How long does it take to dry

[sahiba]

My hair is hip length and I wash it on every alternate day. It dries within 2 hrs. Just wondering how long it takes for your hair to dry.

[Melein]

Mine takes about 4 hours to dry, and I usually wash it twice a week.:)

[Dianyla]

On average 12-20 hours depending on the weather (temperature/humidity). :)

[sahiba]

On average 12-20 hours depending on the weather (temperature/humidity). :)

12-20 hours. I just cant believe it .How often do you wash your hair?

[Poppy Seed]

Takes mine about 24 hours in total: but that's because I always wash it just before bed, oil and plait it, then bun it the following morning. It's normally dry by the end of that day, and I don't comb it until that point.

I wash it about once a week (on Sundays), but I do occasionally do scalp washes if I've been particularly hot and sweaty.

[Guenever]

About 4 hours.. sometimes more if I damp-bun it.. which I do a lot :D

[peachy.pudding]

wow 12-20 hours, that seems like forever to me.

Right now my hair take 1.5hrs to 2hrs

[jojo]

mine takes 3 hours but its quite thick

[AprilElf]

Hmmmm, I'm kind of guessing here because I've never really been that concerned with how long it takes to dry. It's usually 'A Long Time'. :D

If I leave my hair out to dry and it's a warm day, it'll still be slighty damp underneath when I go to bed. That could be 8-10 hours.
If I put it up while wet or damp (I also sleep with it braided), then it could be a whole 24 hours before it's completely dry, especially in the winter. :shrug:

ETA: I usually wash weekly.

[sahiba]

How can hair take so long to dry?

[Requiax]

sahiba- the thicker the hair, the longer it takes to dry. Mine takes about 8 if it's down and it's a dry day. Rainy days or being bunned/braided, 24 hours.

[Anlbe]

About an hour if it's loose and in normal weather. In hot dry conditions about 30-40 minutes.

[eadwine]

An hour or so, not long in any case :)

[sapphire-o]

Takes about two hours before it's dry to the touch, but the inside stays damp for another couple hours. So about 4 - 5 hours for it to be totally dry.

[n3m3sis42]

My hair is a 29" and a little bit above waist. I wash it around twice a week and it usually takes 1-2 hours to dry.

Yesterday, it rained all day and something weird happened. I washed my hair around 9 am, but it didn't finish drying until 5 or 6 in the evening! It was partially dry, and I couldn't figure out why it was so limp and thin. After it FINALLY finished drying, I realized what had happened.

[Snowymoon]

About 6 to 8 hours if left fully down to dry. If I wet bun it, it can be wet for days.

[Angela_Rose]

Mine can take six hours to dry if it's in a loose braid, or a full two days if it's bunned.

[eresh]

I always wash it at night, make a braid and go to bed, usaully it's still damp the next morning.

[harley mama]

My hair takes about 2 hours to dry if I wash it in the AM and leave it loose.
It use to take longer but it is much thinner now.

[luciole]

Wow, some of you are pretty fast dryers. Mine takes about 4 hours to dry but if I put it in a bun or braid it, it takes 24 hours to dry.

[Feisty Redhead]

Forever. LOL If I leave it down and it's a dry day, it will take about 6-8 hours. If it's humid, it takes about 10 hours. Regardless of humidity, if I bun/braid/ponytail etc. It'll still be wet the next day and it takes well over 24 hours to dry. My hair's THICK. :D

[peachy.pudding]

sahiba- the thicker the hair, the longer it takes to dry. Mine takes about 8 if it's down and it's a dry day. Rainy days or being bunned/braided, 24 hours.



I am not sure if this is technically true, i know people with thicker hair than mine that seems to dry in an instant. I also find that curly hair drys quicker than straight

[pinkprincess]

mine takes at least 5 hours
but reading this thread has made me think - i was wondering whether to grow to tailbone or classic but how long would it take to dry then??

[AmandaPanda]

about 4.5 hours to dry completely....I always leave it loose to dry, and finger comb as it's drying. If I didn't touch it at all after washing it, I'm sure it would take longer.

I wash it every other night

[Neon Gloss]

2 hours, but 7 hours to get totally dry.

