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KlutzyChy1
October 26th, 2017, 06:54 AM
I like to let my hair air dry. During the warmer months, I could sit outside or go for a walk & my hair would be dry by nighttime. Now that the weathers been colder, I've found myself having to use the blow dryer for a couple minutes at night to make sure its completely dry. I still have a lot of left over damage from years of straightening/blow-drying, so I'd really like to stay away from heat. I'm trying to baby my hair as much as I can for at least the next year. Does anyone have any tips on how I could get my hair to dry faster without the use of heat?

Aredhel
October 26th, 2017, 06:58 AM
I don't know how good this is for your hair, but as soon as I step out of the shower and blot my hair dry with a towel, I "windmill" my hair (a form of headbanging, you just whip your hair around in circles, like a windmill :)) for about 30 seconds to separate and dry strands, and my hair dries incredibly quick after. Within an hour or two. If I don't do this, it can take up to half a day for my hair to dry. :rolleyes:

Rockin' Gramma
October 26th, 2017, 07:04 AM
Although I don't have long hair yet, I gently wrap my hair in a towel after showering for a couple of minutes. Then I comb it out and use a microfiber cloth to blot out additional moisture. I'm always surprised just how much moisture that cloth picks up! It definitely speeds up 100% air drying time for me.

Kae612
October 26th, 2017, 07:15 AM
I usually wash my hair in the evening or afternoon when I'm home, and I'll have a towel around my shoulders so it's not tied up but also not getting my shirt wet. I move it around a bit and make sure it's spread out over the towel so more gets air. It's not 100% dry by bedtime, but it won't be very damp when I go out the next day, which is the cold part. I did get a blow drier in the case of unexpectedly needing to leave the house in the winter before then, but my hair is always more dry/crunchy after using it so I don't use it much. Only for emergencies. Because yeah wearing wet hair out to freeze is such a disgusting feeling and I never want to do it again :P

KlutzyChy1
October 26th, 2017, 07:29 AM
I don't know how good this is for your hair, but as soon as I step out of the shower and blot my hair dry with a towel, I "windmill" my hair (a form of headbanging, you just whip your hair around in circles, like a windmill :)) for about 30 seconds to separate and dry strands, and my hair dries incredibly quick after. Within an hour or two. If I don't do this, it can take up to half a day for my hair to dry. :rolleyes:

Thank you so much for responding ❤. When I get out of the shower, I pat my hair dry with a towel, just so it's not dripping wet & then I 'finger detangle' my hair the way you would with velcro tangles. I take a section & gently pull the strands apart to seperate them. This has definitely helped my hair dry a little bit quicker but i still need that extra something. I don't know if what I do is as effective as what you do without the head banging though hehe.

KlutzyChy1
October 26th, 2017, 07:30 AM
Although I don't have long hair yet, I gently wrap my hair in a towel after showering for a couple of minutes. Then I comb it out and use a microfiber cloth to blot out additional moisture. I'm always surprised just how much moisture that cloth picks up! It definitely speeds up 100% air drying time for me.

Thank you so much for responding ❤. I'll definitely have to look into a micro fiber towel. Do you know if they're expensive. We're quite broke, so I can't invest in anything too pricey atm haha.

lapushka
October 26th, 2017, 07:54 AM
I like to let my hair air dry. During the warmer months, I could sit outside or go for a walk & my hair would be dry by nighttime. Now that the weathers been colder, I've found myself having to use the blow dryer for a couple minutes at night to make sure its completely dry. I still have a lot of left over damage from years of straightening/blow-drying, so I'd really like to stay away from heat. I'm trying to baby my hair as much as I can for at least the next year. Does anyone have any tips on how I could get my hair to dry faster without the use of heat?

Use of a good towel after washing. Wring out the hair (squeegee it out gently). You probably know what I mean. Then wrap it in a towel and leave it for about 30 min. Then I air dry for 2 to 4H, and then I only need to pass the diffuser over it for 5 min. and it is mostly dry (dry at the roots, slightly dampish at the ends). The key is to let it "breathe" a little before you pass the blow dryer over it. Also, use your blow dryer on warm and not hot! If you can hold your hand (or a more sensitive part of you) in the airstream without it burning, then the warmth is good for the hair and it will not damage.

I have been diffusing weekly for years now. No splits, no white dots.

Kat
October 26th, 2017, 08:01 AM
I wrap my hair in a towel and wring pretty tightly, I admit, which probably isn't great for it.

Once it's about halfway dry, for me it's safe to gently fingercomb the tangles out (YMMV, depending on how tangly and fragile your hair is; if it's both, you might need to wait until it's dry to detangle to avoid damage). Once I've done this-- essentially separating the strands more so they're not so much in clumps and air can get to them better-- it dries much faster. The earlier in the drying process your hair can tolerate detangling with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb, the faster it will dry, I would think.

lapushka
October 26th, 2017, 08:28 AM
I wrap my hair in a towel and wring pretty tightly, I admit, which probably isn't great for it.

