Problems with wet hair

[mary*rose]

Does anyone have problems with their hair taking FOREVER to dry? I don't like using heat, and can count on one hand the amount of times I have used a hair dryer. However, I find that when I wash my hair (I take evening showers), it takes about a day and a half for it to dry.

My significant other blames the greasiness of my hair, saying all the oil in it are to blame for holding all that moisture. I do have rather greasy hair - I've been looking for ways to fix that here. I've considered washing it more frequently, but with the amount of time my hair takes to dry, it seems like my hair would NEVER be dry. If it's the greasies that are causing the problem, then that's what I'll try to fix.

I think it's just 'cause it's really freakin thick.

I also frequently have my hair braided or in a bun. I've discovered that fishtails or five piece braids expedite the drying process.

[Aderyn]

A day and a half? Oh my.

Do you put your hair in a braid and/or bun when it's wet? That will make the drying time significantly longer. Wearing it down while it's drying (even if you only let it dry until it's damp) should drastically cut down on the drying time.

I would recommend towel drying it quite a bit if you don't already. Even towel drying it when it's in a braid by just squeezing the braid lightly with the towel every once in a while should speed up the process. If worried about the damage from a normal towel, you can try an old cotton t-shirt instead.

[Stormynights]

I made an oversized snood so I can sit in front of a fan to dry. It is really nice.

[meteor]

I think your SO is right: the oilier the hair the longer it takes to dry. Oil is an effective occlusive and I do notice a big difference in the time it takes my hair to dry when it's got some oil on it (either from oiling or conditioning). Have you tried a lighter conditioner?

And yes, thick hair takes longer to dry, of course.

If you can't handle keeping your hair wet for so long, by all means, keep it down longer near a fan or something. Putting it up or in a braid will make drying time extremely long.
Also, try Madora's hair fanning technique to speed up drying time. Here's a video showing this technique that LauraLongLocks posted: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbgB6WhMl4Y

[jeanniet]

When my hair was long, it would never have dried if it was up in a bun or braided. So wash days were usually a combination of put it up, take it down, put it up again depending on what I was doing. To be honest, one reason I cut it shorter was because I was getting tired of planning my life around when I needed to wash my hair--I had other things I wanted to be involved with and just didn't want to deal with it. If you can figure out a way to get it dry faster, you'll be a lot happier. And yes, I agree that anything extra in hair will slow drying time, including natural hair oils or added oils.

[darklyndsea]

I also have hair that takes a while to dry. I find that if I wash my hair in the evening and sleep with it wet, basically the hours that I'm sleeping don't dry my hair at all--since it's 6 hours drying time for me, if I went to sleep immediately my hair would be wet for almost six hours after I woke up.

A cold water rinse after washing my hair seems to make my hair dry slightly faster. The products I use also have an effect, but I don't know what in those products is causing the difference. The humidity probably makes a difference.

[Othala]

Perhaps you could use a fan or the cool setting on a hairdryer to speed things up.

[nicolezoie]

You might also do well switching the type of shampoo you use. I have to use detergent based shampoos, otherwise the sebum does not get cleaned out. Same thing when I used jojoba or any other type of oil in my hair.

[ExpectoPatronum]

Oils definitely don't help the situation. I washed last night, put oil in my hair after, and it's still damp. I don't know if I'll be using oils after washing again because it's rather irritating.

Do you put your hair up after you wash? That will also lengthen the amount of time it takes for your hair to dry.

[redredrobin]

My hair often doesn't dry properly overnight, even in pigtails, and my hair is a lot shorter and probably less thick than yours.

I do use a hairdryer now and again, usually when I'm really busy and haven't thought about when to wash my hair and then need it to dry quickly.

My hairdryer has three settings. Hot, I don't use anymore. The cold is as you would expect and I am happy to use that on my hair. I find the medium setting most useful. I can blast my hand with the medium setting and it doesn't hurt at all, so it's not so hot. Even so, I tend to use it in moderation and not too close to my hair, in short blasts. I find it really speeds up the process even though it's just a warm heat for a short amount of time. Maybe something like this would make a difference to your drying time.

[Seeshami]

If I put Mess up after washing he'll never dry. I generally wash as soon as I get home on wash nights and run around with it down and dripping all over everything with regular squeeze with a towel. Normally I go to bed with damp hair but I sleep on a microfiber thingy that pulls out moisture and it's mostly if not completely dry when I wake

[Ashflower89]

Wow, I have a huge problem with my hair taking ages to dry and its not very thick at all.... never thought it could be oil related. I cake on conditioner like mad because I'm always convinced my hair is dry and needs moisture. But it always lays flat on my head, no volume whatsoever. I use Aussie Moist shampoo and conditioner.... the smell alone keeps me going back to it. Going to bed with wet hair is a nightmare, I'd rather damage it with a dryer than sleep on it wet. Maybe I should try a clarifying shampoo and a lighter conditioner....

