Paper towels to dry hair faster?

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I was reading this tiny hair magazine filled with hair product ads and incredible amounts of BS when i came across a possibly sound piece of advice:


You can use paper towels to dry your hair, as they are much more absorbent than regular cotton towels.

I know microfiber towels are also doing the job pretty well (as i use one myself) but the roots are always damp/wet because towel only dries hair around the hairline. I thought maybe dabbing a piece of paper towel on the insides of hair can absorb some of the water?

To prevent waste, i can save that sheet of towel to clean the floors.

Has anyone tried /willing to try this?

[Angels+Eyeliner]

I've never heard or tried this, but my first thoughts were negative.

Firstly: the cost is prohibitive. Buying decent regular towels isn't cheap but they last for years. Buying paper towels and using a handful each time I washed my hair and I'd pretty quickly go through a lot more than the cost of my towels. We don't use paper towels often, but a couple of quid every couple of weeks seems like it would mount up.

Secondly: the environmental factors. Those towels would be filling your bin quickly, and most paper towels are bleached and filled with things bad for the environment. Unless you paid for the unbleached, properly biodegradable ones. But that would be more expensive.

Thirdly: the mess. Even the strongest paper towels I've used tend to fall apart eventually. I'd be wary of little bits of dissolving paper towel in my hair.

I suppose if you got towels you were happy with and you used them right away for something else (cleaning the shower after you've washed your hair seems the best idea) then it might work for you. It's not for me, however.

[Bene]

That seems crazy wasteful. And I'm not particularly interested in the environment either.


I use microfiber or peshtemal, depending on what's next in the hair towel rotation.

[sabrinaclrke]

I admit I do it sometimes after I towel dry the sopping wet hair. I do save them though and use them again when they're dry.

[lapushka]

That seems crazy wasteful. And I'm not particularly interested in the environment either.

This. ^^ I don't think paper towel can beat the long-time absorbency of microfiber and a regular towel. Or you'd have to use many.

[Carolyn]

I don't understand how a regular terrycloth towel or a microfiber towel couldn't be absorbent enough. I use a baby bath towel and it works great.

[lunalocks]

Actually, the fibers in paper are abrasive. I would not use paper towels to dry my hair.

[slynr]

I sometimes use a single paper towel to blot extra moisture from my hair. I don't rub I just press it flat against my hair and it works quite well. It gets a lot of extra moisture out even after I have used a microfiber towel for quite a while and is great if I am in a hurry to get dry hair.

[Madora]

The lint that comes off paper towels...ugh!

[Nadine <3]

Wrapping my hair in a t shirt and leaving it for a few minutes soaks up enough for me, and if I'm in a hurry to have dry hair I just blow dry it on cool. Using papertowels seems wastefull and unnecessary to me.

[CathyGo]

A lot of people kill their towels absorbency by using fabric softener. Microfibers work just as well as a paper towel if cared for properly. I run a vinegar or borax cycle through my machine before washing microfibers.

If you guys want a paper towel that doesn't produce lint and holds together I love the Viva brand towels.

[Aurum]

Occasionally when my ends are still dripping and I've already put the bath towel away, I blot it with a paper towel. It works for the time being but I couldn't see using them as a primary method of drying. :shrug:

[AmyBeth]

Wrapping my hair in a t shirt and leaving it for a few minutes soaks up enough for me, and if I'm in a hurry to have dry hair I just blow dry it on cool. Using papertowels seems wastefull and unnecessary to me.

This, quite. I collect all of DH's old T-shirts and use them to dry my hair. Except I will never ever use a blowdryer, even on cool. People are just going to have to get used to seeing me with wet hair! Hey, washing your hair involves water- what can you do? Dry shampoo is not for me.

[Paranda Belle]

I used to use this method after swimming at school. There was never enough time to wash & dry, so I would rinse my braid in the shower and blot off the excess water after I came out without undoing it.

The horror of my pre-teen, pre-lhc days!

[truepeacenik]

I don't use paper towels.
I have two thin hamman style towels.
And I don't expect cloth to take me to fully dry.

[share801]

A hairdresser suggested it to me once. Said it would reduce frizz. Never tried it though.