Diffusing my curly hair is something I struggled to get to grips with – before following a curly routine, I had never even owned a hairdryer before!
People with curly hair seem to struggle with 2 main things when drying their hair: the time it takes, and how not to introduce frizz while using a hairdryer. Below are a few techniques that you can mix and match until you get the results you’re happy with!
Hover diffusing
Hover diffusing is great if you worry that cupping your curls in the diffuser causes frizz, because you don’t actually touch your hair with the hairdryer. Instead, you hover it from a short distance. This is also handy for using hotter temperatures without any extra damage to your hair – in fact, one study found “using a hair dryer at a distance of 15 cm with continuous motion causes less damage than drying hair naturally.”
At the very least, starting your diffusing with some hover diffusing can help the cast of your stylers start to set and harden up, so that the curls don’t frizz up while you continue drying.
Regular diffusing and pixie diffusing
The normal way to use a diffuser is to cup your curls into the bowl of the diffuser, and concertina them up towards your head. Hold it there for a few seconds, then release and switch areas.
If you find this causes too much frizz, try pixie diffusing. This is when you only switch on your hairdryer once the diffuser is already in place with all the curls cupped in it. You switch it on while it’s cupped to your head, hold it there for a bit, then switch it off before moving the hairdryer.
Ways to boost definition while diffusing
If you want to further minimise the amount of frizz that’s created while diffusing, be sure to employ both hover diffusing and pixie diffusing so that you’re keeping curl disruption to a minimum until it’s completely dry. When pixie diffusing, you can hold the hairdryer in place for up to 20 seconds before switching areas. Also, be sure that your stylers are a hard enough hold – if they are not hard enough to form a cast, then your hair will be blown around by the hairdryer and make your curls do that explodey thing!
Finally, try Smasters partway through diffusing. Coined by a NaturallyCurly forum user called Smasters467, this when you glaze over a little more of your styler when your hair is halfway dry, to really ensure your curls get the best hold it can.
Ways to boost volume while diffusing
First, bear in mind that with volume comes frizz – but this is functional frizz that gives extra body to our hair! You could try moving your diffuser against your roots, or flipping your hair from side to side while you diffuse. Some curlies also prefer to scrunch out their crunchy cast when their hair is about 80% dry while they’re still diffusing. This makes my hair fall a bit flat personally, but since it works for others, it’s definitely worth trying out!
Alternatively, try root clipping when your hair is about 80% dry. You can do this with claw clips, sectioning clips, or duck bill clips, as long as you’re clipping around your parting or in places you want some lift. Take them out when your hair is fully dry, and voila!
Check out some of my favourite claw clips on my Amazon and Etsy wishlists (affiliate links).
My own diffusing routine
As mentioned, for best results you can mix and match these techniques to get a look you like. I like to focus on keeping my definition when I diffuse, because I can gain volume on day 2 and beyond – but I can’t get the definition back! So, I start by hover diffusing upside down on high speed and high heat. This starts hardening the cast of my styler, while lifting my roots away from my scalp. After a couple of minutes, I switch to a medium heat and speed and start cup diffusing (I don’t pixie diffuse…mainly because I can’t be bothered). I don’t use a heat protectant, but you can spray one beforehand if you’re worried.
After a couple of minutes more, I’ll start to slowly move upright and continue cup diffusing. I’ll also flip my hair from left to right while drying, so that my parting doesn’t dry flat.
I do Smasters partway through (glaze a smidge more styler) and then when my hair is nearly dry, I’ll root clip with either some metal duck bill clips, or a big claw clip if I’m feeling lazy. I’ll often air dry the last bit, just because standing around diffusing is sooo boring (can you tell my enthusiasm has run out by the time I get to the drying stage??) 🤣
Fully diffusing my hair dry takes about 10-15 minutes…but that’s because I have a very efficient hairdryer! The one I use is a Laifen Swift Special – it’s basically a Dyson dupe but for less than half the price! My affiliate code NATALIELF gets you $10/€10 off their website if you want to check them out.
And if you need a visual aid, check out my diffusing routine on Instagram!
Curls by the Coast 
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