air can still dry hair thoroughly and effectively.
If you’re concerned about longer drying times, choose a hair dryer with a powerful airflow and stick to cool air on a high speed setting. It shouldn’t take too much longer than a hot air setting.
The Best Cold Air Hair Dryers
Want to make the transition from hot to cold? Here are our top recommendations.
1. Laifen Swift High-Speed Hair Dryer
Sleek, chic, and ultra effective, the Laifen Swift has everything you could dream of in a cold air hair dryer. It’s made with an intelligent thermo sensor to offer real-time temperature monitoring, letting you easily keep heat damage at bay. You can stick to the cool mode for the duration of your blow dry session (make sure the Swift’s ring light stays at blue), or take advantage of the innovative temperature cycling mode.
In addition to the cool air setting, you’ll also be able to enjoy ionic technology for smoother, healthier hair. It works by using a billion negative ions to neutralize frizz-inducing static electricity while wicking away moisture faster. The Swift is also a fantastic choice if you don’t want to sacrifice fast drying times for healthier hair. Equipped with an ultra fast brushless motor, you’ll still be able to enjoy drying times that are three times faster than standard hair dryers – even in cool air mode.
2. Laifen Mini High-Speed Hair Dryer
Encompassing all of Laifen’s incredible features – smart temperature control, ionic technology, and an ultra fast 110,000 rpm brushless motor – in a compact packet, the Laifen Mini is the perfect choice for anyone who adheres to the principle of ‘less is more’.
Whether you’re a frequent traveler, a minimalist, or you just want a hair dryer that isn’t bulky, the Mini will be exactly what you’re looking for. Enjoy the benefits of a cold air hair dryer by opting for the cool air setting, or find the perfect balance with the temperature cycling mode. Ionic technology will help create your sleekest locks possible, and the powerful motor means you can still dry your hair in record time regardless of the temperature setting.
Conclusion – The Benefits of a Cold Air Hair Dryer
If you’ve been neglecting your hair dryer’s cold air setting, we hope this guide has encouraged you to make the switch. A cold air hair dryer will be one of your best tools for promoting hair health, as it prevents heat damage and frizz while boosting sleekness and shine. Even if you only use the cool setting intermittently, you’ll still be doing your locks a massive favor.
