I like using Curlformers to stretch my hair but I find sleeping with them very uncomfortable and sometimes quite painful, so I decided to tryout the Hair Flair Softhood Hair Dryer Attachment.

The softhood is made of flexible fabric and comes with a handy travel bag. As you can see from the above picture you secure the hood over your head then place your hair dryer into the flexible tube on a low heat setting for approximately 20-30 minutes. You don’t want to blow all the hair off your scalp!

So I washed and conditioned my hair then installed the Curlformers.

I then attached the Hair Flair Softhood according the manufacturer’s instructions. Well sort of. I didn’t keep my hair dryer going for 20 minutes straight as I was a bit scared, this was my first time after all. Instead I did two sets on 10 minute blasts with a 5 minute gap in-between.

How did it feel? Surprisingly quite comfortable. The trick is to secure the hood with the drawstring to avoid heat loss. At first my softhood was a bit loose and I felt heat down my back, but as the dryer was on a low heat setting there was no risk of third-degree burns. It gets a bit hot and uncomfortable around the ears, which is probably why I needed intervals. The flexible tube does have timy air holes so the hood is not completely air-tight.

After 20 minutes I turned off my hair dryer and removed my Curlformers.

My hair was dry but also soft and shiny. It had good curl definition and overall I was pleased with the results. I used the softhood beforehand to do a treatment with Creme of Nature Deep Condtioner. After washing I put some conditioner on my hair, covered with a shower cap,  placed under the soft hood for 15 minutes then washed off. This made my hair extra soft and  manageable so I will probably do this every wash day.

Being objective I would say that sleeping with Curlformers gives better curl definition, but if you just want stretched natural hair quickly, which is what I wanted, then the Softhood dryer will do the job.

In Conclusion I thoroughly recommend the Hair Flair Softhood Hair Dryer Attachment for deep conditioning treatments and for setting Curlformers. It’s the fastest way to wash, condition and stretch natural Afro hair in under 4 hours. Of course you could just blow-dry your hair, which I sometimes do, but Curlfomers are much gentler and help your hair to maintain moisture.

After playing around with my curls I styled it into my signature up-do 🙂