[cassie_g]

If I leave it down probably about 4-8 hours. But if I put it up or braid it 1-2 days.

[Iylivarae]

Mine takes from 4 hours up to 24 hours, depending on the humidity and heat, and also on what kind of a bun/braid I do for the drying time.

I unfortunately have to wash every 3-4 days.

[Aisha25]

If i leave mine down it takes 5 hours to dry.I wash my hair once a week and once every 2 weeks in winter.

[zift]

Mine is 49" (and depending on the weather) generally it takes about 8 hours to dry when left down loose. When I do a braid with wet hair it's still damp when I redo it a day later...

ETA: Dianyla's hair takes so long to dry because she has a gazillion hairs of super long length:D

[Nynaeve]

On average 12-20 hours depending on the weather (temperature/humidity). :)

About the same for me.

though, it also depends on how I'm wearing it while it dries. It takes me an extremely LONG time when it's in a bun, a vaguely long time when it's in a braid, and a semi-long time when it is down. :P
The last time I washed, it took me about 26 or so hours. :(

[spidermom]

I truly have no idea. A few hours.

[AJoifulNoise]

Depends. If I comb it out as it dries it usually does so within 2 hours. If I don't comb at all it can take as much as 4. If I scrunch it up with aloe vera and oil to enhance my waves, it can take up to 8 or 9. I've only done the last one two and a half times (half because I didn't quite let it finish the third time).

ETA: It has never completely dried in an updo.

[Leisha]

My hair takes about a day to dry completely, I think. Maybe 12-20 hours is a good estimate for me too :)

It depends though. I sometimes braid or bun it while it's damp, so it takes a lot longer to become completely dry then.

I wash my hair every 10 - 14 days (sometimes even less often :o )

[Lizbot]

If down, my hair takes about five hours or so to dry. I usually keep it up as it's drying though, so it's probably twice as much or more.

[aprilmay]

My hair is hip length and I always air/drip dry it. The weather plays a huge factor in the time it takes to dry. I would say at least 4 hours these days. In the summer it acts as short term air conditioner.

[Nynaeve]

I wash my hair every 10 - 14 days (sometimes even less often :o )


Same here.
Mine dies out if I wash it too often, and it's such a hastle to get a shower in this house anyway. :(

[chloeishere]

I wash my hair about every other day, and (dependent on humidity) it normally takes 3-4 hours to dry, which is weird, because my hair is not thick, nor coarse, nor long! I suspect it's because my hair is not porous, so it releases moisture slower.
I can cut about a half hour off if I use my Aquis turbie right out of the shower. It cuts down on the time, so I do it a lot.
I wash about every other day. Sometimes I squeeze to 3 days, but it makes my scalp unhappy.

[Lize]

Mine takes 2 hours or a bit more.

[Gwaihiril]

I wash my hair at night and let it dry while I sleep. As a student occasionally pulling all nighters, I have worked out that that means I need at least 4-5 hours of sleep (which is handy, because going with less than 5 hours of sleep makes me not awake the next day during class). If I braid it or do something with it while it is still wet in the morning, it won't be dry by the time I unbraid it, which is usually at night or the next morning.

[Starr]

Mine takes forever! Usually it takes between 8-10 hours to dry fully when down. If I bun or braid it, it takes days.

[Cinnamon Hair]

Even at this length, my hair doesn't take very long to dry. About 3 hours is average for me.

[Leisha]

Same here.
Mine dies out if I wash it too often, and it's such a hastle to get a shower in this house anyway. :(
Heh, our shower in our appartment is an issue for me too :lol:

The bathroom is always very cold, it's also a very old bathroom, needs redecorating badly (that goes for the entire appartment but we're moving in the summer anyway), etc, I just really don't like it!

I usually put off washing my hair until I visit my parents :D :o with their nice, modern, warm, lovely, clean, spacious bathroom. :cloud9: (I'm lucky my hair doesn't become greasy quickly at all anyway, but I've stretched the time between washes a bit more this way :lol: )

eta: oops this is totally off topic

[Poolsoflaughter]

It normally takes mine around 1 1/2 hours to dry...but I do pat it dry with a towel. If I were to let it drip-dry, it would be at least 3 hours, no doubt. :rolleyes:

[ladystar]

If i pick it up after wash it takes about 24 hours. If its down about 4 hours

[AmandaPanda]

ok, I timed it tonight. I barely touched my hair and it took 6 hours to dry completely

[Naluin]

My hair takes about 4-6 hours to dry completely. It's not long, just thick, I guess. When it was a little longer than this, if I put it up in a ponytail, it would take 10+ hours. :rolleyes:

[Les]

I wash mine twice a week. It normally takes about 4 hours for it to be dry - provided I leave it loose so it can breathe.

