Natural Hair Dry Set and Updo

Hair by Benita Blocker, 2014

So my client turned age 15, and she loves her natural hair.  She does her own hair about 100% of the time, but she had a special event where she needed a polished natural style in the form of an updo per her mom's request.

So after shampooing with conditioning shampoos, I skipped the conditioning phase and went for the blow dryer.  So YES! She was a full blow-out but no hot irons.  Her texture was moderately resistant so the blow dry phase took at least 40 minutes. Then I performed the dry set in the form of 2-strand flat twists.

If you remember, sometimes I have dry set my locs by using a setting agent on them from a completely dry stage.  So the only wetness on the hair is generated from the setting agents.  Dry sets cuts down on the drying time for natural hair.  For short hair:  40 minutes.  For medium hair: an hour.  Getting the back of the 2 strand twist cornrows dry is where the challenge is.  So your front is guaranteed to be perfect which is the area that most people focus on.

Because my client had a formal event on a Saturday, we shampooed, blow-dried, and dry set on a Friday.  She left out with cornrows to sleep overnight then we unloosened each one to deliver beautiful waves. I absolutely loved it completely down but because of the event and the formal dress that she was going to be wearing, an updo was a must.  I french braided the back up to the bottom of her ears, then I french rolled the rest.

It turned out gorgeous!  She was the second one that I used the dry set technique on and so far, it is a perfect score for both clients.  Great timing especially if the hair is a easy blow-out and quick drying time. Average price is $45 to $55 depending on how long the blow-dry takes. I actually used the Mizani Moisture Stretch and Mizani Perfect Curls cocktailed to achieve this look.

If the hair is too long or too resistant for a quick blow-dry, then I recommend trying a method that does not require blow-drying.  20 to 40 minutes blow-dry maximum.  If you have to "divide and conquer" in order to keep control of the hair, then that may be a sign that the hair is too resistant to dry set.