How to Dry Your Curls Faster Without Causing Frizz (2024)

Are you tired of waiting forever for your curls to dry but don’t want to sacrifice your curls for speed? The struggle is real, especially when you’re in a hurry but want your curls to look their best. But what if there was a way to speed up the drying process without sacrificing the health and frizz-free definition of your curls?

In this post, we’re sharing practical steps to dry curly hair fast and minimize frizz for beautiful, defined curls. Learn how to micro plop effectively, why a lightweight leave-in product is your best friend, and the magic of using a high-speed hair dryer like the Laifen Swift.

A portion of the blog post is sponsored by Laifen. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Step 1: Micro Plop

The first step in drying curly hair fast is to remove excess water using a microfiber towel or t-shirt. We recommend the Tee-Owels microfiber hair towel for its effectiveness in preventing frizz. In my experience, the microfiber towels cause a little more frizz because they remove too much water.

Scrunch your hair gently against your scalp and squeeze the ends. If you have a lot of hair, you could do a regular plop for a few minutes. I don’t recommend you leave it in for more than 5 minutes though because it will remove too much water.

Step 2: Rehydrate Ends

To ensure your ends aren’t too dry, lightly spray them with water. This balance will help in even product distribution and frizz management.

The wetter your hair is, the less frizz you’ll have. BUT, you don’t want it to be so wet that it takes a long time to dry. This light spray of water just ensures we get good clumping for minimal frizz.

Step 3: Apply Lightweight Leave-In Conditioner

Product formulation and amount have a huge impact on drying time. You can dry curly hair faster by using lightweight products and not using too much.

For moisture without weighing down your hair or extending drying time, opt for thin, runny leave-in conditioners or products labeled lightweight. Sprays will be the lightest, followed by lotions, and then thicker creams.

To ensure your hair dries faster, be sure to choose the lightest formulation your hair requires and use minimal product. Some curly hair types (like mine) don’t need this step at all and can skip any leave-in.

The thicker and creamier the product, the longer it will take to dry. Same goes for the amount of product applied. Less = faster drying time.

Step 4: Choose the Right Styling Products

Use styling products with good curl definition and strong hold, like gels and mousses. One or two product is enough, and again, be sure not to apply too much product.

I recommend the Curlsmith Hydrostyle Flexi Jelly because it’s lightweight but has a strong hold. Apply sparingly and brush through for even distribution.

I do not recommend using creams, foams, or sprays as single stylers. These products define and moisturize curls, but they do not hold the curl to prevent frizz. You NEED a hold product like a mousse or gel.

I like mousse or gel because they are lighter (faster drying time) and offer strong enough hold to prevent frizz while diffusing.

Remember that thick, creamy products will make our hair dry slower.

You also want to be careful not to make your curl clumps too thick. Smaller clumps will dry faster.

Step 5: Diffuse Using the Laifen High-Speed Hair Dryer

The biggest impact on drying time will come from using a high-speed hair dryer, such as the Laifen hair dryer with a diffuser attachment. This hairdryer will dry your hair in less time and costs less than its competitors.

I recommend using the medium or hot setting since diffusing doesn’t cause heat damage. The Laifen has 4 heat settings (cool, medium, hot, & auto cycle) and I use the medium and hot. It has a really cool feature where and LED light changes color according to the temperature, so you know what heat setting is on.

You can also use the medium to high speed settings. The higher the speed, the faster it will dry. But, for hair that is very fine and wispy, stick to the medium setting. This hair type blows around so easily that the high speed can cause frizz. The Laifen has both so you can choose which speed you prefer.

I also want to highlight that if you do not use a strong hold styling product, a high speed diffuser will likely cause frizz. Strong hold products will hold the curl clumps together much better so that the high speed air doesn’t disturb them.

Step 6: Diffuser Bowl Selection

Choose a diffuser bowl based on your hair length, ensuring it has ample air holes and prongs for efficiency.

More holes in the diffuser bowl will lead to faster drying time. The prongs are helpful to dry the scalp are, and you want them to also have air holes.

For shorter hair you can go with a smaller diffuser bowl. Longer hair will do best with larger bowls so the hair can fit in the diffuser bowl without getting wonky or taking too long to dry.

Avoid collapsible silicone bowls for better results. These usually cause frizz because they tend to collapse while diffusing.

The Lafien diffuser bowl is a good design with plenty of air holes and prongs. It attaches magnetically which means it won’t fall off while you’re diffusing.

Step 7: Technique for Diffusing

Start with hover diffusing to set curls for a few minutes hold the diffuser a few inches away from the hair and hover over to allow the ends and lengths of your hair to set and start forming a cast.

This helps set the cast and reduces the chances of causing frizz. You can hover diffuse only if you prefer a looser look. If you want tighter curls, then you want to pixie diffuse which is what I do next.

To pixie diffuse, turn off the dryer, let a section of your curls coil into the diffuser bowl, push up towards your scalp but stop a few inches away, then turn on the dryer and hold for up to 30 seconds. Turn it off and repeat with different sections all over. It helps to lean to the sides as you do this.

If you notice any frizz while drying, stop and rehydrate the area. I lightly spray and reclump, then diffuse for a few seconds to set it. Using a dryer like this Laifen which has negative ions, helps to smooth hair, reduce frizz, and restore shine.

Once the ends are set and the cast has formed (if your hair casts), you can focus on drying the root area using the prongs for extra volume and fullness. Place the diffuser on the root area and push up slightly to lift the roots. Hold for a few seconds and move to the next spot.

Using the Laifen hairdryer, my hair was fully dry in under 9 minutes! And I didn’t have any frizz.

Dry Your Curly Hair Fast Without Frizz

Now you can dry curly hair fast without frizz by following all these steps. In under 10 minutes, I was able to dry my curly hair and still had great definition, volume, and hold.

If you want to try the Laifen SE or Swift Special hair dryer, you can use my affiliate code LFTHE10 to save $10.

Want to also speed up your washing adn styling? Read this next: Fast 5-Step Curly Hair Routine