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florenonite
November 6th, 2013, 09:24 AM
My hair takes aeons to dry and, because my eczema means damp bunning/braiding and sleeping on wet hair is out of the question, air-drying has, of late, become a damaging activity in its own right. Wet hair getting caught under backpack straps, in zippers, between my back and chair; it's not pretty. So I'm breaking out the blow-dryer. I've been using it around once a week for the past month or two and, while I'm following all the rules for minimising damage - no warmer than my skin can handle, pointing the nozzle down the strands, keeping it six inches away and moving at all times - I'm at a loss as to how to make it work more efficiently, besides of course going the high-heat, high-airflow route. Should I section my hair? If so, how? And how on earth do I point the nozzle down the strands when I'm trying to dry my the hair on the back of my scalp? That area's really key for me, as it takes the longest to dry naturally.

I should clarify that I don't use the blow-dryer to get from towel-dry to wholly dry; either I leave it to air dry for a few hours first (for instance when I wash late-afternoon and need it dry for bed) or I just blow-dry to around 50% dry. Pretty much I'm looking for how to get the most water out of my hair in the shortest time and with as little damage as possible.

biogirl87
November 6th, 2013, 10:21 AM
florenonite, I found that when I started using a turbie twist to dry my hair, the amount of time it took for my hair to dry decreased in half. It used to take between four and five hours for my hair to be fully dry after washing it but with the turbie twist, it takes between two and three hours. My hair is a tiny bit below BSL and probably medium density and medium porosity, if that matters. I got the original turbie twist that you can find in the same aisle as shampoo in Walmart. Sometimes, I noticed my hair being straight after it was dry when drying it this way, but I am still investigating whether it is because of the turbie twist. Since you have 1c hair type, it should not be a problem for you.

Madora
November 6th, 2013, 10:22 AM
My hair takes aeons to dry and, because my eczema means damp bunning/braiding and sleeping on wet hair is out of the question, air-drying has, of late, become a damaging activity in its own right. Wet hair getting caught under backpack straps, in zippers, between my back and chair; it's not pretty. So I'm breaking out the blow-dryer. I've been using it around once a week for the past month or two and, while I'm following all the rules for minimising damage - no warmer than my skin can handle, pointing the nozzle down the strands, keeping it six inches away and moving at all times - I'm at a loss as to how to make it work more efficiently, besides of course going the high-heat, high-airflow route. Should I section my hair? If so, how? And how on earth do I point the nozzle down the strands when I'm trying to dry my the hair on the back of my scalp? That area's really key for me, as it takes the longest to dry naturally.

I should clarify that I don't use the blow-dryer to get from towel-dry to wholly dry; either I leave it to air dry for a few hours first (for instance when I wash late-afternoon and need it dry for bed) or I just blow-dry to around 50% dry. Pretty much I'm looking for how to get the most water out of my hair in the shortest time and with as little damage as possible.

Have you considered drying your hair "upside down" i.e. bent at the waist, with all of it hanging in front like a curtain. That way, you could use your hair blower to reach the hair at the nape of your neck.

You might also try slowly raking your strands (your fingers outstretched like a rake going through the strands while directing the warmth through the hair. The key to quicker drying is to have the air flowing through separated strands as much as possible.

I don't recommend using a hair dryer...but that's just me.

Lastly, I recommend detangling your hair with a wide tooth comb BEFORE using heat (of any sort) on it.

florenonite
November 6th, 2013, 10:35 AM
florenonite, I found that when I started using a turbie twist to dry my hair, the amount of time it took for my hair to dry decreased in half. It used to take between four and five hours for my hair to be fully dry after washing it but with the turbie twist, it takes between two and three hours. My hair is a tiny bit below BSL and probably medium density and medium porosity, if that matters. I got the original turbie twist that you can find in the same aisle as shampoo in Walmart. Sometimes, I noticed my hair being straight after it was dry when drying it this way, but I am still investigating whether it is because of the turbie twist. Since you have 1c hair type, it should not be a problem for you.

Is there a difference between that and a regular microfibre hair towel, besides the loop for securing it? I already have a microfibre towel, though I could do with another as it gets saturated quite quickly.


