Hair dryer attachments guide: How to use those nozzles

Using the right hair dryer attachments correctly can really maximise your style. Which attachment you use can really make or break your style, while going rogue on your strands with a hairdryer can leave you with poofy hair.

That’s why we’ve put this handy guide together! We want to help you dry your hair the right way and help you choose the right nozzles for your style. Read on to learn all about attachments for hair dryers and how to use them.

Your guide to hair dryer attachments

1. The concentrator nozzle

The first attachment that everyone needs to get familiar with is the concentrator nozzle. It’s the one with a flat vent shape. Basically, a concentrator nozzle changes the direction of the air coming out of your blow dryer. Instead of just blowing hot air all over, the concentrator, as the name suggests, focuses the airflow for more targeted drying.

The concentrator attachment makes it possible to dry specific sections of hair at a time. This nozzle makes it easy to blow-dry your fringe straight. It can also add extra volume to your roots when used correctly. Not to mention, it’s the type of hair dryer attachment that makes sleek blowouts possible. Thank you, concentrator nozzle!

Using a concentrator nozzle

Most attachments clip onto your dryer and some slip over the end of the dryer. Some fancy hair dryer attachments even attach magnetically. To best use a concentrator nozzle, it’s a good idea to have your hair already partially dried. We say this because trying to dry all of your hair with the concentrator can take a long time and can create unintentional hot spots.

If you want to do a blowout style at home, use the attachment to help direct the airflow towards the hair on the brush. You can also use the concentrator nozzle to help dry your roots upwards to create more volume in your hair.

The hair dryer attachment best for curly girls is the diffuser. A diffuser is bowl shaped with prongs sticking out. It has holes in it to let the air from the dryer flow through it and reach your strands. This nozzle makes for a quick and frizz-free drying experience, as your curl shape is left intact during the drying process.

The diffuser head forces the air coming out of the dryer to spread out and up through the prongs. So when you’re using it to dry your hair, less air flows in one area. Instead, the air is spread out, making this method of drying much gentler on hair.

Using the diffuser attachment

It’s best to use the diffuser hair dryer attachment for defined curls. Really all you need to do is lay your curls onto the diffuser and proceed to dry! If your dryer has heat and speed settings, try the lowest and slowest. Only work your way up to hotter temps and faster airflow if you need to. Lean your head and hair over forward and dry upwards along the lengths of your hair, and place it near your head to dry your roots as needed.

When blow-drying curly hair, it’s important to make sure you maintain its moisture levels. You want your hair dry but still moisturised. To make sure the hairdryer doesn’t dehydrate your hair, use hair oil to add moisture to your hair and give it shine.

We highly recommend TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Shine Oil because it’s great for soothing flyaways caused by heat and it hydrates your hair.

3. The picks

Much like a hair pick is used to create volume in your ‘do, the pick hair dryer attachment does the same! Shorter picks are best suited for shorter strands while longer hair requires a longer variety.

4. The styler

Think of this as a hairbrush and blow dryer in one! This tool has gained a lot of popularity as it’s the ideal choice for those wanting to get that blowout look the easy way. Instead of holding your round brush in one hand and trying to angle the blow dryer with the other, this handy tool allows you to do both at once! Okay, we admit, it’s not technically a hair dryer attachment, but it totally does the same job.