How to Dry a Pixie Haircut

Co-authored by Patrick Evan and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: September 1, 2021 References

A pixie cut is a fun, cute way to express your personality and alternative style. If you’ve never had short hair before, blow drying it into the style you want can be a learning curve. By using a few protective styling products, you can keep your hair healthy and look your best while rocking your pixie cut.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Blow Drying a Straight Pixie Cut

1
Pat your hair dry with a towel until it’s about 80% dry. Once you finish washing your hair, use a towel to gently dab your hair until it’s no longer dripping wet. This will help your hair dry faster so you don’t have to use as much heat from the blow dryer.^{[1]
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- Try using a microfiber towel to protect your hair from damage.
- Avoid rubbing or pulling at your hair as you dry it, or you could cause damage or breakage.^{[2]
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  Expert Source
  
  Patrick Evan
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 17 January 2019.}
2
Spray on a heat protectant spray.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Patrick Evan
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 17 January 2019.} Hold a canister of heat protectant spray about 6 inches (15 cm) away from your head. Spray a light mist of it all over your hair, then wait for 1 to 2 minutes until it soaks in.^{[4]
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- Heat protectant spray provides a barrier between your hair and the heat from the blow dryer.
- You can find heat protectant spray at most home goods or beauty supply stores.
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3
Add in a texturizing spray. Pour a quarter-sized drop of texturizing spray into your palms and rub it between your hands. Focus on your roots as you gently scrunch the texturizing spray into your hair.^{[5]
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- Texturizing spray gives your hair more volume.
4
Comb your hair into 4 sections. Use your comb to make 4 sections in your hair: 1 section on either side of your head above your ears, 1 section from your forehead to the crown of your head, and 1 section on the back of your head. Separate them by combing the sections in different directions.^{[6]
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- If you’re having trouble keeping your sections in place, add a bobby pin to the side sections to keep them brushed forwards.
5
Put a nozzle onto your hair dryer. A nozzle attachment will help to concentrate the heat from your hair dryer to dry your hair faster and more efficiently. Snap a nozzle onto the front of your hair dryer and click it into place before you start drying your hair.^{[7]
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- If you don’t have a nozzle attachment for your hair dryer, that’s okay. You may have to spend a little bit longer drying your hair.
- You can find hair dryer attachments at most beauty supply stores.
6
Brush the back of your hair down as you dry it. Start with the back of your head and use a soft-bristle hair brush to comb through your hair. Point your hair dryer down as you brush downwards to dry the back of your hair flat.^{[8]
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- If you have a cowlick on the back of your head, focus on pointing the hair dryer down as you dry that area. This will help to smooth out your hair and keep it all flat.
7
Dry the sides of your hair backwards and forwards. To give your hair more volume, use a brush to push the hair on the sides of your head forwards, then backwards, then forwards again as you dry it. Keep your hair dryer pointed down to give your cut a smooth, sleek finish.^{[9]
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- Try not to brush upwards on the sides of your hair, or you could make your hair stick out once it’s dry.
8
Use a round brush on the top of your hair as you dry it. Now it’s time to add the majority of the volume to your hair. Grab a round brush and roll your hair on top of your head backwards as you point your hair dryer down. Keep rolling your hair over your round brush until the top of your hair is dry.^{[10]
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- A round brush takes the weight off your roots as you dry your hair, giving your cut more bounce.
9
Spray a thin layer of hairspray all over your head. Hold a can of hairspray about 6 inches (15 cm) away from your head and press down on the nozzle. Spray a fine layer of hairspray all over to keep your hair in place throughout the day.^{[11]
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- Hairspray promotes volume and locks all the work that you just did with your hair dryer into place.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Drying a Curly Pixie Cut

1
Dab your hair with a towel until it stops dripping. Grab a microfiber towel and gently scrunch your hair into it until your hair stops dripping water. Do this all over your head to remove the majority of the moisture from your hair before you start drying it.^{[12]
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- Use a microfiber towel to control frizz.
2
Scrunch in holding gel to the ends of your hair. If your hair is naturally wavy or curly and you plan on wearing it that way, pour a quarter-sized amount of holding gel into your palms and rub it around. Scrunch it into your hair gently, focusing on the ends, not the roots.^{[13]
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- Try to find a holding gel made specifically for curly hair. Gels for curly hair aren’t as crunchy when they dry, so the texture of your curls will feel softer and more natural.
3
Spray on a heat protectant spray. Hold a bottle of heat protectant spray about 6 inches (15 cm) away from your head. Quickly spray a fine mist all over your hair and wait for about 1 minute so it can soak in.^{[14]
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- Heat protectant spray provides a barrier between the heat of the dryer and your hair.
4
Attach a diffuser to your hair dryer. Diffusers are round attachments that connect to your hair dryer to spread out the heat and air. Press a diffuser onto your hair dryer until it clicks into place before you start drying.^{[15]
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- You can find diffusers at most beauty supply stores.
- If you don’t have a diffuser, consider letting your hair air dry. Using a hair dryer without an attachment can make curly hair frizzy.
5
Keep the heat on low to avoid damaging your hair.^{[16]
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Expert Source

