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Choosing a Hooded Dryer

A hooded dryer surrounds the head with warm air rather than blasting a stream at it, so the hair dries in the shape you set it in without being disturbed. It is the tool behind every roller set, and it is also the most useful thing you can own for deep conditioning. It does jobs a handheld dryer cannot do at all.

Standing against bonnet

A standing dryer is a rigid hood on a stand, adjustable in height, the type used in salons. It is more powerful, dries faster, keeps the heat even and leaves your hands free, and it takes up floor space permanently. A soft bonnet dryer is a fabric cap with a hose that attaches to a handheld dryer or its own small motor; it folds into a drawer, costs a fraction as much, and is slower and less even. For an occasional user in a small space the bonnet is the sensible buy. For anyone doing weekly sets, the standing dryer pays for itself in time.

Roller sets and wraps

This is the primary use. Hair rolled while wet has to dry completely without being moved, and only a hood does that. Expect thirty to sixty minutes depending on thickness and length, more for coarse or very dense hair. Check the nape and the sections underneath, which dry last and are what collapse a set if they are still damp.

Deep conditioning

Heat helps a deep conditioner get into the strand, and a hooded dryer over a plastic cap is the most effective way to apply it at home. Twenty minutes on a moderate setting is enough. This alone is a good reason to own a bonnet dryer even if you never do a roller set.

Drying braids and protective styles

Braids and twists trap water at the roots, and a scalp left damp under a style for hours is uncomfortable and eventually smells. A hood dries the roots without frizzing the braids, which is exactly what a handheld dryer does. After washing a protective style, twenty minutes under a hood finishes the job properly.

Heat settings

Use less than you think. Medium heat for longer is kinder to the hair and dries just as thoroughly as high heat for a shorter time, and it is far more comfortable to sit under. High heat is for speed, not for results. If the scalp feels hot rather than warm, the setting is too high.