Hair dries weirdly after shower

[MariaPon]

So after years of sleeping with my wet hair down, I finally understood the error of my ways. I washed my hair in the morning (trying a new routine) and then pulled the wet hair into a cinnabun and went the entire day like that. However, the moment I let down my -already- dry hair, I was mortified- it looked greasy and/or still seemed wet (in a "non flowy-non pretty" way that required dry shampoo to fix it). So later I decided to wash my hair again the same way to see if the things I used on my hair were the problem, but this time I went to sleep with my wet hair free to roam the pillow land. And what do you know, I woke up with the best hair I've ever had.

So my question is, how do you dry your hair? Being a before-bed showerer it seems to be a real struggle for me, since I would rather have un-damaged hair but I would also appreciate it if it looked nice sometimes ;)

[Complexity]

I've just recently (within the last couple of weeks) adopted the t-shirt method. I'm a night showerer as well, but I try to get it in a few hours before I'm planning to go to bed. My hair used to take almost a full day to dry, but if I leave the t-shirt on my head for a couple of hours, it only takes a couple more for it to be mostly dry (at which time I usually braid it and go to sleep). It's still damp when i wake up (because of the braiding), but dries quickly the next morning. This is tenfold better than it used to be.

[sumidha]

I almost always go to bed with damp hair. What is theoretically bad about that? :confused:

[MariaPon]

I almost always go to bed with damp hair. What is theoretically bad about that? :confused:

It's not the going to sleep with wet/damp hair, it's the sleeping with it loose :\

[sumidha]

Oh ok, I see if you moved around a lot it could get tangled.

I twist mine into a cinnabun on top of my head, don't secure it with anything and it usually doesn't manage to un-bun itself by morning.

[lapushka]

When I was still BSL, in the summer, I sometimes went to sleep with damp hair (not wet!!!) and put a big towel on my pillowcase (and surrounding bedding) - I hated it. You have to be careful not to get your bedding wet (yuck!) and it still wasn't dry in the morning - after 8 hours. So no! Never again. Give me a blowdryer every time.

[MariaPon]

I've just recently (within the last couple of weeks) adopted the t-shirt method. I'm a night showerer as well, but I try to get it in a few hours before I'm planning to go to bed. My hair used to take almost a full day to dry, but if I leave the t-shirt on my head for a couple of hours, it only takes a couple more for it to be mostly dry (at which time I usually braid it and go to sleep). It's still damp when i wake up (because of the braiding), but dries quickly the next morning. This is tenfold better than it used to be.

I would do that, but the way my days are I get to the shower only an hour before I have to go to bed, which doesn't really allow me to sit around with the tshirt :( That's why I'm looking for methods to sleep with mostly-wet hair and not have it damaged/look horrible the next day

[MariaPon]

Oh ok, I see if you moved around a lot it could get tangled.

I twist mine into a cinnabun on top of my head, don't secure it with anything and it usually doesn't manage to un-bun itself by morning.


Then you're lucky to have more than BSL :flower: At this point my hair will NOT stay in a stick-free bun :)


When I was still BSL, in the summer, I sometimes went to sleep with damp hair (not wet!!!) and put a big towel on my pillowcase (and surrounding bedding) - I hated it. You have to be careful not to get your bedding wet (yuck!) and it still wasn't dry in the morning - after 8 hours. So no! Never again. Give me a blowdryer every time.

But what do you do now? Personally I have no problem with air drying my hair even at night, because it's pretty damn warm here all year round, but it's just weird to me that if I dry my hair when it's up in a bun it'll dry stuck together even after brushing it...

[lapushka]

But what do you do now? Personally I have no problem with air drying my hair even at night, because it's pretty damn warm here all year round, but it's just weird to me that if I dry my hair when it's up in a bun it'll dry stuck together even after brushing it...

After washing, my hair goes in a t-shirt "towel" for 40-45 min., then I airdry for 3H and then go through it with a diffuser for 4/5 min. By then the roots are basically dry and my ends dampish.

[ReadingRenee]

Im usually a night showerer as well. I use "flats" Cotton diapers or flour sack towels to squeeze the water out of my hair ( very gently) Then I put it in a poufy half up to get some root volume, hang around for an hour or so and then spread a dry flat over my pillow and sleep with it spread out. In the day time I do the same thing but when its halfway dry I will put it up in a bun and let it finish drying that way. It usually gives my waves nice definition with less frizz.