Once it's about halfway dry, for me it's safe to gently fingercomb the tangles out (YMMV, depending on how tangly and fragile your hair is; if it's both, you might need to wait until it's dry to detangle to avoid damage). Once I've done this-- essentially separating the strands more so they're not so much in clumps and air can get to them better-- it dries much faster. The earlier in the drying process your hair can tolerate detangling with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb, the faster it will dry, I would think.

Whether or not you can damp/dry detangle often depends on your texture as well. It's no problem for 1s but 2s and 3s and most certainly 4s will run into problems when dry detangling (wet detangling is oft preferred).

The-Young-Maid
October 26th, 2017, 09:06 AM
I've been using a table fan on the highest setting to dry my hair. I just flip my hair upside down, split it in half (like im making a part) and run my hands through it. Since my hair is pretty thick I do 3 back sections and 2 on top. Its usually I'd guess at least 80% dry in maybe 15-20 minutes. I get lots of volume and waves this way. I put it in twin braids after for more defined waves. This also doubles as the inversion method!

KlutzyChy1
October 26th, 2017, 02:06 PM
I've been using a table fan on the highest setting to dry my hair. I just flip my hair upside down, split it in half (like im making a part) and run my hands through it. Since my hair is pretty thick I do 3 back sections and 2 on top. Its usually I'd guess at least 80% dry in maybe 15-20 minutes. I get lots of volume and waves this way. I put it in twin braids after for more defined waves. This also doubles as the inversion method!

Thank you so much for responding ❤. I think I might have to suck it up & bundle up & sit in front of the fan. It's almost dry by nighttime, but there's still a little bit of a dampness. I've just been trying to avoid the fan because it's so darn cold!

KlutzyChy1
October 26th, 2017, 02:10 PM
Use of a good towel after washing. Wring out the hair (squeegee it out gently). You probably know what I mean. Then wrap it in a towel and leave it for about 30 min. Then I air dry for 2 to 4H, and then I only need to pass the diffuser over it for 5 min. and it is mostly dry (dry at the roots, slightly dampish at the ends). The key is to let it "breathe" a little before you pass the blow dryer over it. Also, use your blow dryer on warm and not hot! If you can hold your hand (or a more sensitive part of you) in the airstream without it burning, then the warmth is good for the hair and it will not damage.

I have been diffusing weekly for years now. No splits, no white dots.

My hair is the opposite. My ends are usually always dry by nighttime, but it's my roots, typically at the back of my head where my hair is the thickest, that I tend to have to blast with a blow dryer because it's still damp. I do use the blow dryer on warm but I'm terrified of it causing further damage. My hair is already damaged from years and years worth of heat styling. What does the diffuser do exactly? I think I have the attachments around here somewhere but I don't know how to use them hehe.

KlutzyChy1
October 26th, 2017, 02:13 PM
I usually wash my hair in the evening or afternoon when I'm home, and I'll have a towel around my shoulders so it's not tied up but also not getting my shirt wet. I move it around a bit and make sure it's spread out over the towel so more gets air. It's not 100% dry by bedtime, but it won't be very damp when I go out the next day, which is the cold part. I did get a blow drier in the case of unexpectedly needing to leave the house in the winter before then, but my hair is always more dry/crunchy after using it so I don't use it much. Only for emergencies. Because yeah wearing wet hair out to freeze is such a disgusting feeling and I never want to do it again :P

I shower in the evening/afternoon too. By the time I get out it's usually around 2:30-3:00 depending on whether or not I washed it, and by the time I'm done detangling & towel drying, it's about, 3:30. So I've only got about 4 or 5 hours to let my hair dry before I've got to get into bed. Going outside with wet hair is the worst! Especially now that it's getting colder, it makes me freeze even more hehe.

lapushka
October 26th, 2017, 02:16 PM
My hair is the opposite. My ends are usually always dry by nighttime, but it's my roots, typically at the back of my head where my hair is the thickest, that I tend to have to blast with a blow dryer because it's still damp. I do use the blow dryer on warm but I'm terrified of it causing further damage. My hair is already damaged from years and years worth of heat styling. What does the diffuser do exactly? I think I have the attachments around here somewhere but I don't know how to use them hehe.

A diffuser is great for waves, so if you scrunch up the hair to dry it, or just put it on your roots, they will dry faster (just adjust the heat down to what is comfy).

Wreckinbelle
October 26th, 2017, 02:22 PM
I agree with the microfiber towel! I found two at the local thrift store and was amazed by them!

