Hair takes forever to dry and it’s a problem!

[Milkchocolate]

Lately I’ve been working long hours and don’t come home until midnight sometimes. Washing my hair is not an issue....until it comes time for drying. Without any form of help, my hair can take up to 8 hours to dry! :( and by morning time for work, it’s still damp! I do have a lot of hair, and it’s at thigh length so I recognize that longer hair does take longer time..

But anyway, I just can’t can’t sleep with wet hair. It will never fully dry and remain damp, so I use a big house fan, sometimes combined with my blow dryer..but it’s stil impossible to get it completely 100% dry at bed time!! (It seems to cut the time in half but still...) I don’t have the luxury to sit up for hours waiting for it to dry because I do need sleep!!

So does anyone else have this problem and what are some tips or tools you can use to speed up the drying time because it really is becoming an issue :(

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Mine takes about 8 hours too, unless I use a hair dryer on warm after taking my hair out of its towel. Then it takes about 10 minutes to get to the looking dry stage.

Could you just wash your hair on one of your days off?

Or just damp bun it the morning after you wash it?

Or maybe use some cornstarch /dry shampoo to keep it looking decent, and wash it properly on a day off?

[Ylva]

My hair also takes up to 8 hours or more to dry completely. I often sleep with wet hair. I suppose you'll just need to utilise the blowdryer more, or do as Sarahlabyrinth suggested.

[akurah]

I recommend getting a nice microfiber towel, wrap your hair in that either at the start (give a head start) or at the end (sop up the last bit of water, sleep with it wrapped around your hair), and using a blow dryer.

[The-Young-Maid]

Just sitting in front of the fan doesn't do much. You need to agitate the hair. Flip it around, divide it in sections and fluff. I like to flip upside down and divide it. And if you have a space heater turn it on a while before you shower so the room is warmer. This is how I dry my hair everyday. Doesn't take more than 20 minutes - 1 hour depending on the temperature/fluffing.

[Dark40]

Mine takes 6 hours to dry completely. I would recommend getting a blow-drying spray. It's called, "Kendra." I think you can get at Ulta Beauty Store. I've never tried it before I've heard and seen some good reviews on it being excellent for speeding up the blow-drying process. After every wash I let my hair air-dry completely too, and then I only have to blow-dry for 5 minutes!

[Dark40]

Lately I’ve been working long hours and don’t come home until midnight sometimes. Washing my hair is not an issue....until it comes time for drying. Without any form of help, my hair can take up to 8 hours to dry! :( and by morning time for work, it’s still damp! I do have a lot of hair, and it’s at thigh length so I recognize that longer hair does take longer time..

But anyway, I just can’t can’t sleep with wet hair. It will never fully dry and remain damp, so I use a big house fan, sometimes combined with my blow dryer..but it’s stil impossible to get it completely 100% dry at bed time!! (It seems to cut the time in half but still...) I don’t have the luxury to sit up for hours waiting for it to dry because I do need sleep!!

So does anyone else have this problem and what are some tips or tools you can use to speed up the drying time because it really is becoming an issue :(

Hey, I did not know that your hair was at thigh length! I wish my hair was that long right now. I used to have a girlfriend from college that used to have hair that long when she was in high school. But she hasn't had it that long ever since high school. The longest she wore it was butt length or classic, and I've never seen her with it til' this day. She is deceased. The longest I've seen her wear her hair was MBL.

[Capybara]

I feel you with the long hours! I hope it isn’t having a negative impact on your health, emotional, mental, or physical.

If I sit down and don’t move much, my hair takes hours to dry. But, if I wrap it in a twist several times and move it around (do a little head banging if it doesn’t make you dizzy!) it dries much more quickly. Could you try this on your day off, and see if it dries enough time so you aren’t waiting around all night (or the day before work) for it to dry?

My usual post-wash routine:
- put hair up in a turban twist (a t-shirt or towel will do just fine as well, just has to be absorbant)
- get dressed/do my skincare/brush my teeth, whatever I need to do to get ready for the day or bedtime
- after about 10 minutes, take the twist down, comb out my hair, and put it back up for 10 minutes
- take the twist down and flip my head over for a little bit of (gentle) headbanging
- for whatever reason my hair is noticeably drier at this point

Sometimes I have to put it back up in the twist an extra round or two. I find that taking the twist down and re-wrapping it is essential because it allows different parts of your hair to touch the fabric, thereby transferring the water to it from all areas of your hair.

Hope that makes sense. Let us know if you decide to try anything!

[Cg]

I air dry some, blow a few minutes of heat on the scalp only, air dry. Three cycles is usually enough to be dry enough.

I wash the scalp once a week and the whole length once a month on a day with a big block of time.

LHC frowns on higher heat setting, but for me this works. Perhaps because the lengths air dry, only the scalp gets the heat, and for not long at a time.

[Arciela]

Mine takes forever to dry too! I thought when I had to cut it to APL the drying time would cut in half at least..NOPE! It's still 10 hours lol. What helps me cut down the time is using a turbie twist after showering and leaving it on my hair for a good half hour.

[lapushka]

I would use a blow dryer. They are not damaging at all, if you use them right. If it can be held on the skin without it burning (use a sensitive part like an arm/wrist or the neck), then the temperature is OK for the hair also.

Beats having to go to sleep with wet hair; it's not necessary. :flower:

[sophia_]

Honestly sleeping with wet hair is not that bad for the hair, I do it many nights as hairdryers are not misphonia-friendly lol. Since I wet my hair before braiding anyway it's fine.

