Tricks to make hair dry faster

[Heidi_234]

Well recently I caught a cold, because my hair takes years to dry and I had to sit in a room with AC on with my wet head. This made me remember a childhood friend who had a little trick up her sleeve. She had long almost hip-length beautiful black hair at the time, and once when I meet up with her outside, right after she took a shower and washed her hair, her hair was completely dry. I asked her how did she managed to get her hair dry so quickly (in what, 10-15 minutes!). She told me that after washing it, and towel drying it, she brushes it alot, then flips forward, backward and brushes some more. After repeating it for enough times her hair it practically dry.
I know it's not a perfect solution from our LHC point of view. It means alot of brushing after each shower and curlies won't be able to do it anyway. But it there something similar that can be done, apart from the blow-dryering on the cold setting? Do you have tricks up your sleeves? ;)

[Heavenly Locks]

I just read in another thread, which, for the life of me...I can't remember which one.... :hmm:

Someone said that using paper towels would suck the water right out of your hair. Those paper towels could be hung/laid out to dry I would think so that they weren't wasted.

I use a large microfiber towel that is meant for car washing ;) It's a great way to get my hair from sopping to 'very damp' in about 10 minutes.

[embee]

I also use a microfiber towel. It works much better than a plain terrycloth towel. Also, less shampoo seems to help me. Very diluted.

[HotRag]

I take a dog walk, and then my hair dries very fast compared to be inside.

I live in a place that is both humid (hm.. "wet in the air") and windy.

[Heidi_234]

I do have the microfiber towel wrap thingie, but it doesn't help that much. It still takes few hours to dry, even if I keep the hair down. If I bun it, it can take days. Paper towel are an interesting idea, but yeah it doesn't seem to be very practical. I'm really starting to fight the urge to blow dry (on cold!) at least the roots. I have never done it before on a regular basis, and I really don't want to start now. :nono:

[Queenie]

Bunned, it stays damp for days.
When I want it dry fast, I leave it down and toss it. Gently though, no flipping.
Dancing around the house with swishing hair is perfect! :)

[smilinjenn71]

How about a SHAM-WOW!:rollin:
Seriously though, I *do* wonder how they would do with hair!

[Curlsgirl]

I do have the microfiber towel wrap thingie, but it doesn't help that much. It still takes few hours to dry, even if I keep the hair down. If I bun it, it can take days. Paper towel are an interesting idea, but yeah it doesn't seem to be very practical. I'm really starting to fight the urge to blow dry (on cold!) at least the roots. I have never done it before on a regular basis, and I really don't want to start now. :nono:I always blow dry my roots at the top of my head anyway and my bangs. Mine would NEVER dry if I didn't! Well for hours and hours anyway!


Bunned, it stays damp for days.
When I want it dry fast, I leave it down and toss it. Gently though, no flipping.
Dancing around the house with swishing hair is perfect! :)Yes this is what I do usually. If it's summer I just go outside for a bit and sit on the porch or in the sun and it's dry a lot faster tossing it around a bit. I don't like using a blow dryer on the length but if it is cold I do sometimes do it with a diffuser. I HATE my hair being damp when it's cold. I LOVE SUMMER!

[marialena]

Well .. I'll try to write here what I do in order to dry my hair quickly without using the blow dryer. ( at least at summer because in winter I have to use the blow dryer because my ears are very sensitive).
If you don't understand something ask me..( I'm not sure if I will manage to write this. :o)

After washing hair I usually wrap my hair for a while with a towel.
Then I don't rub my hair length with this towel, in order to take of the excess water, but I put the towel between my hands and do a move like clapping. My hair are so fine that if I rub them with the towel the most possible is to brake them.

And then I do some... head-banging :lol: . I put my head upside down and move my hair up and down and this is enough to make any water that is in the top of my hair to run down to the ends. Then I use again the towel and that's it. My hair dry in about 10 minutes. :)

The winter I have ( unfortunately) at least to blow dry my roots and the hair close to my ears.