Corvana
October 26th, 2017, 02:45 PM
I finally found my microfiber towel, and that's cut my dry time a ton! I'll wrap it up like I do with a regular towel for maybe 10 minutes? And it'll be damp and then I'll only need like an hour or so to air dry. But even before, I'd wrap my hair in the towel and let that sit for awhile (like half an hour?) until the towel was wet and then I'd let it air dry.

KlutzyChy1
October 26th, 2017, 03:22 PM
I agree with the microfiber towel! I found two at the local thrift store and was amazed by them!


I finally found my microfiber towel, and that's cut my dry time a ton! I'll wrap it up like I do with a regular towel for maybe 10 minutes? And it'll be damp and then I'll only need like an hour or so to air dry. But even before, I'd wrap my hair in the towel and let that sit for awhile (like half an hour?) until the towel was wet and then I'd let it air dry.

Thank you ladies for responding. ❤ I'll definitely have to pick up a micro fiber towel next pay day! I've heard about them before but didn't think they could really make that much of a difference. All I need is a little extra something so I can avoid using the blow dryer, because it's only a little bit damp at night, so hopefully that will work for me!

Sarahlabyrinth
October 26th, 2017, 03:55 PM
What I do if I want to dry my hair fast is wrap in a microfibre towel for a good half hour, then gently detangle and use a hair dryer on warm to finish it off, I hold it a good 6 to 8 inches away from my hair, and haven't seen any damage from using this method, even though my hair is fine in texture.

Anje
October 26th, 2017, 06:14 PM
Add me to the people who would wrap in a towel for a while. Usually I'd only do a couple minutes, but then I'd rotate the towel so I could get a dry section by my hair and re-wrap it for a while longer. Otherwise I ended up with wet hair wrapped in a saturated towel, which didn't wick away much.

The other thing I'd do is run my fingers along my scalp and "fluff" the roots every 5 minutes or so during the air-drying phase. Getting air in there speeds the process considerably.

KlutzyChy1
October 26th, 2017, 06:38 PM
It seems like towel drying with a micro fiber towel is the way to go hehe. I'll have to go out and pick one up next pay day. This may be a silly question, but how do you ladies wrap your hair in the towel? Do you just twist it and put it on top of your head or is there another way to do it?

mira-chan
October 26th, 2017, 06:44 PM
It seems like towel drying with a micro fiber towel is the way to go hehe. I'll have to go out and pick one up next pay day. This may be a silly question, but how do you ladies wrap your hair in the towel? Do you just twist it and put it on top of your head or is there another way to do it?

My hair is too long for that method as the ends would be out and dripping. I lean forward (wash with my hair forward) and wrap the hair length in the towel like a tube then wrap that around my head and tuck the end in. This works best with a thinner microfiber towel.

school of fish
October 26th, 2017, 07:42 PM
I wash my hair every day, which means I have to dry it every day ;) I'm another one who towel-wraps it up right out of the shower - I leave it on about 10min to absorb the water. After that I shake out the length (gentle head/hair tossing) to get air between the strands.

Air between the strands seems to be key for me where drying time is concerned. My hair is SO compressable that it takes a day or even two to fully dry if left contained when wet, but it only takes about an hour to dry if some air can get in there to speed the evaporation. The shaking out makes all the difference for me with dry time, but I understand that not everyone is comfortable or safe flinging their hair around ;)

Rockin' Gramma
October 26th, 2017, 08:15 PM
To answer your question about microfiber towel costs, it might depend in which store section you look. I have a couple that are washcloth size, so not really a towel per se, and I've had them for about five years. They're in great shape and hair drying is all I use them for. I believe I got them at Walmart, maybe in the housecleaning products section, and I'm pretty sure the set of two was under $5.

Kae612
October 26th, 2017, 08:22 PM
Ahh see I'll sleep on dampish hair like that, it doesn't have to be totally dry before bed. Just not sopping. I'd be fine with that amount of time on the towel. It won't be perfect by bedtime but yeah, no gross wet hair outside! :D

Kellylee
October 26th, 2017, 08:35 PM
I know you said you want to keep away from heat, but when it's cold and my hair is wet in the morning I will just blow dry on medium warm just the roots of my hair. I do it until the it's dry down to my ears and it keeps my from getting super cold. I can just throw a sweatshirt on and i barely notice my hair is wet.

ghanima
October 27th, 2017, 04:54 AM
I do that too, with a diffuser as I'm curly. My hair don't seem to mind the (relative) heat.
I wanna try the windmill thing! then I am not sure that separating the strands is a good thing for a curlie...

