Drying Hair

[Dianadarlene]

I don't know what it is about me but I've realized since growing APL hair, that I HATE when my wet hair is touching my neck/shoulders/back. I can only imagine that as it continues to grow, the issue will get worse.

Blow driers are a huge No-No to growing long hair, and rubbing it with a towel is also not great...some people told me to use a Soft T-shirt but they don't absorb well... And then one day I was looking up hair product reviews on youtube and I found these:
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlproducts/view/4711/studio-dry-hair-drying-gloves
They look pretty awesome. Just gloves for drying your hair and they look like they would hold a lot of water. I wonder if they are damaging? I guess if they were, they wouldn't sell very well, right? Has anyone tried these? If not, what do you do to dry your hair with minimal damage?

[KittyBird]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5P6c8QcZ-s
:D
I put a big, thick towel on my chest, put my hair over my shoulder and drape it over the towel. It requires that I mostly sit still while my hair dries, but I'm fine with that. I sometimes use the blowdryer on the cool setting, I don't think that's particularly damaging.

[amanda_the_tall]

I use a towel turbie thing. Twisty turbie? Something like that. It's much lighter weight and has a little elastic to hold the end of the fabric so it won't come off your head. Before that I just used a regular towel but that was excessive for hair that's barely over 1" pony circumference.

[memeow]

I put it up in a t-shirt for about 10 minutes, then drape a towel over my shoulders and let it loose to dry. I don't think it's damaging to have it against a towel as long as you're not rubbing it, right?

Or, I'm rushing to leave before work, so I take it out of the t-shirt and put it in a bun, where it stays all day before I come home and let it loose again. It doesn't dry well while its in the bun though, and I do wonder if that's damaging....

[lapushka]

Try wrapping it in a turbie towel after you've washed it and squeegeed out most of the water. 15 to 20 min. to about half an hour and your hair will only be damp and not bother you as much.

[jupiterinleo]

I use a towel turbie thing. Twisty turbie? Something like that. It's much lighter weight and has a little elastic to hold the end of the fabric so it won't come off your head. Before that I just used a regular towel but that was excessive for hair that's barely over 1" pony circumference.

I have one of these. It's actually really great, super comfortable. It really soaks up water, unlike a regular towel. If your hair is long, you just kind of fold it into the longer part, like in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJrQyV60Huo).

[Madora]

Quite frankly, you'd get better results using an Egyptian cotton towel. Towels are not the beasts that everyone seems to think they are. Naturally, a better quality towel is better than a cheap one. But it is HOW you use the towel...and your hands...that makes the difference! No rubbing, ever!

Just drape the towel with the long ends hanging on either side of your head, so that your hair is trapped between both pieces of towel. Then use your hands to gently press the towel covered hair. Start at the top then move your hands down the length of the towel covered hair, pressing the towel between your palms.

Once all the hair has been towel "pressed", detangle gently with a wide tooth comb and air dry.

It takes me about 25 minutes to dry my almost knee length hair outdoors (using my special "fanning" technique to speed drying time). No one should have to spend hours (!!!) drying their hair!

[Larki]

I just wrap my hair in a towel while I'm getting dressed, and then unwrap it to finish dressing. Once the hair is no longer touching my skin, I'm fine, it doesn't bother me anymore. A t-shirt is enough barrier. The few minutes in the towel dries it like 70% of the way.

[Nesoi]

Another turbie twister fan here! They do make a ton of difference in drying time, without friction.

I saw this video about those drying gloves that cracked me up: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5P6c8QcZ-s

[Dianadarlene]

Thank you all for your great responses and ideas! I don't think it shall be an issue for me anymore with all these tips :)

[Carolyn]

I don't have an issue with wet hair. I actually love the feeling of wet hair on my back and neck but here's what I do. I use a baby bath towel to wrap my hair in. I press as much water out as I can with my bath towel when I get out of the tub, detangle with my wide tooth comb and then wrap in the baby towel. The baby towels I have are a bit stretchy and very absorbent. They aren't huge but I just fold my hair up so it doesn't hang out. I don't think folding hair is damaging.

[momschicklets]

I think the main thing to remember is not vigorously rub, rub, rub with a coarse towel to dry the hair like we were all taught as kids! When my hair is soaking wet, I first take my towel and press it into my hair to absorb the dripping water. Then I use a cotton tshirt to gently squeeze my hair over and over to get the remaining moisture. Never any violent rubbing. Even though I do a good job of removing the water, my hair is still not full dry scalp to tip for about 2 hours.

