Drying With a Towel

[yellowchariot]

This question may have been asked before, though I don't know.
I'll start off by saying this, I'm a guy, thus I've never read the back of shampoo/conditioner bottles or any other hair product instructions for that matter. Who needs to, right? Just put it on wash, rinse then your done.

After I joined LHC, I began to read up on some great info. So naturally, I began reading the product labels lol. I've noticed on most products the instructions say to "gently pat your hair down with a towel" to dry it.

I have never done this before. I've always taken the towel and started rubbing it across my head from side to side and back and forth, just as I would dry off my entire body .

Is there a difference in "patting" vs. "rubbing" with a towel?

Could it cause hair damage of any kind? Also I've never left my hair in a towel to dry before. Is there any significance in that as well?

Thank You All for your help! I've learn quite a lot during these past 7 months that I've been here

[2peasinapod]

I think rubbing would cause more damage than patting (from the friction). I always put a towel over my shoulders and dry my hair on top of that. I get the extra water off by patting. For me, patting is just gently squeezing one area, but keeping my hand in one place (no rubbing).

My hair isn't quite long enough to dry inside a towel, but the towel helps soak up the excess water that way.

[jera]

I think rubbing wet hair could cause more damage too because hair is particularly vulnerable when it's wet.

My hair is tailbone length and takes a long time to dry so I gently blot it with a towel before letting it air dry. Blotting works for me and no damage.

[FrannyG]

Do not ever rub your hair with a towel when wet. Your hair is very elastic and vulnerable while it's wet, and can stretch or break very easily. If you overstretch a hair, it is likely to be damaged once dry.

Fold your hair into a towel, turban style and leave it on for a few minutes. Then you can remove the towel, pat it where necessary and then let it air dry. Finger comb after it's dry and then use a proper comb.

"Towel drying", which is what you describe is only good for people with very short hair.

[young&reckless]

I use to rub my head with a towel to dry it but I noticed a lot of damage as my hair grew longer. Mostly from detangling after words. Now I pat it dry and wrap the towel arround my lenght and ring out the extra water. It doesn't dry as fast this way but I have much less of a fight with tangles after.

[AgnesONutter]

My hair would tangle as you would not believe if I were to rub it with the towel. I don't even pat it.

Once I step out of the shower, I gently squeeze my hair from the neck down a couple of times to get rid of most of the water. Then I flip it over and wrap it in a towel. Sometimes I rewrap it a second time, in a dry towel.

As for hair being too short to do a turban twist, I think it depends on what kind you do. I just hang my towel over my hair, close the ends together and wrap, and tuck in the ends at the back of my head to secure it some more. Always worked for me, at all lengths.

[cmnt831]

I use a cotton t-shirt to dry my hair now because it causes less frizz in my hair. I would think that rubbing your wet hair with a towel (or any other type of cloth, for that matter) would have the potential to cause damage. I have my husband pat his hair with the towel now since he has fine brittle hair. It's too soon at this point to tell if it's helped him or not.

I also put my hair in a "turban" mostly because it's rather cold in my house at this time of year, plus, it keeps it out of the way and less potential for tangling.

[Neen]

My hair is rather fragile and I've recently discovered that even what I thought was gentle squeezing with a towel, and towel turbans that tend to slip around on my head while getting ready, have caused quite a bit of damage to my hair. Now I try to leave a towel around my shoulders for as long as possible and just drip dry.

[Prism]

Rubbing roughs up the cuticle, just as if you were brushing the hair backward (Nightshade has pics in an article she wrote if you want to find them).

Just putting hair up in a towel would probably be the best thing. I bought an Aquis towel (the big size) through Amazon and love it. It's amazing how much water it soaks up.

You could also squeeze your hair in sections using the towel, starting at the top, then put it back into the towel to let it soak up more. But don't rub. Don't even pat too vigorously or you'll be doing basically the same thing.

[Aerith]

Is there a difference in "patting" vs. "rubbing" with a towel?

Could it cause hair damage of any kind? Also I've never left my hair in a towel to dry before. Is there any significance in that as well?

Yes. Rubbing the hair will cause damage to the cuticle over time especially if you aren't rubbing in the direction your hair grows. Patting the hair gently should be fine though. After washing, I normally squeeze out the excess water, pat my hair gently with the towel a few times from root to tips, and then wrap my hair in a "hair turban" for 5-10 minutes to soak up some more moisture. I've never had trouble with the hair turban regarding breakage, I do have trouble sometimes keeping it on my head with all the weight though! I used to rub the moisture out of my hair years ago, and since I stopped my hair has felt less brittle and has been less frizzy.