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Can Blowout Hair Be Natural?
A Natural Hair blowout is a great way to show off the length, volume, and fullness of your natural hair while giving your curls a temporary change of shape. Whether you prefer a soft, fluffy finish, a bouncy look with plenty of movement, or a sleek style that makes your hair appear longer, a blowout offers plenty of options to experiment with. The best part is that you can enjoy a different look without permanently altering your natural curl pattern. With the right preparation, heat protection, and styling technique, you can achieve a beautiful blowout that suits your hair texture and personal style.
Table of Contents
Natural Hair Blowout Styles #1: The Classic Blowout
A classic blowout is the foundation.
This is when your hair is washed, deep-conditioned, detangled, then dried using a blow dryer (often with a comb attachment or a round brush). The result is stretched, voluminous hair with a soft fluffy texture rather than bone-straight strands.
It’s popular because it gives length without completely removing natural movement. Blowouts usually last a few days up to about a week depending on humidity and how you maintain them.
Natural Hair Blowout Style #2: A Silk Press
A silk press is a more polished version of a blowout. It starts the same way, but after blow-drying, the hair is flat-ironed in small sections to create a very smooth, glossy, almost “glass-like” straight finish. It’s especially common for tightly coiled or curly hair types that want a straight look without relaxers.
Compared to a basic blowout, it looks sleeker and more “finished,” but it also uses more heat.
Blowout on Natural Hair Styles #3: A Fluffy Blowout
A fluffy blowout (sometimes just called a fluffy press) is a modern variation where the goal is volume rather than sleekness.
The roots are lifted and the hair is left with body and bounce instead of being pressed flat. This style is popular if you want movement and a fuller silhouette instead of a pin-straight look.
Blow Out Short Natural Hair Style #4: A Stretched Blowout Style
A stretched blowout style is when the hair is kept in its blown-out state but shaped into styles like buns, ponytails, or braid-outs. It’s not about straightening fully, but about reducing shrinkage so styling becomes easier and more defined.
Blowout for Natural Hair Style #5: A Layered or Shaped Blowout Cut
A layered or shaped blowout cut is also common. After a blowout, some people trim or shape their hair so it falls in layers, which helps the style sit better and gives more definition when worn straight or fluffy.
What makes blowout styles so popular is flexibility. You can wear it big and voluminous one day, then smooth it down into a sleeker look the next. It also gives a break from shrinkage while still allowing your natural curl pattern to come back later.
The main thing to keep in mind is maintenance.
Blowouts and silk presses both react quickly to humidity and moisture, so wrapping hair at night, using a silk scarf or bonnet, and avoiding heavy product buildup helps the style last longer.
Blowout hairstyles on natural hair have become increasingly popular, offering a unique and versatile style that complements a range of hair textures.
Blow Out for Relaxed Hair
A blow out for relaxed hair is a great way to add volume, bounce and movement to chemically straightened hair without necessarily using a flat iron.
Whether you prefer a full-bodied salon blowout, soft curls at the ends, a sleek look with plenty of shine, or a bouncy hairstyle with plenty of lift at the roots, there are several ways to style relaxed hair using a blow dryer and brush.
Relaxed hair is already chemically straightened, so the aim of a blowout is slightly different from that of a blowout on natural hair.
Rather than stretching tight curls and coils, the technique focuses on creating shape, smoothness and volume. The finished hairstyle can look polished without being completely flat or lacking movement.
The beauty of a blowout is that it gives relaxed hair flexibility.
You can wear it loose, create a voluminous bob, style it into a layered look or add curls and flipped ends for extra personality.
1. What Is a Blowout on Relaxed Hair?
A hair blowout is a styling technique in which freshly washed, damp hair is dried and shaped using a blow dryer and a brush.
For relaxed hair, the process usually involves:
- Washing the hair with a suitable shampoo.
- Conditioning to improve softness and manageability.
- Gently detangling the hair.
- Applying a heat protectant.
- Blow-drying in manageable sections using a brush attachment or round brush.
- Shaping the hair to achieve the desired volume, smoothness and movement.
Unlike a silk press, a traditional blowout does not necessarily require a flat iron. The blow dryer and brush do most of the styling work.
The result can range from a relatively straight, smooth finish to a fuller hairstyle with plenty of body and bounce.
2. Different Blowout Styles for Relaxed Hair
There are several ways to wear a blowout on relaxed hair.
Your preferred finish, hair length and haircut will influence which style works best.
1. Voluminous Blowout
This style features plenty of fullness, particularly around the roots and crown.
The hair is lifted while blow-drying to create a fuller silhouette. It works particularly well on layered relaxed hair.