[spidermom]

I use a flannel pillowcase instead of a towel to wrap my wet hair in. Also, I blow-dry on warm to the scalp area, cool to the length. I don't like wet hair hanging all over me, either.

[dellad]

I drape a towel over one shoulder, then gather all my hair so that it rests over the towel. The water drips onto the towel and not onto me.

[GetMeToWaist]

I have those gloves and i have to say they don't make a difference for me. In fact i found the material was snagging my hair and breaking hairs off, so i stopped using them.

[PerkyCurlz]

I wrap my hair in a big microfiber towel for 10 minutes or so while I get dressed after my shower. That basically squeezes the majority of water or of my hair, but it's still damp.

If I'm going to work, I'll leave my hair down but pull all my hair over one shoulder on top of another towel to help it dry. I damp bun during the first half of my shift and let my hair down during lunch to finish drying.

If I'm not working, I either pull all my hair over one shoulder on top of another towel to finish drying, or I'll "plop" my hair using a t-shirt.

[Mya]

In my opinion a microfiber towel is among the best options. It absorbs a lot of water. When you get your hair out of the towel, it dries more quickly.

[Anje]

As someone with relatively straight hair, I can get away with this....

I wrap my hair in a towel for about 5 minutes, flipping it once to get a fresh dry area. Once it's as damp as my hair, it's no longer helping to dry my hair -- it's just reducing surface area for drying, so I take it off.

Then I finger-detangle (usually work a teeny amount of oil through too) and let it airdry. During the airdrying process, I fairly frequently "fluff" my hair, especially at the roots, to get the air in. Even with just some negligant fluffing as I surf the web or whatever, my hair is usually barely damp within an hour. If I were more focused on encouraging drying, I could probably get it down to the sorts of times Madora talks about.

That said, I realize this is a recipe for frizzy, undefined hair for the curlies. :p

[lapushka]

In my opinion a microfiber towel is among the best options. It absorbs a lot of water. When you get your hair out of the towel, it dries more quickly.

Yes, and a microfiber turbie towel, is even better. ;)

[Anje]

Yes, and a microfiber turbie towel, is even better. ;)

If it fits your head..... I can't put them on and fasten them!

[woodswanderer]

Hrmmm.....I haven't used a towel for years since I started oiling. After I get out of the shower, I squeeze excess water out with my hands and then add a few drops of oil and comb through. If I start using a towel, I wonder if it would be better to add the oil before it goes in the towel or after it comes out of the towel?

I used to have something like a turbie towel years ago that my grandma made me, but my length outgrew it, and she isn't around to make me things anymore. :boohoo:

[katieing]

Ugh I can't stand the wet spot that my hair makes on my back - it's cold, damp, and sticks to me! I usually wring out my hair in the shower, let it drip dry for a few minutes, then put a towel where my ends are to soak up the water. I've never tried the turbie towel though

[woolyleprechaun]

I tend to just squeeze out the water as much as possible and then press a towel into my hair. Then I wrap it in a Turbie or 'plop' it (depending on whether or not I care how my waves look). If I leave it for half an hour or so, its barely damp when I take it down, so I can pop it in a bun or stuff it in my sleepcap as normal.
Those gloves though....totally mental. And that's coming from someone who sleeps in a giant, homemade, orange mushroom of a hat ;)

[MeowScat]

The Turbie Twist has been a pleasant surprise. I've been using it for a couple years and it works better than my big ole bath towels. I wear mine for 5 -10 minutes, then I take it off, turn it inside out and put it back on for another few minutes. I use a claw clip to hold it up.

I bought a floor stand fan at Walmart for about $17 and it's perfect for drying my hair. The fan is about three and a half feet off the floor which is the perfect height when I'm sitting at my desk putting on my makeup. I separate my hair a few times and I sit about 4 feet away from it with it on the highest setting. If I'm cold, I'll put a towel over my shoulders or wear a t-shirt.

Woodswanderer - I fold my hair into the Turbie like Cinnamon Hair's tutorial and it works great. It took a few times to get it just right. You should try it again. :)

[lapushka]

If it fits your head..... I can't put them on and fasten them!

No the elastic doesn't reach the button in back for me either. Tip: claw clip to secure the tail to your head, well to the towel! ;)

[Cania]

Blow driers are perfectly safe for hair if you use them properly. As long as you can blow it on your skin comfortably without feeling too hot, it shouldn't be damaging.