[Heavenly Locks]

Marialena, I also do the towel 'clapping' with my hair turned upside down :) You described it perfectly. If I rub mine with the towel, I am afraid of damaging the hair.

[Elyce]

Love my microfiber towel - the microfiber turban doesn't work as well for me. I loosely twist the towel all down my length before flipping it back, and change to a dry towel after about 10 minutes.

I like the hair-flipping idea, I might try that with finger-combing (I never brush). I also sometimes stand in front of a fan - be VERY careful not to let your hair get sucked into the intake if you try this! I have no problem, but definitely identify where the intake is and stay away from it :)

[SimplyViki]

I do exactly what Marialena described. Darn, and here I thought I'd invented something!

[heidi w.]

I learned this from Lady Grace who at one time had over 14 feet of hair length. Her hair, at any length, is magnificent even at an age in the late 40s or 50s. She's a beautiful, beautiful lady!

Her hair is incredibly thick!!

She had a whole room for hair drying. An overhead ceiling fan, placing a curtain of fabric down, standing on a sturdy table, and having a fan from across the room, where she over&over again gently combed her hair with a wide-tooth comb, luffing the hair to allow air to get through the strands.

You see, wet hair tends to clump together in ropey chunks, and when clinging like this the inner strands will take longer to dry. ETA: The same problem can exist for conditioning--inner strands of ropey wet clumps are less wet with warm/hot water and less likely to receive some bit of conditioner. I personally very gently fan my hair clumps in the shower and using pretty hot water apply a quality conditioner. Curlies can apply a lot of conditioner, and then take a very wide tooth comb dip it in the conditioner, and work all through the length....continuing to dip the comb in conditioner over&over again (straights can do this too). This is NOT to detangle hair, but it can organize hair for curlies, a little bit.....Depending on curl degree, this is a helpful strategy. END ETA

So, I now use a wide tooth comb. I wash my hair, condition the length. I do use a brand of leave-in that is not generally available to the public and it assists with helping my seborrheic dermatitus scalp skin condition AND helps in drying the hair faster.

I allow my hair to air dry a bit so it is not sopping wet, and thus fully stretched both its full length by weight AND swelled to capacity with wetness (diameter). I do not pristinely detangle my wet hair. I work this in stages. I avoid overly pulling on hair (which aiming for pristine detangling while wet can produce). I simply think about separating clumps to smaller, thinner, sections or individual strands.

I begin gently at the bottom, and detangle not for precision but just to slowly get those clumps of hair to separate to more individual strands or narrower chunks.

I have used fans to help too (especially during winter), but if there's an outdoor place I can go with sun and a very slight breeze, my hair will pretty much be dry within the hour.

The top of my head dries the fastest, the majority of the length the next fastest. The slowest is the back of the neck zonage to approximately BSL zonage is the last to dry as this represents, for most of us, the thickest section of hair.

For curlies, you can keep padding the hair over&over again with a towel. The fan idea if set on low may be useful (but you want to avoid frizz), so do not separate the coiled curls. Just keep scrunching the hair with your hands, moving the hair about, and it should dry a bit faster than if you do nothing. Outdoors at any time is likely useful.

heidi w.

[Anje]

My trick is, after turbaning the hair for a few minutes (long enough that the towel is getting damp), I remove my towel and turn it around so I get a new dry portion against my hair. That soaks up a lot more water. Combing it a bit to break up the clumps also speeds drying.

I imagine that if you used several towels in succession, it would dry hair even more effectively than my towel-turning, but I don't feel like creating more laundry.

[redneckprincess]

I usually do just that anyways and yes my hair does dry quicker and wind up looking better when completly, when its about half way dry I put some oil in it to help with frizzies ♥

[Heidi_234]

I do the towel "clapping" too, and using dry spots in the towel too :p. It's just when it's not dripping wet anymore, I sit with a towel on my back ,and my hair loose. The nape area takes ages to dry though. I'll try to look for a microfiber towel (instead to a turban), maybe it will soak up the water faster.
Heidi, your post about Lady Grace is inspiring, a whole room dedicated to dry your hair sounds almost like a old tale or a legend.