[Frankenstein]

I shower late at night and my hair is never dry before I go to sleep. Recently I got tired of this (and also damp bunning/braiding) so I began blow-drying on a cool setting. It seems to be working well for me so far.

[enting]

I'm discovering if I go to sleep with my hair wet or damp in a nautilus bun right on the top of my head, I can take it down the next morning and have awesome hair. The hair near my scalp dries and gets great root volume, and the ends are still quite damp, but the curls are super defined from semi-drying all bunched. It somehow acts like scrunching, but better. I'm not sure yet if a cinnabun would have the same effect.

[yogagirl]

I sometimes go to bed with wet hair. It has to be loose, otherwise it won't dry overnight and I can't do that to my SD-prone scalp. I just try to drape it over the top of the pillow, so I don't roll around on the ends too much. I also get the best hair day ever from doing that, waves galore! It is essentially like plopping (end result: better waves) and damp bunning (end result: more moisture retention). I love it :thumbsup:

[sarahthegemini]

I've slept with wet hair once before, though not by choice (I had a migraine right after a shower and had to sleep it off) My hair was greasy and limp when I woke up :-/ I prefer evening showers, which allow my hair to dry before I go to bed.

[spidermom]

I've slept with wet hair a number of times. I wedge a pillow between the mattress and the head of the bed, then drop my wet hair into the space above the pillow that my head is on. My hair is never dry by morning, but this method brings out the wave big time. Too bad I'm such a tosser and turner. I have to regather and replace my hair multiple times per night, which is actually all right since I get up multiple times per night to pee anyway.

I have a feeling that if I bunned my wet hair, it would never dry in a million years. I wash my hair in the morning most often, then use the blow dryer to accelerate the drying time. I usually don't continue until my hair is completely dry but I get the drip out of it.

[LadyCelestina]

If I shower in the evening around 7pm, I just put it in a towel for a while then airdry it as much as possible and it's mostly dry or damp-ish when I braid it for bed. If I shower later I blowdry it a bit. If I really really have to wash it I skip leave in, and blowdry it while fingercombing through it. Anyway I always braid for the night if I manage to get it just damp by the time I go to bed. If it's totally wet, I leave it loose, but that is a couple times a year.

[littlestarface]

I sleep with wet hair loose and over my pillow hanging on the ground, it's the only way I get nice waves and voluminous hair. I tried damp bunning it was a disaster.

[MariaPon]

I shower late at night and my hair is never dry before I go to sleep. Recently I got tired of this (and also damp bunning/braiding) so I began blow-drying on a cool setting. It seems to be working well for me so far.

I'm way too traumatized by the blow dryer, even the cool setting maked me flinch :(


I'm discovering if I go to sleep with my hair wet or damp in a nautilus bun right on the top of my head, I can take it down the next morning and have awesome hair. The hair near my scalp dries and gets great root volume, and the ends are still quite damp, but the curls are super defined from semi-drying all bunched. It somehow acts like scrunching, but better. I'm not sure yet if a cinnabun would have the same effect.

Oooh I've only recently managed to do the nautilus, I think I'll try it, thanks!!!


I sometimes go to bed with wet hair. It has to be loose, otherwise it won't dry overnight and I can't do that to my SD-prone scalp. I just try to drape it over the top of the pillow, so I don't roll around on the ends too much. I also get the best hair day ever from doing that, waves galore! It is essentially like plopping (end result: better waves) and damp bunning (end result: more moisture retention). I love it :thumbsup:

I know right? I always wake up with the most amazing hair ever, it's all wavy and pretty and fun :o But it does kind of terrify me to keep doing this due to my tossing and turning during the night..


I've slept with wet hair once before, though not by choice (I had a migraine right after a shower and had to sleep it off) My hair was greasy and limp when I woke up :-/ I prefer evening showers, which allow my hair to dry before I go to bed.

I guess different hair reacts differently to sleeping with it wet :\ I've come across many people who can't stand sleeping with wet hair, but go figure, whatever works :P

[MariaPon]

I have a feeling that if I bunned my wet hair, it would never dry in a million years. I wash my hair in the morning most often, then use the blow dryer to accelerate the drying time. I usually don't continue until my hair is completely dry but I get the drip out of it.

