How to Blow Dry Short Hair Without a Fuss

Ready to up your short hair blow dry game? Find out the best way to streamline your process for the best possible home blowout.

Whether you’re rocking a bob, lob or pixie crop — a sleek blowout is a look you can always fall back on. Ideal for all seasons (and occasions), learning how to blow dry short hair will totally change your grooming routine for the better, we promise! While doing a ‘proper’ at-home blow dry might seem like it takes years of practice, it’s actually a no-pro look that anyone can master.

If you’re looking for short hair blow dry tips that can work on any hair type, this tutorial is the perfect guide. You’ll be wearing the bouncy blow dry of your dreams in no time!

How to Blow Dry Short Hair: Tutorial

1. Protect

Starting with towel-dried tresses, apply TRESemmé Heat Defence Spray all over your hair.

Because you’re using a hairdryer, it’s essential to safeguard your strands against any damage that can be caused by heat styling.

2. Section you hair

Use a comb to create four equal sections in your hair. The first two should be at the back of your head, from ear to ear. The second two should start at the front of your head from above the ears. Clip each section up and away from your face.

3. Start drying

Starting with the back section of your hair, use a brush in your dominant hand to comb through your hair as you dry it, keeping the brush tight against your scalp.

Editor’s Tip: Make sure the nozzle of your hairdryer is parallel to the handle, this will ensure your finish is as sleek as possible.

4. Use a round brush

Repeat this process on the other sections of your hair, drying them one-by-one.
Style the ends by wrapping your hair around a round brush and pointing the nozzle of the hairdryer downwards. This will give them a slightly tucked-under look.

5. Lift the crown

When drying the crown of your head, use a round brush to lift the hair at the roots and redirect it upwards. Drying it this way will add salon-worthy volume to your short hair blow dry.

6. Style your fringe

If you’re rocking bangs, flat wrap the hair against the scalp when drying, just as you did with the other sections. Then, bring the hair forward and dry using a brush to set your fringe.

7. Set with hairspray

Once all your hair is dry and you’re happy with the style, set it in place by misting the VO5 Firm Hold Hairspray or the TRESemmé Firm Hold Styling Hairspray from the front of the style to the back.

This will help keep your look shiny, sleek and flyaway-free all day.

8. That’s it!

Give yourselves a round of applause, ladies! You’ve now mastered how to blow dry short hair but we’re not done yet…

We want to spend a bit more time deconstructing the best way to blow dry short hair. As something that a lot of women rush through every day, it deserves its fair share of focus and airtime. Although not a lot of steps go into that short hair blow dry, there are indeed proper, efficient ways that will help maximise time and effort.

Scroll down for our easy-to-follow guide to help you with the task ahead.

Tutorial: The Bouncy Blow Dry on Short Hair Lengths

1. Start with clean, freshly washed hair

A lot of women like to extend their blowouts to last for more than a day, so starting with freshly-showered hair gives you a cleaner slate.

2. Rough-dry your hair

By rough-dry, we mean blotting and squeezing the moisture out of hair with a towel straight out of the shower. Resist the urge to rub vigorously, as this can break or damage your strands.

Editor’s note: Try using a clean T-shirt to blot the water from your strands. The smooth cotton surface makes it perfect for absorbing moisture while minimising friction. This helps to protect your hair.

3. Spray on a heat protectant

A good heat protectant acts as a shield for hot spots/heat damage, as well as a styling primer that provides slip and moisture. After hair is evenly coated, comb through with a wide-toothed comb or detangling brush to remove any knots.

4. Section the top half of your head first

With the end of a fishtail comb (or even your fingers), create a horizontal part above one ear across to the opposite ear and clip up that section. The remaining bottom section can now be divided into three smaller strips: left, middle and right. Clip up two of your three sections, and get to work on the loose section immediately.

5. Dry, rotate and pull

First pull sections through a round brush, tugging upwards then tugging downwards from root to tip. For extra oomph or to create sections that form a natural, loose curl, rotate your wrist as you pull your hair a second time. Do so gently to avoid any tangling with the bristles. Repeat on all sections, taking care to blow dry the hairline away from your face to open up your features.

Editor’s note: We suggest choosing a slim round barrel brush made from a natural material, like boar bristles. Natural bristles can help reduce flyaways while also distributing the hair’s natural oils.

6. Blow dry bangs first

Bangs usually dry quicker and set in the shape they dry. Style them before they completely dry out by rolling them over a fat round brush in a scooping motion (for fuller bangs) or sweep them to the side with a flat brush (for wispier bangs).

7. Over-direct

Some women like to over-direct their hair. This means tugging hair with a brush to the opposite of where you actually want your hair to fall, or blow-drying hair way past your forehead to help give it more volume. This technique is used a lot when drying with a paddle brush, or when creating straighter, sleeker looks that still retain some volume.

8. Finish with hairspray

The final step in learning how to blow dry short hair at home is not being afraid of hairspray. The right product can still give a natural, not too “done” look. Modern hairsprays work to protect hair from flyaways while locking in a look.