Have you considered drying your hair "upside down" i.e. bent at the waist, with all of it hanging in front like a curtain. That way, you could use your hair blower to reach the hair at the nape of your neck.

I do do that, though I find it difficult to point the nozzle down the strands that way. It is good for getting the underside of my hair, though.



You might also try slowly raking your strands (your fingers outstretched like a rake going through the strands while directing the warmth through the hair. The key to quicker drying is to have the air flowing through separated strands as much as possible.

Oh, good idea! I'll definitely do that.

Anje
November 6th, 2013, 01:06 PM
I'm not much of a blow-dryer, but what I do do is turban my hair for about 5 minutes when I step out of the shower. Then I take the towel off, flip it around to get a dry spot at the back of my head, and re-turban for maybe another 5-10 minutes. That gets my hair down to about 40% dry. If you were to blowdry starting at that point, it'll go a lot faster.

biogirl87
November 6th, 2013, 02:01 PM
Is there a difference between that and a regular microfibre hair towel, besides the loop for securing it? I already have a microfibre towel, though I could do with another as it gets saturated quite quickly.florenonite, I am not sure. I have not been able to find a microfiber towel for cheap (I have not looked in the automotive section of the stores but I have my doubts about microfiber towels found in the automotive section of the stores being really soft and gentle for hair). The turbie twist I have is really soft and since I only use it after washing my hair (I only use it for drying my clean hair), I do not think I will ever need to wash the turbie twist so I think it will be this soft for quite some time.

faellen
November 6th, 2013, 02:06 PM
You might also try slowly raking your strands (your fingers outstretched like a rake going through the strands while directing the warmth through the hair. The key to quicker drying is to have the air flowing through separated strands as much as possible.


I do this, and it works :) So I definitely recommend it. I'm another one who doesn't like having wet hair for hours so I blow dry on warm/cool. I don't care what most LHCers say, for some people they really are necessary!

lapushka
November 6th, 2013, 02:17 PM
I'm all for a turbie twist, like biogirl stated earlier. It takes all of the extreme wetness out of your hair, leaving it nice and damp. That's how we do it here too. My hair's in that towel for 15 to 30 minutes, then comes out quite damp. Mine's microfiber BTW. It's no longer going to drip anywhere - not at all. Then comes styling (leave-in, serum, gel), and then it's left to air dry for about an hour, two hours. Then it gets blow dried for about 5 minutes - tops (with a diffuser).

WilfredAllen
November 6th, 2013, 02:51 PM
I use my hair towel, then blow dry from damp to slightly-damp, and finally let the last bit of water dry on its own over about half an hour.

Lyv
November 6th, 2013, 11:19 PM
If I use my hair dryer I do mine in layers so I can keep it from tangling and it seems to go faster (I keep it in a t-shirt or towel for a while first). I have the cold shot button tapped down too so it doesn't get warm and cool air keeps mine from being as frizzy as warm air.

florenonite
November 7th, 2013, 01:03 AM
I'm not much of a blow-dryer, but what I do do is turban my hair for about 5 minutes when I step out of the shower. Then I take the towel off, flip it around to get a dry spot at the back of my head, and re-turban for maybe another 5-10 minutes. That gets my hair down to about 40% dry. If you were to blowdry starting at that point, it'll go a lot faster.

Hmm, I could try that, although my towel is hair-sized and seems pretty saturated with one turbaning. If I flip it 180 degrees I might get a dry enough patch, though.


If I use my hair dryer I do mine in layers so I can keep it from tangling and it seems to go faster (I keep it in a t-shirt or towel for a while first). I have the cold shot button tapped down too so it doesn't get warm and cool air keeps mine from being as frizzy as warm air.

Do you mind explaining a bit more about your method? I'm wondering about things like how many sections you do.

MeowScat
November 7th, 2013, 05:50 AM
I can't recommend a fan enough. I bought a fan from Walmart for $20 and it has been doing a great job. Whether I'm sitting by it or spreading my hair out while laying in bed...that fan has saved my hair so much damage, it's unbelievable.

