The Pixie Drying Method

This is a method of drying hair that I stumbled across in my quest to combat frizz, and it works really well.

Ideally, once you've washed and conditioned you should leave curly hair well alone and allow it to dry naturally. Touching it disturbs the natural curl pattern and can cause frizz. However, in our busy lives it's not always practical to leave hair to dry on it's own like this - UK weather isn't always the warmest is it?! I've left the house many times with soaking wet hair, blasting it with the car heater on full blast and arriving at work with still-half-wet hair and a bright red face!

So the drying method I like best is this - the Pixie Method aims to disturb the hair as little as possible and therefore reduce frizz.

All you need is a hairdryer with a diffuser attachment (the bigger the diffuser the better, especially if you have a lot of hair). Once you have washed and conditioned, add your leave-in of choice plus any styling products. Before turning on the hairdryer, place a section of hair into the diffuser. Turn on the heat on a high setting and heat only this section of hair for approx 20-30 seconds. Before removing the hairdryer from the hair, turn it off. Repeat on the rest of the hair, drying small sections at a time and turning the heat on and off before and after you've done.

By stopping and starting the heat like this, you aren't disturbing the rest of your hair as you move around your head, and you also aren't subjecting your hair to the heat for very long each time. This keeps the hair in it's natural pattern and stops the frizz from forming. You can do it either standing up straight or with your head held upside down, depending on how much height you want.

If you've used a styling product, your hair will still look wet and will be 'crunchy'- resist the urge to scrunch it out yet. Keep Pixie drying until your hair is 75-80% dry and if possible leave the rest to dry on it's own. Your hair will still look wet because of the product, but once it's completely dry you can scrunch it out and will be left with lovely, soft, defined (and frizz-free) curls.

The first time I tried the Pixie method I was amazed at the difference it made. My curls were really bouncy and looked great. I discovered spirals that I didn't know I had and my own mum didn't believe they were natural! Give it a try, you'll love the results!