2. Sleek straight blowout
If you prefer a smoother appearance, a sleek blowout keeps the hair relatively straight from the roots to the ends.
A paddle brush or round brush can help achieve this finish.
3. Blowout With Curled Ends
The ends are shaped into soft inward or outward curls using a round brush.
This creates a classic salon finish and works beautifully on shoulder-length and longer relaxed hair.
4. Layered Blowout
Layers give a blowout additional movement and dimension.
The shorter sections can be lifted at the roots while the longer layers are shaped to frame the face.
5. Flipped-Out Blowout
The ends are brushed outward to create a noticeable curved finish. This is particularly attractive on bobs, shoulder-length hair and layered cuts.
6. Wavy Blowout
Soft waves can be created by shaping sections with a round brush or using rollers after blow-drying.
The result is a relaxed, flowing hairstyle with more texture than a straight blowout.
3. How to Blow Out Relaxed Hair
Relaxed hair can be more vulnerable to breakage because the chemical relaxing process changes the hair’s internal structure. Consequently, gentle handling and sensible heat use are particularly important.
Here is a basic approach to achieving a good blowout.
Step 1: Wash and condition your hair
Start with clean hair. Use a shampoo suitable for chemically treated hair, followed by a moisturising conditioner. If your hair feels particularly dry, consider incorporating a conditioning treatment into your routine.
Step 2: Detangle gently
Divide your hair into sections and carefully remove tangles, starting at the ends and working towards the roots.
Avoid pulling or forcing a brush through knots.
Step 3: Apply heat protectant
Apply a heat-protecting product formulated for blow-drying. Distribute it evenly, following the product instructions. Avoid applying excessive amounts of heavy oils or creams that could weigh down your hair.
Step 4: Divide your hair into sections
Use clips to separate your hair into manageable sections.
Working with smaller sections makes it easier to control the brush and direct the airflow.
Step 5: Blow-Dry Your Hair
Using a blow dryer with a concentrator nozzle, dry each section while guiding a brush through the hair. A round brush is particularly useful for creating volume, curved ends and movement.
Use a low or medium heat setting where possible.
Keep the dryer moving rather than concentrating heat on one area.
Step 6: Finish Your Hairstyle
Once your hair is completely dry, shape the ends and adjust the volume to your preference.
You can use a small amount of lightweight serum to add shine and smooth the ends.
These techniques follow the general professional approach to blowouts, including sectioning, heat protection and allowing styled sections to cool.
4. Can You Blow Out Relaxed Hair Without a Flat Iron?
Absolutely. A blow dryer and brush can produce a smooth, relatively straight finish on relaxed hair without the additional heat of a flat iron.
Is Blow Out Good for Natural Hair?
Yes, a blowout can be good for natural hair, provided it is done properly and heat is used carefully. It is a popular way to stretch natural curls and coils, reveal more of the hair’s length, create volume and experiment with different hairstyles without permanently changing the hair’s natural texture.
A blowout is particularly useful for people with tightly coiled hair who want to temporarily reduce shrinkage.
It can make natural hair easier to handle when creating certain hairstyles, trimming the ends or preparing for other styling techniques.
However, a blowout is not automatically beneficial for every head of natural hair.
Excessive heat, frequent blow-drying and improper techniques can cause dryness, breakage and heat damage.
The key is to understand how to blow-dry natural hair safely and how often to do it.
1. Benefits of Blowouts on Natural Hair
There are several reasons why people with natural hair choose to get blowouts.
Reduces shrinkage
Natural hair, particularly tightly coiled 4B and 4C hair, can shrink considerably when it dries.
A blowout stretches the strands, allowing you to see more of your actual hair length.
Creates Volume and Fullness
A blowout can give natural hair a fuller appearance, with elongated strands and a fluffy silhouette. You can achieve a rounded afro or a more elongated hairstyle.
Makes certain hairstyles easier to create
Stretched hair can be easier to section, braid, twist and style. It can also make certain updos and ponytails easier to achieve.
4. Makes length easier to assess
Because shrinkage is reduced, a blowout makes it easier to assess hair length and identify uneven ends when preparing for a trim.
5. Offers more styling possibilities
You can wear blown-out hair loose, create layered styles, make large buns, add curls or experiment with different shapes that are harder to achieve with tightly shrunken hair.
2. Disadvantages of Blowouts on Natural Hair
Although blowouts offer styling flexibility, there are some potential disadvantages.
Heat damage: Excessive heat can weaken hair fibres and permanently alter the natural curl pattern. This means that some sections may not return to their original curl pattern after washing.
Photo credit: Natural Girl Wigs