Louise McSharry: Star products for styling air-dried hair

One key feature of the summer, for me, is allowing my hair to air dry. While the winter makes it difficult to embrace my natural wavy/curly texture (wet hair is cold and diffusing it is boring), the warmth of the summer makes it a whole lot easier.

Aside from the beauty of embracing your hair’s natural texture, taking a break from heat and heat styling is incredible for your hair health. Even if you just reduce the time you spend on your hair with heat tools, you’ll notice a huge improvement in its texture and shine.

“Sure, Louise,” I hear you saying, but my hair looks rubbish if I don’t do something with it. I know lots of people feel that way — but we shouldn’t.

First, it’s important to acknowledge that, historically, there’s been a bias against curly hair. Studies indicate that it’s been perceived as ‘wild’ or ‘unprofessional’, which is ridiculous as it’s literally hair and no reflection on a person’s temperament or capability.

It’s worth checking in with yourself to question whether you’re carrying any of these old biases when it comes to your own hair. Aside from that, you may simply need a few tips and the right product to bring out your natural hair’s beauty.

I asked award-winning hair stylist Dylan Bradshaw for some tips, and the first thing he mentioned was what we do with our towels. He says to avoid too much friction and instead use a soft, microfibre towel, taking care not to remove too much moisture.

Overdrying our hair with a rough towel can contribute to frizz and damage, and leaving the hair with moisture in it before air drying will help it to hold its shape.

Speaking of shaping, using your hands to sculpt the hair into the style you want is surprisingly effective. If you have curly or very wavy hair, you’ll know that scrunching it will bring out its texture.

If you have straighter hair, you can mould it into the shape you want and even use clips to hold it in place while it dries naturally (crucially, you must leave it alone while it dries, any fiddling will result in frizz).

Once the hair dries, the hydrogen bonds which have been broken via water contact will reform, meaning the hair will remain in that shape until they’re broken again. This is why plaiting damp hair will leave it wavy, which is another great example of air-dried styling.

Aside from that, products can help. Moisture is key to successful air-drying, so use a moisturising shampoo and conditioner in the shower. 1. Umberto Giannini’s Thirsty Curls Moisture Surge Curl Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner (€11.99 each via boots.ie) are both great.

For straighter, finer hair, 2. Bumble and Bumble’s Don’t Blow It Fine Hair Styler (€35.95 via cloud10beauty.com) gives the hair a beautiful finish without any stickiness or stiffness.

Curly or wavy hair will benefit from a curl butter or cream, Bradshaw recommends 3. Virtue Curl Leave-In Butter (€47 via cultbeauty.com), which both styles and nourishes.

Lost in translation

Benzoyl peroxide is one of the first skincare ingredients I ever knew about, thanks to its presence in many products marketed at teenage, acne-prone skin. An anti-bacterial, organic acid, this is effective in reducing the presence of acne caused by bacteria. It should be used no more than twice a day — once a day is sufficient for most people — and not in multiple products. Too much of it will result in dry, red skin.

Something old…

Heat protectant isn’t the most exciting beauty product, but it is essential. The regular use of heated tools on our hair really compromises its quality, but heat protectants genuinely help. They work by adding a barrier between your hair and the heat, a little like SPF, and while they don’t eliminate damage, they do reduce it significantly. Important, but unexciting. This is why I like the idea of heat protectants that do a little more. Redken’s Iron Shape Thermal Spray (€27.50 via petermark.com) provides heat protection up to 232C but it also adds hold. I like this because it means that if you don’t like hair spray, you can skip it but still have a little bit of holding power in your curls/waves/whatever you’re having yourself. Spritz each section of hair as you style it and you should have lasting and protected results.

... Something new

R+Co is one of my favourite hair-styling brands thanks to its incredible range of products. There is no hair concern you could have that it doesn’t have a product for, and each one is consistently effective as well as being vegan and cruelty-free. Aside from that, the packaging is always really chic and cleverly designed. The brand’s latest launch is Chainmail (€29.90 via cultbeauty.com), a ‘thermal protecting styling spray’. Designed for use with hot tools, this spray protects the hair up to 232C while also providing flexible hold and shine. I find this product works as a texturising spray as well, adding volume and movement with a little zhuzh, but it brushes out easily if you prefer a sleeker look. On top of all that, it smells incredible.