Lyv
November 7th, 2013, 05:55 AM
Do you mind explaining a bit more about your method? I'm wondering about things like how many sections you do. I do it in about 3-4 layers one side of my head at a time and point the the nozzle down the hair shaft to keep it smooth and finger comb while I do it to help avoid tangles. Doing it without the layers always ends with tangley hair that is still wet underneath. Hope that helps!

florenonite
November 7th, 2013, 06:07 AM
I do it in about 3-4 layers one side of my head at a time and point the the nozzle down the hair shaft to keep it smooth and finger comb while I do it to help avoid tangles. Doing it without the layers always ends with tangley hair that is still wet underneath. Hope that helps!

That does, thanks!

It's the underneath layers I want to target the most, especially just below the crown of my head, as those are the bits that take FOREVER to dry.

niky45
November 7th, 2013, 07:50 AM
A) I have NEVER used the cold setting on the blow dryer (mine doesn't have that), and
B) the longest my hair has been is about BSL.

that said, I usually just blow-dried it, but gently moving my fingers around it, kinda like finger-combing it while blow-drying it.

for the layers below the crown, I would just take the upper hair in my hand, and blow-dry them. I mean, you take the upper hair, move it to the back, and blow-dry the scalp hair. but while you do so, you just keep moving, not only the blow-dryer, but also the hand.

most important things are:
a) avoid tangles by gently finger-combing it during the whole process
b) keep moving it, so the air flows better through the hair.

It's like moving it while you finger-comb it, while you blow-dry it.

On my not-that-long hair, and with blow dryer on max, that was about 20 min from dripping to dry.

btw: there has been a long time since I don't do that... now I'm trying to just air-dry it, or at most 1 min of hot blow-dry just to avoid the drippiness (I blow-dry it only until it's about past half dry)

PS: blow-dry in low heat, is not TOO damaging. I mean, it sure causes some damage, but... huh, not sure if my hair resists EVERYTHING, but i had been doing that (on max heat) for years (about 2 times a week), and my hair never seemed damaged 'cause that (box-dyes were FAR worse.... and my hair was still not that damaged.) I know, to grow it long you have to baby it a lot. but perhaps a bit of heat gives you less damage than having it wet all that time.

Madora
November 7th, 2013, 07:51 AM
I can't recommend a fan enough. I bought a fan from Walmart for $20 and it has been doing a great job. Whether I'm sitting by it or spreading my hair out while laying in bed...that fan has saved my hair so much damage, it's unbelievable.

Yes! A fan is a great idea. I have a small portable table fan that I've used once in a while. Much more protective than using a blow fryer.

spidermom
November 7th, 2013, 07:55 AM
I section my hair like I'm doing a half up, only it's more of a 2/3 up. I use a claw clip to hold the area that I'm not working on out of the say. I dry in sections of about 1/3 at a time.

Anje
November 7th, 2013, 08:18 AM
Hmm, I could try that, although my towel is hair-sized and seems pretty saturated with one turbaning. If I flip it 180 degrees I might get a dry enough patch, though.
Oh, I definitely prefer a full-size towel. Any smaller, and I tend to have ends hanging out and dripping cold on me.

Not personally a fan of those turbie-towels. They don't seem more absorbent than my big towel is with both sides, and the one I have is a bit too small for my head (nevermind being short for my hair -- I can compensate for that).

höpönasu
November 7th, 2013, 08:23 AM
I'm wondering if blow drying still damages your hair even the air is cold? I mean, you can point it on your skin and it's cold.

florenonite
November 7th, 2013, 10:06 AM
OK, so I washed my hair five hours ago, squeezed the water out and twisted it up in a towel. Around five minutes later I took the towel down, detangled my hair, and flipped the towel over so that the side that had been on the outside at the tip of my hair was now on my hairline. I left that on for maybe ten, fifteen minutes, then took it down and blowdried for five or six minutes. I tried sectioning, but had difficulty keeping the extra sections clipped up, so I just did lots of finger raking and moving my head about (leaning forward, tilted to the side, and tilted back) so that different parts of my hair were closest to the dryer. The end result was still noticeably damp, but would have taken several hours to reach that stage if left to dry naturally. Within three-and-a-half or four hours it was completely dry.



for the layers below the crown, I would just take the upper hair in my hand, and blow-dry them. I mean, you take the upper hair, move it to the back, and blow-dry the scalp hair. but while you do so, you just keep moving, not only the blow-dryer, but also the hand.


