Tools
Xtava Black Orchid Diffuser
This ginormous diffuser is my primary diffuser. It’s huge, so I can fit lots of hair in it and that helps my hair dry faster. I use it with my Dyson Airwrap as it isn’t compatible with the Dyson hair dryer.
Dyson Airwrap
I use the Airwrap with my Xtava Black Orchid Diffuser as my primary diffusing set up. Don’t buy the Airwrap just to use with the Xtava Black Orchid Diffuser—I just already had it.
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
This is the hair dryer I already had; I use it paired with the diffuser it came with. It works well, but the diffuser is on the small side. I mostly use this hair dryer as a second hair dryer; I’ll lay it on the counter and point it at my hair while I’m flipped over and using the Airwrap + the Xtava Black Orchid Diffuser as my primary dryer. This is also my travel hair dryer.
Silk Sleeping Bonnet
A silk sleeping bonnet is key to getting my wash days to last. Silk pillowcases and silk-like-but-not-actually-silk hair wraps aren’t even close. I made mine from a silk dress I got at a thrift shop using this tutorial.
Alligator clips
I use these every wash day to section my hair. They’re great—much better than claw clips for sectioning.
Wet Brush detangling brush
This is what I use to detangle in the shower; I like that it dries quickly. I used a wide-mouthed comb before I got this brush (it was on sale and I was curious…) and that worked great, too.
Smooth microfibre towels
I use a smooth microfibre towel (not the type with visible loops!) to micro-plop my hair (aka squish out as much water as possible before I begin diffusing). I also use them to wash my face (not the same towel at the same time, of course), so they’re generally a very useful thing to have around.
Continuous spray bottle
Re-wetting hair while stying and to refresh is a must, and a continuous spray bottle makes that easy. You can buy a fancy one, but I just waited until I finished my current bottle of Dawn Power wash, cleaned it very thoroughly, and re-used that bottle. It has worked beautifully and was basically free.
Drain Hair Catcher
1000% neccessary—the amount of hair I pull off this thing after every wash is truly revolting. Protect your pipes!