[GoddesJourney]

The hair towel turban thing definately makes a difference. However, in relation to the "brush repeatedly" method, I have always just played with my hair while it's wet. I grab a section and make it flat with my fingers. Then I just continue grabbing the section and slowly pulling my fingers to the ends. I'm essentially frictioning the water off at a low speak so it's not damaging my hair.

I think my bird does this after a shower. So I guess she taught me to "preen my feathers".

[Peter]

I used to do the hair-flipping/headbanging thing but I stopped since I worried it wasn't good for my ends to slap against my back like that... does anyone know if it's alright?

[Fethenwen]

My trick is, after turbaning the hair for a few minutes (long enough that the towel is getting damp), I remove my towel and turn it around so I get a new dry portion against my hair. That soaks up a lot more water. Combing it a bit to break up the clumps also speeds drying.

I imagine that if you used several towels in succession, it would dry hair even more effectively than my towel-turning, but I don't feel like creating more laundry.
I do this too, the towel flipping I mean, and the combing. I use a wide tooth comb.

I used to do the hair-flipping/headbanging thing but I stopped since I worried it wasn't good for my ends to slap against my back like that... does anyone know if it's alright?
I head bang after I have turbaned my hair :D I just flip my hair and wave it around, it doesn't have to be so rough to work. Don't think it should be damaging.

[unaspenser]

I noticed that my hair seems to dry faster after a clarifying wash with baking soda. Maybe because there's less oil to retain the moisture?

[slz]

What works best for me is finger-combing while on a walk on a sunny, slightly windy day :D. Well, other than that, I recently found out that using a second dry towel when the first has done its max (like I-can't-remember-who already said) helps a lot.

[Cinnamon Hair]

If you don't have a turbie twist, get one. If you think your hair is too long for one, see my article on using a turbie twist on too-long hair. (http://classiclength.googlepages.com/hairtowel.html) When I made the article my hair was around classic, but I still use turbies every time I wash (whcih is daily) even at knee. My hair takes between 2-3 hours to dry completely if left down. Only 30 minutes or less to dry enough that I can make a nice looking damp updo.

When you take your hair out of the towel and it's all in one big clump, take a paper towel and wrap it around the clump then squeeze. You may need 2 paper towels. It won't make your hair dry but it's a jumpstart on moving into the next stage of dampness and will get rid of any drips.

Comb your hair with a wide tooth comb every 15-20 minutes. This lets air pass through your hair which helps speed up drying.

After combing the first time stand in front of a small fan (I have one that sits on my vanity) while brushing your teeth / putting on makeup / whatever. DO NOT stand in front of the fan while trying to comb/detangle. This will make you very angry trying to get out tangles while the fan blows things around, and it doesn't do your hair any favors either.

[enfys]

I do the same as Marialena too!

I figured if it works for dogs it'd work for me.

Be careful though because such vigorous head shaking can make you really quite dizzy.

[Kiraela]

I do the clappy thing, then comb gently, which wicks water towards the bottom, then the clappy thing again, then comb again, until it is dry (when I need it dry in a hurry). One side effect is that it straightens my hair to 1C, at best.

[Lioness]

I've only tried the clapping thing and replacing the towel. That dry-combing method sounds good but isn't that damaging for your hair?

[Cinnamon Hair]

Another idea if you are driving somewhere. Wear your wet hair loose, draped over your lap or across the console and turn the car's air system on full blast with all vents pointing at your hair. When you reach a stop light, adjust your hair so different parts are exposed to the fans. On a 20-30 min. trip when my hair has already been combed once I can get it to a presentable stage of dryness by the time I arrive at my destination.