[Applegirl84]

I find squeezing with a paper towel works better than even a microfiber hair towel and cuts down on drying time significantly. I also use the medium and cool setting on my blow dryer if I am in a hurry.

[molljo]

I second using paper towels. I only use about 4 to get me from dripping to damp, and from there it only takes a few hours to dry.

[chou]

Uugh my hair takes forever to dry. I've had shorter hair most of my life and the drying time with my newly long hair is an unpleasant surprise. 4-6 hours during the day, longer if I bun it and sleep on it damp. Microfiber hair turbans help a lot. I just got a particularly effective one at Costco (BlowPro brand, it's extra long and holds all of my hair). My biggest issue is that I can't leave the house with wet hair because I have wavy frizzy hair and live in a very windy place that's freezing cold most of the year. If I go out the door before my waves have dried and set, they get blown all around turn to frizz. And if it's cold to boot, I freeze. Even if I braid my hair, my crown will develop frizz in the wind. I only wash my hair once or twice a week so it's not a big deal. But wash days are kind of a bummer. I diffuse on medium heat when I need to because I hate the feeling that my wet hair is keeping me from getting out of the house and doing things.

Does anyone have any tips for drying wavy hair?

[Sharysa]

I also take up to a day waiting for my hair to dry; thickness and oil (naturally or added) definitely play a part in it. I usually let my hair towel-dry for about an hour so it's damp, and then I put it in Dutch pigtails so I can sleep on them and wake up with nice waves.

[jeanniet]

Madora has a method of drying/fanning her hair that she says takes 20-45 minutes. It would drive me crazy doing it (lol, sorry, Madora!), but you could try it out. Let me see if I can find it for you.

OK, it's #9 post in this thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=74615

[Imalath]

I have trouble with my hair drying in the hottest part of summer, when the humidity is very high. I have a two-towel system to get as much water as possible out of my hair, and then I either go outside for a few minutes and let the fresh air and the breeze take care of it, or if I sit in a sunny window for about an hour. That usually takes enough moisture from my hair that I can damp bun or braid it and it will finish drying there. If I have to wash it at night, I wash as early as possible and spread my hair across my pillow to dry overnight. It takes a few more minutes to detangle in the morning, but it usually dries.

[Kherome]

Wow, I have a huge problem with my hair taking ages to dry and its not very thick at all.... never thought it could be oil related. I cake on conditioner like mad because I'm always convinced my hair is dry and needs moisture. But it always lays flat on my head, no volume whatsoever. I use Aussie Moist shampoo and conditioner.... the smell alone keeps me going back to it. Going to bed with wet hair is a nightmare, I'd rather damage it with a dryer than sleep on it wet. Maybe I should try a clarifying shampoo and a lighter conditioner....

That's a pretty heavy coney product (aussie) and that would most likely be why your hair is so flat. Do you also take care to make sure the hair isn't getting dry under all the silicone?

[Nadine <3]

My hair used to dry in a half hour. 15 minutes after getting out of the shower it was for the most part dry. That was when my hair was reeeeaaaly dry. Now that I ditched heavy cones, conditioning more, and using oils, my hair takes at least an hour or two to dry. I think it because my hair is healthier and I don't comb it when I get out of the shower, otherwise I get frizz from pulling apart my waves. Right now I'm sitting in front of the open window hoping the cool breeze will speed up the process. You could do the same with a fan, maybe?

[HazelBug]

Mine also takes forever to dry. I wrap it in a towel for a bit and blot it untill it stops dripping. Then I wear it down and might sit in front of a fan or by a window in the sun. If I bun it before it is dry before bed then it will still be wet in the morning. But sometimes I do that to give my hair a longer time in the moisture. My hair doesn't take much longer to dry when it is long vs short. Even short my hair takes a long time. Even when I had a buzz cut my hair took it's time. My Husband's ear length hair dried faster than my 1/2 inch buzz.

[mary*rose]

Thanks for all the tips, everyone. I didn't use a leave in conditioner yesterday evening, and I've found that my hair is already mostly dry. So that was probably part of the issue. I do bun it when it's wet (right out of the shower), because I don't like the feel of wet hair on my back, but I take it down when I go to sleep, and let it spread out over the pillow.

Haha I have to do a weird loop thing, though, so it doesn't hang over the edge of the bed 'cause I get scared that something is going to grab it in my sleep (especially a cat...)

In the morning, I have to braid it because I don't really like wearing it down, and yes, it's still usually wet. I'll like that snood idea Stormynights: how do you manage that?

[meteor]

I do bun it when it's wet (right out of the shower), because I don't like the feel of wet hair on my back, but I take it down when I go to sleep, and let it spread out over the pillow.
I can't stand the feeling of wet hair on my back either, so I drape a towel over my shoulders to keep wet hair from touching me and let it drip dry. If I wet-bun or wet-braid, it won't dry even in a couple days. I need to spread it out and fan it a bit.