[enfys]

Aquis towels really speed up dry times for me, unfortunately since they are expensive! If I need my hair dried asap I use one to get the majority of the water our and then switch to a second for 10 minutes. Blow dry low heat/high speed with continuous gentle agitation until the hair nearest my scalp is dry, amd then move on to the length, still being very careful to keep everything moving - the dryer and my hands.

If I go to bed with damp hair I wake up with damp hair that looks greasy and is matted so I definitely choose a gentle blowdry over that!

[Ylva]

Honestly sleeping with wet hair is not that bad for the hair, I do it many nights as hairdryers are not misphonia-friendly lol. Since I wet my hair before braiding anyway it's fine.

I can get behind this as well. I sleep with wet hair almost every time I wash mine (twice a week) and to top it all off, I still use a cotton pillowcase. I imagine it's not damaging at all with a silk or satin pillowcase. But I suppose some people (active sleepers) might experience tangling.

[Ligeia Noire]

My hair is very porous I reckon because it will dry in 4 fours if I leave it down, living in a very dry climate helps too but if I sleep with it bunned it does take ten years, so my advice is leave it down and shake it around as much as you can, turn it to one side, than to the other, bend your head and shake it, it helps a lot. I would probably just use the hairdryer more than the fan. Lapushka does and her hair is super healthy.

[Ylva]

My hair is very porous I reckon because it will dry in 4 fours if I leave it down

That's odd, because my hair is very porous and that's why it takes long to dry. :shrug:

[Lizabeth94]

I've seen some spray in products that claim to help your hair dry faster, but I've never personally tried them so I can't say if they work or not or what effects they might have on your hair once dry.

Here's an example:

Matrix Biolage Styling AirDry Glotion (https://www.ulta.com/biolage-styling-airdry-glotion?productId=xlsImpprod18151093&sku=2526025&cmpid=PS_Non!google!Product_Listing_Ads&cagpspn=pla&CATCI=pla-103993478910&CAAGID=31031361737&CAWELAID=330000200001390693&catargetid=330000200000806479&cadevice=c&gclid=CjwKCAiAiarfBRASEiwAw1tYv4qWcTCegLV4MNA3QrVB Do8CyLgFSt6U4reEIsRN5pLuxEka9zBodhoCcDgQAvD_BwE)

Other than that... maybe researching better hair dryers? I know some high end ones claim to cut drying time in half, but again I can't personally recommend any since I haven't tried any.

I would love to find sneaky ways to dry my hair faster since I work as a swim instructor and having wet hair is an occupational hazard, but I just cut it super short short until I can get this scalp pain under control, and now its too short to worry about that. I just pat it dry with a towel and its dry in seconds. While I love long hair, I admit short hair can have its perks. :whistle:

[Astrid Carlisle]

My hair takes to dry just as much time as yours. If I don't want to wash in the evening, I will just wake up earlier and wash in the morning. Then bun it in a LWB or any other with as little twist as possible. Doesn't dry fast after that, but at least the face framing hair dries, and then I just let it down at some point when I know I won't move much (sitting in the chair at work) and let it continue drying

[Ligeia Noire]

That's odd, because my hair is very porous and that's why it takes long to dry. :shrug:

Usually porous hair looses moisture fast and that's why it is dryer and harder to moisturize and also dries faster...

[r3d]

I highly recommend the Aquis hair towel. if you don't want to pay that much, perhaps a tshirt or microfiber towel.

I had a friend complain that her short hair took forever to dry...then one day I was at her place and she had to take a shower. When she came out of the shower, I saw that she just leaves her hair dripping wet...seriously, just water everywhere dripping from her hair -_- like yes, no wonder your short bob takes hours to dry lol.

[*Wednesday*]

My hair takes 3/4 hours to dry leaving it down. I guess mine dries quickly. Maybe my hair type?

[r3d]

one more thing to add, depending what city I am in (I travel often) my hair dry time varies.
in more humid cities it takes much longer.
BUT, ever since I bought the Aquis hair towel, it has sped up drying time so much, I would say by 75% at least. And it just feels so nice on my hair. I take it with me when travelling in case I need to wash my hair.

[MusicalSpoons]

I would recommend scalp washes, but I find the hair at the back of my head and nape is the slowest to dry, whether it's a full or scalp wash :rolleyes: it would mean less of your hair was wet or damp when trying to sleep though, if that would make any difference?

[lithostoic]

My hair doesn't dry overnight either. Try washing your hair first thing when you shower so it has more time to dry. Squeeze out the water and put it in a claw clip til you get out then squeeze it again with a towel.

[lapushka]

Mine takes 8+H if left to its own devices. So I wring it out, and wrap it in a microfiber towel for 15-30 min. and then I airdry (clipped up) for 2-4H, and then all it needs is a diffuser for 5 min. (that's nothing and easily done). So we start at around 10/11AM on my hair, and by 3PM it is as good as dry (at the roots in any case). The towel = priceless.

I have a microfiber towel that is without "plush", so it is a smooth fabric, it is a microfiber sports "beach" towel that they once had in Aldi, and I bought 2, my mom halved them and sewed them shut; so now I have *giant* turbie towels, which is nice if your hair is FTL! :thumbsup: Would recommend you check out the sports section for towels!

[SallySue]

I second that the roots on the back of the head take the longest to air dry. A bit of diffusing on that section helps things progress remarkably!

[Milkchocolate]

Thank you everyone for your recommendations and I will definitely be looking into purchasing a micro fiber towel :) It’s strange but I find that using less conditioner helps my hair dry faster. conditioner on the hair makes it so hair retains moisture longer. So I feel like I might have been definitely overwhelming my hair with a lot of deep conditioning: so I’ve decided to cut back on that. Tried it last night and it helped a lot!!!