Most of us are guilty of only air-drying our hair when we’re rushing out the door or relaxed on a beachside vacation. But with the damage that heat styling tools can do to your hair, it’s important to give your hair a bit of a break every now and then and embrace your natural texture.

Not only will air-drying your hair help to prevent damage, it can also shave a lot of time off your morning routine if you’re usually washing, blow drying and then styling before work.

Using these simple tricks, you’ll be able to perfect your hairstyle when air-drying for a natural, effortless look.

Use a hydrating conditioner

Frizz-prevention is key when you’re letting your hair air-dry so be sure to use a frizz preventing or super hydrating conditioner after shampooing.

Towel dry (the right way)

It’s best to soak up as much excess water as you can so use a microfibre towel and gently pat and squeeze your hair to dry it off. Don’t rub or wring it out, that will just cause more frizz and can lead to breakage.

Brush with a wide toothed comb

The wider the bristles on the comb, the less pulling and tugging your hair will experience meaning less damage. Using a wider comb also helps to preserve your natural curl or wave pattern without causing too much fluff.

Apply a conditioning product

Leave in conditioners are a must when air-drying as they help to seal your hair’s cuticle and hold in moisture to prevent frizz. If you have really curly hair naturally, choose a leave-in balm that’s specifically designed for curly hair. If you want a sleeker look, choose one formulated for straight hair.

Shake your fingers through your hair

Breaking up the strands will help to give you more volume and the heat from your hands helps to keep things smooth. If you want more curl or wave, you can also take 2-3cm sections of your hair and twist it into a spiral, leave it to dry and shake it out to reveal a nice curl.

Don’t be too hands on

The more you play with your hair as it’s air-drying, the more irregular the texture pattern will be when it’s dry. Once you’ve done a bit of an initial twirl or scrunch, just leave it do to its thing.