[tsf]

Mine takes about 6 hours to dry completely, if down.

I have always been afraid to try to let it dry in a bun. I think it would mildew before it dried. That's no joke, if wet clothes are left in the washing machine over night, they often have to be re-washed because they will smell mildewy.

It's hot and humid here. Much as I hate it I usually have to blow dry the roots to get it started drying, otherwise I'd be perpetually a wet-head.

t

[angelthadiva]

It can take all day if I keep it down. If I put it up wet, it will still be wet when I take it down.

[Sillage]

I wash my hair everyday and it takes about 2 hours to dry fully. I blot my hair with a linen towel (less lint, smoother, and it doesn't feel as weird as an Aquis) and comb my hair to help speed up the drying time. The aeration that combing gives me makes a huge difference. As a big wet hank of hair it would take forever to dry.

[LifeisAdventure]

If I leave my wet hair down, it takes between 3 and 7 hours to dry (what makes the difference is if it's combed out and left alone or combed and then twisted over my shoulder). If I put it up, it takes 18 hours or more to dry. I wash about 2-3 times per week.

[MermaidGirl]

Wow, you gals have some seriously thick, long, non-porous hair!

If left to dry on its own, mine would probably be mostly dry in an hour or so, but my hair is only BSL and about a (i) on the thickness scale! It is fine and thin and mostly color-treated, so its porous as well. However, I almost never let it dry on its own because it has little body as it is, if I air-dried it all the time, it would have no body at all! I usually wash every day or every other day in the a.m. before work, so I let it sit in a towel for about 10 minutes, take it down and let it air-dry as long as possible, then blowfry it (mostly) dry. I work in a professional environment (law firm) so I cannot show up with wet hair.


... I have always been afraid to try to let it dry in a bun. I think it would mildew before it dried. That's no joke, if wet clothes are left in the washing machine over night, they often have to be re-washed because they will smell mildewy. ...

Ok, I thought I was imagining this! TSF, you don't say where you live, but I'm in Los Angeles where there is little humidity. Even so, there have been times where I have washed my hair at night and bunned it and it smelled mildly mildewy to me the next morning. Again, I have fine hair and not a lot of it compared to the rest of you gals, so I imagine long, thick hair realisitically COULD get mildewy if kept wet!

[Saoirse]

I would say between three and four hours, if I am moving about and it is loose. But I rarely do this, because it is quite an inconvenience to have a massive cloak of wet, untidy hair (:wink:), so I just let it dry while I sleep. :)

[willowcandra]

about 30 minutes for the coloured part and a good three hours for the natural.

[Beatnik Guy]

Threeish hours, depending on temperature and humidity as others have said, although I'll be :sleep:
My hair is a bit past tailbone and I do a full length wash about every 4 weeks.

[Sarahmoon]

My hair is hip length and takes about 4 hours to dry when loose. Bunned or braided it takes loooooooong lol!
I dry it inside the house as much as possible (bun or braid it when I really have to leave) to prevent it from getting sun-bleached or damaged by wind.

[Anje]

Not sure. It might only be an hour to "mostly dry" if I leave it loose, assuming I've had it in a towel for a while. Maybe 2-3 hours before all the underneath parts close to my scalp are dry. ETA: I comb through it a time or two while it's still drying. I think this helps speed it along.

Of course, if I bunned it, it might take a few days. I don't really know, I prefer not to keep my scalp soggy for too long. My hair is pants-length.

[HeavenlyTresses]

I am in the 10-20 hour range depending on the humidity. If I go to bed with it wet it will still be mostly wet in the morning and takes all day to completely dry. I wear my hair down and loose 90 % of the time.