EdG
October 28th, 2017, 09:36 AM
I run an electric fan-heater in the winter.

http://www.edgrochowski.com/articles1/heater1.jpg

Sit at least five feet away. At that distance, the air is barely warm. Drying time is about 20-30 minutes.
Ed

AZDesertRose
October 28th, 2017, 09:53 AM
I don't know how good this is for your hair, but as soon as I step out of the shower and blot my hair dry with a towel, I "windmill" my hair (a form of headbanging, you just whip your hair around in circles, like a windmill :)) for about 30 seconds to separate and dry strands, and my hair dries incredibly quick after. Within an hour or two. If I don't do this, it can take up to half a day for my hair to dry. :rolleyes:

This is slightly off topic, but your description of your "windmill" hair-drying technique made me think of this comic I saw recently (possibly on Facebook? I don't remember):

https://pics.me.me/thats-not-a-mindmill-rapunzel-is-listening-to-death-metal-17682669.png

Because I'm silly like that. :silly:

Anje
October 28th, 2017, 01:06 PM
To answer your question about microfiber towel costs, it might depend in which store section you look. I have a couple that are washcloth size, so not really a towel per se, and I've had them for about five years. They're in great shape and hair drying is all I use them for. I believe I got them at Walmart, maybe in the housecleaning products section, and I'm pretty sure the set of two was under $5.
If you're cool with small ones, head over to automotive. I think I got 10 for $4 a few months back.

Jo Ann
October 28th, 2017, 01:07 PM
^^^^THIS!

https://awesomesquad.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/headbanger.gif?w=655

Jo Ann
October 28th, 2017, 09:13 PM
I run an electric fan-heater in the winter.

http://www.edgrochowski.com/articles1/heater1.jpg

Sit at least five feet away. At that distance, the air is barely warm. Drying time is about 20-30 minutes.
Ed

I just did this with a floor fan (non-heat model). This will be the first Saturday night I've gone to bed with damp-ish hair in ages! :p

Thank you for the tip, EdG! :blossom:

Hairkay
October 29th, 2017, 02:44 AM
My hair will dry quicker if left loose but then it's prone to tangles. I put it in about 10 plaits/braids and leave it to air dry. If I left it in one or two plaits/braids it would take many hours to dry. I also switch to washing my hair in the evenings on the coldest winter days because I wash my hair daily.

EdG
October 30th, 2017, 11:28 AM
I just did this with a floor fan (non-heat model). This will be the first Saturday night I've gone to bed with damp-ish hair in ages! :p

Thank you for the tip, EdG! :blossom:You're welcome! In your location, you probably never need to use a heater. ;)

I sit in front of a box fan to dry my hair faster in the summer.
Ed

Jo Ann
October 30th, 2017, 11:39 AM
Dear EdG,

Don't believe everything the FL Tourism Bureau tells you. :blossom: Just last night, my low was 51 and my high today is struggling to reach 70. We held a family discussion and The Other Team won, so our heater is set for 72. Let's just say December came early :p

Sincerely yours,

Freezing in FL ;)

Deborah
October 30th, 2017, 12:57 PM
I towel dry my hair first, then let it hang to partially dry until bed time. Then I loosely braid it, place a towel on my pillow and go to sleep. Sometimes I'll toss off the first towel and lay on a second one. My hair is pretty dry when I get up. This requires no hairdryer or fan, and I'm happy with the result.

Jas
October 30th, 2017, 03:18 PM
It's interesting to see how everyone dries their hair after washing!

I wring my hair with my hands fairly tightly a few times then pat my head with the towel to absorb as much water as I can in the towel. I did buy one of those hair towels but it wasn't even close to long enough for my hair so I've ended up using a pillowcase instead, put it around my head and secure the ends under the front and leave it for about 20 mins. Then I take it off, put some detangler all over and a bit of oil on the ends then leave it down for around 2 hours, separating it and moving it around to let the air get to it regularly.

It's usually pretty much all dry by the time I go to bed.

Natashap
October 30th, 2017, 09:04 PM
Sleeping with damp hair gives me headache and same applies to sitting in front of a fan .I avoid any kind of air to dry .Even from a fan heater or hair dryer as have lupus and cannot sit in front of heat source.

Have too many tangles lately.Weather is chilly to wash hair every 3 days but just once weekly seems gentle.

_anya
October 30th, 2017, 10:21 PM
I don't know how good this is for your hair, but as soon as I step out of the shower and blot my hair dry with a towel, I "windmill" my hair (a form of headbanging, you just whip your hair around in circles, like a windmill :)) for about 30 seconds to separate and dry strands, and my hair dries incredibly quick after. Within an hour or two. If I don't do this, it can take up to half a day for my hair to dry. :rolleyes:
Haha this is exactly what I do half of the time. Maybe this is why my hair is always a bit of a mess but I have little time (and patience!) and have sworn off the blowdryer for the most part and it really does work. :rockerdud