Safe yarns for hair?

[raingirl]

I was going to hijack the knitting/crochet thread, but thought it might be better posted here.

Winter is coming and I like to shower in the morning daily. But now that I'm air drying, I'm trying to devise a way to dry my hair faster. I'm not liking the "wet back" feel when I'm doing the "no touch", but leaving a towel on my shoulders while I'm trying to get ready for work is annoying as it keeps falling off.

I was thinking of knitting or crocheting a shawl with a button at the front that I could put over my shoulders. Something out of a microfibre baby yarn maybe? Or cotton?

What would be good do you think?

Also, what if I made a hood with a shawl/cape with a hole a the nape of the neck? Something I could pull my hair through to dry, but have a hood so I can still go outside while it's wet?

Or maybe a giant poofy hat that I can stuff my hair into and let it dry in there until I get to work (almost like a plop but in a beret style hat?)

What yarns are hair safe? I take it wool is not...how about cotton or microfiber?

[akilina]

I would go with cotton because of the absorbency.
You could crochet something and sew some sorts of microfiber towel on the inside maybeh??

[raingirl]

After thinking more about it, I like the idea of the slouchy beret (https://www.google.ca/search?q=beret&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=60pKULvBMIrv0gHU6oHIAw&biw=1111&bih=653&sei=7UpKUICjFLOE0QGCpoDYCA#um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=slouchy+beret&oq=slouchy+beret&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5j0i24l6j0i5i24.8128.11392.0.115 16.15.13.1.1.1.0.139.890.12j1.13.0...0.0...1c.1.jx SrkYI3VeM&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=e3edb49e07be0531&biw=1111&bih=653).

Lining it sounds like an idea too. The only problem is that hats make my forehead itchy! Maybe if I sew in a microfiber lining, it won't itch?

This way I can shower in the morning, put it on as I get dressed/ready for work, leave it on until I get to work, and it will help promote curls and keep me from touching it? And berets are in style so it won't be too weird to have it on while on the bus/train.

They have yarns that are super soft like chenille and fun fur. Maybe I should crochet up a few and start testing them out and see which one my hair does the best in?

My only worry is that it might get too damp and freeze to my hair or make me get sick in the freezing cold here up in Canada....

[raingirl]

I was thinking yarns like these:

http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/newchenille.html

http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/funFur.htm

http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/kitchencotton.html

http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/microspu.htm

Do you think something like this one would cause frizz?

http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/velvetSpun.html

[Chromis]

I use wool and make big berets. It doesn't give me any trouble at all and it stays warm even when damp! Good stuff, trust in the sheep.

Examples, first hair down, then hair up:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2750/4496753320_2479ff215c.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2751/4496118613_4a6a2c4c3b.jpg
Pattern: http://www.kelbournewoolens.com/opusspicatum.html

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6776224261_c2806893c5.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6776243825_3e6f22ebdd.jpg
Pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/guinan

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6857225437_5fa6f8e4aa.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6857205065_6af990edaa.jpg
Pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/russula-cap

All made with pure wool and all worn extensively over the winter. The first one is the warmest because of the stranding and the second is my favourite hat pattern of all. I even had to make a second that was identical to the first after it mysteriously vanished.

Depending on the amount of pouf, and the amount of hair, the finished beret will either look more like a toque with the hair taking up the normally slouchy space in the back or if you choose a ridiculously slouchy pattern, it will look like a normal beret. I don't have a ton of luck with normal toques (aka watch caps), but I can show you a few of those too.

[hermosamendoza]

I have a cotten mix beret (not homemade but soft) that i tried to put my hair into once after a shower...during the winter...and the top of my hair was a flat mess and the rest was frizzy and poofy. I thought I could just throw a hat on to protect is against the cold and then wip it out later but it looked like I hadn't even showered! and I got a flaky scalp which I never get!

I strongly suggest a test run before doing it for the real deal

[raingirl]

That's what I'm worried about - flat and frizzy. Maybe if I make one with more...fuzz (like the fun fur one) it won't flatten out my hair as much?

Ideally I want it for drying my hair basically and protecting it as it will still be wet when I leave for work in the morning.

[Chromis]

Those fun fur yarns are not going to be very warm and many of them shed. They are also hard to work with.

Honestly wool will do everything you are looking for. Yes, you may get some frizz, but no more than you usual "hat hair".

The only other thing I can think to suggest to avoid frizz while keeping your hair warm and protected would be to use large silk scarves and then layer a head scarf over that though that would not be a knitted project like your post was asking for.

I have my hair in a log roll held by a large Ficcare Maximas in those pictures. Those are my hats and my head. I do this all winter even with wet hair. At knee length that is a lot of wet hair! At APL that system works even better. I don't drive so I walk most places even in the winter. I've never had any trouble with freezing or having my hair get all dried out from exposure. When I get inside and take the beret off I just smooth my hands over my head and I am good to go.

[raingirl]

I have a slouchy beret I crocheted last year, but it itches my skin like crazy. It's a wool blend. I have a slight allergy to wool so I'm not sure I could use it.

[Chromis]

I find not all wool is created equal. Also, sometimes the detergents give people problems even when raw wool does not. Do you recall what the name of the yarn is? Some breeds of sheep have much finer wool too. I think Noro yarn is beautiful for example, but I find it much too scratchy. I'd try looking for yarns made of Merino, rambouillet, polworth, or cormo.

You can also try alpaca, it has much less prickle and it doesn't have lanolin (in case that is what you are allergic too instead). It is even warmer than wool, but it is not as elastic, so your hats may stretch out over time. There are some really nice blends of baby alpaca and silk that are not a bit itchy. Blue Sky Alpacas makes one I love for scarves and I hate anything itchy around my neck.

Something often recommended to see if a yarn will itch too much is to make a bracelet of it and wear it around your wrist or like a necklace to see if it bothers you. Sometimes good yarn shops will let you have a scarp of yarn to try this with if they have a partial skein laying around. I find most of the wool blends are junk if this is craft store yarn. Itchy, pilly, and splitty. Blech.

[Nae]

I am taking notes here Chromis. Apparently my mother made me a wool headband/ear warmer (I can't think of the term) and it wasn't particularly itchy. Slightly more than the cotton one but...tolerable. She, of course, can't remember what type of wool it was. So perhaps I am not a lost cause after all, perhaps I just had the wrong wools.

[raingirl]

Sadly, Alpaca itches me too. I made a beautiful 100% alpaca scarf last fall in this pumpkin colour, but I tried to use it and my face/neck all broke out in bumps. I washed it gently a few times in gentle wash soap and still it itches. I was so sad because it's such a soft scarf! I only use it now if it's not going to touch my skin (like, over a turtle neck or something).

I have atopic dermatitis and everything itches me though. I'm weird like that.

Oh, I found my slouchy beret (Bernat Alpaca natural blends - thought it was a wool blend so I was wrong) and tried to dry my hair in it, but with a headband on first so the yarn didn't touch my forehead. I didn't get itchy, but my hair was a frizzy flat mess. It was worth experimenting though.