Oh, that sounds like a good idea.


Oh, I definitely prefer a full-size towel. Any smaller, and I tend to have ends hanging out and dripping cold on me.

Not personally a fan of those turbie-towels. They don't seem more absorbent than my big towel is with both sides, and the one I have is a bit too small for my head (nevermind being short for my hair -- I can compensate for that).

See, I prefer the smaller one (it's bigger than a normal turbie towel, maybe 2.5 feet by 1.5 feet, but thinner than a comparable-sized bath towel) because I can leave it on my hair while I move about the house; if I use a full-size bath towel I have to take it off before I've even put my shirt on.


I'm wondering if blow drying still damages your hair even the air is cold? I mean, you can point it on your skin and it's cold.

Well, there's no risk of heat damage, obviously. That being said, depending on technique it can cause mechanical damage, the same way that standing outside with loose hair on a windy day can cause the strands to snag and tangle - and break. I think a general gauge would be that if your hair gets tangled blowdrying, you might want to turn down the air speed or change technique, but otherwise it's okay. My hair was less tangled after blowdrying this afternoon than it was a few hours later when it fell out of a braid in the wind!

Anje
November 7th, 2013, 10:25 AM
What is this shirt-wearing of which you speak? :p

florenonite
November 7th, 2013, 11:02 AM
Remember the bit where I live in Scotland? Shirts keep me warm :p

höpönasu
November 7th, 2013, 11:27 AM
Thank you, florenonite! I've been air drying my hair for... I can't remember how long. I think I'm closing to 1 year without blow drying. Sometimes when I let my hair air dry it dries so flat it actually feels oily. And it looks horrible. I'm pretty sure I'll start using blow dryer again. Maybe not every time I wash but at least if I'm going to bed with wet/damp hair.

lapushka
November 7th, 2013, 12:26 PM
Not personally a fan of those turbie-towels. They don't seem more absorbent than my big towel is with both sides, and the one I have is a bit too small for my head (nevermind being short for my hair -- I can compensate for that).

Now that you mention turbies being too small, CinnamonHair has a YT video on how she gets her huge amount of hair into one turbie. It's here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJrQyV60Huo

And this is a good one as well (with shorter hair):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST2lpab22Ig

Anje
November 7th, 2013, 01:22 PM
Now that you mention turbies being too small, CinnamonHair has a YT video on how she gets her huge amount of hair into one turbie. It's here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJrQyV60Huo

And this is a good one as well (with shorter hair):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST2lpab22Ig
Unfortunately, it's not the hair length (I've got that too, but I know the CinnamonHair trick), it's that the whole thing is too small to go over my head, fold/twist around my hair, then fold back over and secure with the button and loop. I need to move the button about 2 inches higher to keep my brain from getting squeezed out my ears.

Sunny_side_up
November 7th, 2013, 02:06 PM
I'm finding i'm relying on my new hairdryer quite a bit these colder months and its great. I use it on a cool setting after I use a wide toothed comb on my hair after I have showered. It feels smooth& soft and no chilly wet neck bothering me in the lead up to bedtime. :)

lapushka
November 7th, 2013, 02:25 PM
Unfortunately, it's not the hair length (I've got that too, but I know the CinnamonHair trick), it's that the whole thing is too small to go over my head, fold/twist around my hair, then fold back over and secure with the button and loop. I need to move the button about 2 inches higher to keep my brain from getting squeezed out my ears.

My towel doesn't reach the button or elastic (or whatever that particular towel uses as a fastener), so we use a claw clip to "clip" the end of the towel on top, wherever it ends.

Sillage
November 9th, 2013, 12:39 AM
I have a Sedu hairdryer and I love it. Dries my hair so fast! I've been using it for a year, always on low, and have not noticed any damage at all. My normal routine is to turban my hair in a towel while I put on my face cream and my body lotion and then blow dry on low. I don't section or use any nozzles but I do try to blow my hair downwards.