[Meli]

I washed my hair yesterday and it took about four hours to dry completely, when left loose and fingercombed a few times. The nape part takes most time to dry - logically, that's where I have the thickest bulk of hair. I have no idea how long it would take to dry if I leave it completely untouched. If I braid it earlier than 2-3 hours after washing, it is still damp the next morning. And bunned - well, I've only tried that once and it was still wet one day after...

[FrannyG]

It takes 2 hours for this fine-haired woman.

[homeschoolmama]

If left completely alone, my hair takes between 4 & 8 hours to dry. If I wet-comb it, it takes closer to 3-5 hours. And if I wet-braid it, I have unbraided my hair 36 hours later to find that my hair is STILL not just damp, but wet!

So I tend to wet-comb it, or wash first thing in the morning on days when I know I'm not going anywhere.
love,
mom

[chelles2kids]

Anywhere between 8-12 hrs. As others have said, it all depends on the time of year, humidity, yadda, yadda, yadda.

If I detangle after washing and put it up in a but right away, and I was it between 9:00-10:00 that morning, it will usually be dry by the next morning.
The hair closest to the scalp always takes longer to dry, but I think that's true for most people though.

As for why it takes so long, defiantely the thickness plays a role but I think texture also plays a big role as well.
My hair would be considered "coarse" so it takes quite a bit more water to ever get it completely wet and once it gets wet, it takes it's slow sweet time getting dry.


Michelle

[Sammybunny711]

My hair takes two and a half hours at mid-neck length...I am kind of afraid to see how long it will take when it gets long...

[Addy]

My hair takes about an hour and a half to air dry. If I braid it damp, it comes out damp in some places.

[logica_divina]

Wow...
My hair takes no more then 4 or 5 hours (or less sometimes, like in the summer) before it's fully dry (and it's almost waist).

[Arcana]

My hair is BSL right now, and Fii, it generally takes about 3 hours to dry fully (after 'plopping' or 'plunking' as it is sometimes called). If I tie it up when wet, it'll likely still be damp when I take it down if it was in a bun or braid.

[GibsonGirlV]

My hair is only APL, but it still takes 6-8 hours+ to dry. If I shower in the evening, It will still be quite damp the next morning. If I put it in a braid or a bun, it would take 24 hours or more. I never do this because I hate having wet hair during the day. I think it looks terrible on me.

[Miss_Muffet]

My hair dries really quickly. I air dry it every day, I think it takes about an hour. If I have it in a bun or braid, it will stay damp for a long time.

[Bene]

i'm a BSL now. i usually wrap it up in a towel for about half and hour or so, then oil it, then damp bun it. it takes hours to dry. so i've started taking it down from the bun, leaving it down for a few minutes and, spritz it with kimberlily's de-frizz spray, and then re-bunning it. now i've got the drying process down to about 6 hours or so.


if i don't damp bun, it takes maybe an hour to dry, but then i get frizzies, so i gotta work with the bunning.

[Carolyn]

It depends on the weather and how humid it is. It also depends on my activity level during the drying time. If I'm sitting at my computer and not moving around, it will take about 2 hours and the underneath part a bit longer. If I go outside and walk around, it will take maybe half an hour. That's in nice weather of course! If I bun it while damp it will stay mostly damp overnight or all day until I take it down. The only time drying time is a concern is in the freezing cold winter and I have to go outside. In the summer I wet bun all the time.

[aprilmay]

I think drying times is one of the things that keeps me from washing my hair in the winiter.

[~GypsyCurls~]

My hair takes forever to dry! I refuse to blow-dry it, so in the winter I must be careful to give myself enough time before leaving the house. I've tried conditioning it at night so in the morning I can just get up and go, but it doesn't look good enough, even if I use a satin pillowcase...

[intothemist1999]

I give mine at least 2 hours. I squeeze-dry it with a towel, then keep it up in a turbie for 30 minutes, then I let it down to air dry. Depending on the humidity, it's usually dry in 2 but the hair closest the scalp might be a bit damp.

In the summer when it's really humid, I like to give it at least 3. I don't like to go to bed with a damp head as it makes me feel cold and a bit sniffly until it's dry. I'm not so worried about that in the summer.