That's the thing, whenever I went to sleep with my wet hair in a bun I woke up with it still wet and proceeded to have a terrible hair day :( I just like sleeping way too much to give up even a few more minutes in the morning, so morning showering is only an emergency thing for me :P

[Hairkay]

I sometimes go to bed with damp hair but only on the coldest of days of the winter. Then after showering I put a t-shirt on my hair for a few minutes. Mostly my hair is in numerous braids/plaits that keeps it detangled and quicker to dry. After removing the t-shirt I tuck the plaits loosely under a satin cap and go to bed. It's fully dry by morning. Other times I'll leave my hair to air dry in the mornings, cool days will require a few minutes under a t-shirt other days it's fine just like that. I do squeeze out some excess drips with my hands at first.

[hayheadsbird]

Im usually a night showerer as well. I use "flats" Cotton diapers or flour sack towels to squeeze the water out of my hair ( very gently) Then I put it in a poufy half up to get some root volume, hang around for an hour or so and then spread a dry flat over my pillow and sleep with it spread out. In the day time I do the same thing but when its halfway dry I will put it up in a bun and let it finish drying that way. It usually gives my waves nice definition with less frizz.

Genius! I have a stash of flats never used sitting doing nothing! Never thought of using them like this :D

[Simsy]

I cheat a little. I wash my hair first thing Saturday morning and leave it down all day to dry. It won't get wet again until the following week. While I don't mind sleeping on wet hair, I am trying to be a bit gentler on my hair, and part of that for me is letting it dry before braiding or bunning it for sleep. The other issue i run into is that my hair takes 2 days to dry in a French braid, not matter how loose. I shudder to think how long it would take in a bun. :shudder:

[yogagirl]

I just like sleeping way to much to give up even a few more minutes in the morning, so morning showering is only an emergency thing for me :P
Omg me too times a thousand! Hair washing (and drying) is such a huge hassle to me, I don't enjoy it at all. On top of that I am NOT a morning person, so I avoid washing my hair in the morning like the plague. Glad I'm not the only one :o

[Sweets]

I've always showered in the morning, no matter the length. It helps wake me up on tough days, and refreshes me on non-tough days. Right now, air drying while awake and doing makeup/getting ready for work is giving me awesome body! Hooray for pixie layers :)

If I want braid waves, it is always on day 2+...even with medium fine hair, it still takes over a day to be moderately dry.

[Yarrow]

As a teenager I always showered in the evening/night, mainly because there wasn't much time with everyone wanting use the bathroom in the early morning and also because it was really early, like 5:30 early. I never was much of a blow drier and my hair takes about 2-3 hours to air dry depending on the surrounding temperature, so if I ended up washing my hair in the morning, then I would end up wet or damp bunning it. And then it would stay wet until I took the bun out at the end of the day .Lol, I remember other girls doing the same and the boys couldn't understand why our hair was wet, did we go home at lunch and wash it?
So it was better to wash the hair in the evening, and if it was really cold, I would wait till it was damp almost dry and then roll it up in a bandana and go to sleep. In the morning, I would have then some nice wave/curls with out having to bother with my hair.
Otherwise I would just go sleep with semi wet/damp hair and let it dry over night. I still do that most of the time.
Only when I'm staying home in the mornings, will I wash my hair in the mornings and let it air dry.
I usually just put a bag or shower cap over my hair and shower without washing my hair and then separately wash my hair in the sink whenever it is needed, especially in the winter. In the summer, the temperatures are high so my hair dries faster, so it really doesn't matter.
I think if the hair is still damp after bunning it, it was simply too wet when you put it the bun. My hair needs to be slightly damp, almost dry to produce any type of waves/curls. Otherwise it will just stay wet.

[MlleMC]

I almost always go to bed with my hair loose and wet after washing, and I've done it for many years. It usually looks better this way.

Immediately after my shower, I'll put it up in a t-shirt and keep it in until I go to bed (usually between 15 minutes and 2 hours), just so that it isn't dripping everywhere. But I move very little in my sleep, so it really isn't a problem for me to sleep with loose hair. If I untangle it before bed, most of the time it will still be untangled in the morning.