Patrick Evan
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 17 January 2019.} When you turn on your hair dryer, put it on the lowest heat setting that it has. High heat can damage and dry out curly or wavy hair, leaving it frizzy and hard to manage.^{[17]
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- Although it might take longer to dry on low, your hair will feel better in the long run.
6
Press the diffuser up against your scalp at the top of your head. The crown of your head is where your hair is the longest, so it will take the most time to dry. Start by pressing the diffuser up against your scalp at the top of your head, gathering your hair inside of the diffuser nozzle.^{[18]
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- If you’ve never used a diffuser before, it can be a little difficult to get used to. Don’t be afraid to press the attachment right up to your scalp to really dry all of your hair.
7
Move the hair dryer around your head every 10 to 15 seconds. Now you can continue to dry your hair around your whole head. Try to move your hair dryer around after 10 or 15 seconds to avoid staying in one area for too long. Use the same technique for the front, back, and sides of your hair.^{[19]
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- Be careful not to keep the diffuser in the same place for too long, as that can damage and dry out your hair.^{[20]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Patrick Evan
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 17 January 2019.}
8
Use your fingers to reshape your curls if you need to. Once your hair is dry, go in with your hands and adjust your curls so they’re sitting the way you’d like them to. If any of your curls look flat or frizzy, mix a small amount of gel with water and use it to shape your curls.^{[21]
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- Styling curly hair can take some getting used to, especially if you’ve never done it before. Try out a few different products and techniques to find out what’s right for you.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Air-Drying a Pixie Cut

1
Pat your hair dry with a towel. Use a microfiber towel to gently pat the ends of your hair until they’re no longer dripping wet. The more water you can remove in the beginning, the faster your hair will dry.^{[22]
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- Microfiber towels help to reduce frizz and lock in moisture as your hair dries.
2
Rub in a holding gel or a volumizing cream. If your hair is curly or wavy and you’d like to keep it that way, scrunch in a dime-sized amount of holding gel to the ends of your curls. If your hair is straight, rub in a volumizing cream, focusing on the roots of the crown of your head.^{[23]
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- Holding gel will emphasize your natural curls, while volumizing cream will lift your roots to give your hair more depth.
3
Part your hair the way you want it to sit. Use a comb or your fingers to gently position your hair so it sits the way you want it to. It will be much harder to part your hair once it’s dry, so try to get it perfect while it’s still wet.^{[24]
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- If you are wearing your hair curly, you can use your fingers to twist your curls into a perfect shape.
4
Avoid touching your hair as it dries for 1 to 2 hours. Now it’s time to wait on your hair. Try not to touch it, put on a hat, or lay down while your hair is still wet, or you could make it frizzy. Depending on how thick your hair is, drying could take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.^{[25]
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- Try to stay out of the sun as your hair dries. The heat of the sun can make your hair dry too quickly, leading to frizz.
- Your hair will dry faster in a warm environment, like inside your home or your car.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can you avoid heat damage when caring for your hair?

Patrick Evan
Professional Hair Stylist
Patrick Evan is the Owner of Patrick Evan Salon, a hair salon in San Francisco, California. He has been a hairstylist for over 25 years and is a Thermal Reconditioning Specialist, dedicated to transforming difficult curls and waves into sleek, straight hair. Patrick Evan Salon was rated the Best Hair Salon in San Francisco by Allure magazine, and Patrick's work has been featured in Woman’s Day, The Examiner, and 7x7.

Patrick Evan

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Heat damage happens from using blow dryers, curling irons, and flat irons, so it’s incredibly important to use a heat protection product whenever you’re using these tools. People tend to turn the heat up to the maximum temperature when most people need to be using 280-325 degrees, not the 450 degree maximum a lot of these tools offer. You don’t bake your cupcakes at 450, so you don't necessarily need to be ironing your hair at 450 degrees.

Warnings

Always use heat protectant spray before drying your hair to avoid damage.^{[26]
X
Expert Source

Patrick Evan
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 17 January 2019.}

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