[NeilTheFuzz]

At the moment. In winter it takes about 5 hours to dry my hair completely. One of the only of the down sides of having thick hair. Everything else works though :cheese:

[Magicknthenight]

I CWC. After rinsing for a good couple minutes I don't squeeze the excess water out of my hair when i get out..i just take it..dripping and everything and put it over a towel and let it dry over night. It takes a really long time and can still be damp in the morning time. Recently i have tried squeezing out the excess water but my hair felt dry. I don't know if its a new product or that i squeezed the water out. I am gonna try damp bunning soon but i can't imagine how long it would take to dry then. If i comb my wet hair it doesn't take nearly as long but i don't 99.9% of the time.
Wow some of your hair takes a REALLY long time to dry. Must be amazing.

[CaityBear]

At the moment my hair is almost hip length and it takes between 1 and 2 hours. If I wash before I go to bed and leave it damp overnight with a braid or bun then it takes much longer to dry obviously.

I try to wash it every second day only. My scalp gets oily really fast so I can usually go only two days before I start to look like I haven't showered in a month...

[Angellen]

I wash every 4-6 days, and my tailbone-length hair takes around 8 hours to dry, sometimes longer. It takes a long time, which is why I don't wash very often. That, and my hair gets very, very heavy when it's wet, so it's kind of a pain in that way.

[SearMeCarefully]

Several hours (~4 hours when down and I'm walking around)

If I shower before going to bed and throw towel dried hair above my pillow (ugh! soggy pillows!) it will be wet until the next afternoon.

If I put it in an updo I'm pretty sure it doesn't dry for 36ish hours.. I usually take it down before it dries all the way. I don't usually do the wet updo because of the evil "bald" spot that shows up grr

[tsc]

If I wear it down, maybe 3-4 hours. Braided overnight....I've stepped into a shower the next evening and had it still be damp.

[Jean_Grey]

From 4 to 6 hours, depending on the humidity. If I braid it or bun it, I'm not sure? Indefinitely? Lol. If I ever put it up wet, then I usually end up taking it down after 12 at most, and it will almost always still be wet.

[Tinyrat]

My hair takes at least 10 to 12 hours to dry completely. If I wash in the morning it wont be all the way dry until that night, and even then sometimes its damp. I usually wash before bed, spread it out over the pillow and let it dry all night, and then it only takes about 3 hours in the morning to finish drying. I dont even have very thick hair, probably medium at most!

[neon-dream]

It takes my hair at least 8 hours.
if i sleep with it down and wet, it can still be wet in the morning.
the longest it's ever taken was about 20 hours.

[UP Lisa]

About 3 hours

[burns_erin]

Typically 14 to 20 hours depending on the yadayadas. But I have really thick hair and live in a high humidity area. I tend to wash it before bed and it is still relatively damp all through the next morning, but is usually dry by lunch. If I braid or bun it it will never dry, so when i want to wear it u i give it breaks while in my office where it can be down, and change its relative position each time I put it up.

[Raven69]

Wow, I didn't think hair took THAT long to dry...though for me its hard to tell. I live in a VERY dry/humid area so it dries quickly/probably faster than normal. I wash my hair in the morning and put it in a tight bun wet. After the end of the day, I come home from work - I let my hair down and everything that wasn't exposed to the air is still damp. From then on I really don't notice, but usually I will take my hair down at work so when outside it dries. The damp part may take under an hour. I normally wash my hair everday, but lately have lowered it to every other day. (It's hard for me during the week NOT to wash it less, easier to manage when wet.) On the weekends though, like Friday I will wash my hair, then not wash it till Monday morning. Unless I am going somewhere, then I'll wash it.

[aprilmay]

I do still wash my hair in the winter about once or twice a week. Even though having wet hair in the cold weather is not very appealing.

[Tabitha]

About 5-6 hours in winter, and it drives me insane. I hate the feel of wet hair flapping around. If I go to bed with it damp it still won't be dry the next morning. My best bet is to do a half up with a plastic claw clip to allow the roots to dry a bit quicker then let it down when almost dry for the part that was bunched-up to finish drying.

[GnGirl]

If I wash my hair in the morning it could take up to 4 or 5 hours to dry. If I go to bed with wet hair it will be some what damp in the morning.

[Fireweed]

It takes me about four hours.