Air-Dry Your Hair? The Best Expert-Approved Air-Drying Tips, Based On Your Hair Type

Think of air-drying as a journey—not a destination. In addition to testing serums and leave-in stylers to find one that's right for you, there are so many other variables at play, like the weather, a too-rough towel, or even if you have a habit of messing with it too much while it's drying.

A general rule of thumb is that air-drying begins in the shower, with what shampoos and conditioners you use. If your hair naturally lies flat at the root, a thorough shampoo is just as important for lift as a styling mousse might be. Or if your curls are traditionally dry and frizzy, you need a potent conditioner just as much as you need a hydrating curl cream.

From there, you should evaluate hair both on overall type (straight to kinky) and individual strand texture (fine to thick), says hairstylist Clay Nielsen, who works at the salon Spoke&Weal. Someone with fine, limp hair might gravitate toward a product that supports fullness, no matter whether their hair is curly or stick-straight. And someone with thick, dense strands might need to use smoothing products, even if their hair dries relatively straight as is.

Air-drying soft, frizz-free curls takes precision. To begin, says Nielsen, you should use a heavy conditioner after shampooing. After stepping out of the shower, you'll then want to apply a cream or oil-based product to soften and condense the hair shaft. Using cream-based curl-defining products can help keep frizz at bay while adding some shine and vibrancy to your curly mane. Curls can also dry out fairly easily, so scope out products that are moisturizing and hydrating—your curls will drink them right up.  

Hairstylist Alicia Miller, national master trainer for Davines North America, says you should also resist the urge to over towel dry. If you simply must twist your hair into a towel wrap, make sure to, "use a towel that is soft and less likely to activate frizz," she says, like a microfiber wrap.

To keep your waves soft and shiny, you'll need the right product. ("When air-drying any type of hair, product is key!" says Miller.) Similar to curly hair—they are looser curls, after all—waves thrive on curl-defining and moisturizing products to give them that relaxed, effortless bounce. We're talking hydrating curl creams, moisturizing serums, maybe even a fine-mist spray with a scrunch to give your waves a more textured, just-left-the-beach look. 

For slick, straight hair, "shampoo twice and condition at the ends only—this will help build volume," says Nielsen. "Then, choose a product with little to no oil."