[Heidi_234]

Another idea if you are driving somewhere. Wear your wet hair loose, draped over your lap or across the console and turn the car's air system on full blast with all vents pointing at your hair. When you reach a stop light, adjust your hair so different parts are exposed to the fans. On a 20-30 min. trip when my hair has already been combed once I can get it to a presentable stage of dryness by the time I arrive at my destination.
Isn't that a recipe for a cold? :cool:

[Kiraela]

I haven't found that it's more damaging, but then, I only do it rarely, and I comb very gently.

[Tabitha]

Normally I don't touch my hair as it airdries, to preserve the wave but last time I washed I kept brushing it with my Tangle Teezer. It dried much more quickly than usual (in about 3 hours rather than 5).

I don't recommend this for wavies/curlies though who want to keep their curl - this was an experiment in heatfree straightening and worked very well to achieve that. The faster drying was an unexpected bonus but rather makes sense in the light of what Heidi says.

[Cinnamon Hair]

Isn't that a recipe for a cold? :cool:

I've always thought colds were transmitted by germs, rather than wet hair. The air doesn't have to be on air conditioning. You can just have it on vent so you get the outside air temp. Or on the heat setting in the cooler months.

[mira-chan]

Chase the cat like a maniac as the hair dries? :silly:

Microfiber towel does wonders for me in speeding things up.


I've always thought colds were transmitted by germs, rather than wet hair. The air doesn't have to be on air conditioning. You can just have it on vent so you get the outside air temp. Or on the heat setting in the cooler months.
Colds are from germs but a chill can lower the immune system response and make a beginning cold (or chronic sinusitis in my case) worse.

[marialena]

I used to do the hair-flipping/headbanging thing but I stopped since I worried it wasn't good for my ends to slap against my back like that... does anyone know if it's alright?

You don't have to slap your hair against your back. When I say head banging I mean that I make my head up and down but not to my back. ( I don't know how to write it right..:o:( ) I move my hair only in front of me with the head upside down. ( aaaaaaaaaaaahhh :o)

[marialena]

I do the same as Marialena too!

I figured if it works for dogs it'd work for me.

Be careful though because such vigorous head shaking can make you really quite dizzy.

Hic.. :drunk: :lol:

[Autumnberry]

I do exactly what Marialena described. Darn, and here I thought I'd invented something!

I do the clapping thing too, and I also thought this was my special technique, haha. It really helps get the water out without stressing the hair.

[Heidi_234]

I've always thought colds were transmitted by germs, rather than wet hair. The air doesn't have to be on air conditioning. You can just have it on vent so you get the outside air temp. Or on the heat setting in the cooler months.
Well, I don't know, for my entire life I knew (or rather believed?) that going outside with a wet head is a sure way to catch a cold. Not a flu (the nasty feverish thing everybody gets once or twice a year), just a simple cold - runny nose, sour trout, headache, maybe even high temperature. It happened to me so much times before I learned my lesson.

[Kiraela]

Well, I don't know, for my entire life I knew (or rather believed?) that going outside with a wet head is a sure way to catch a cold. Not a flu (the nasty feverish thing everybody gets once or twice a year), just a simple cold - runny nose, sour trout, headache, maybe even high temperature. It happened to me so much times before I learned my lesson.

Going outside with wet hair doesn't necessarily make you get sick, but it does chill you, which supresses your immune system, so you actually are more likely to get sick.

(by the way, I know you meant 'sore throat' but... 'sour trout' made me giggle anyway. Sorry. :) I wonder if whenever I get sick from now on, I can convince DBF to make me lemon and pepper fish... Dang. Now I'm hungry! :D)

[Nyghtingale]

argh! I was gonna try clapping and forgot. I sit/lay in front of the fan.

[WelshLocks]

I don't know if this is a bad thing to suggest, but what I've done a few times is dry my hair with a terry cloth towel(clapping usually) and then I get a new dry towel and put it up like a turban. Then I get my blow dryer and blow dry on hot the towel that's protecting my hair. It feel toasty and good and my hair usually drys in about 30 minutes(normally 2 hours).


What do you think?Bad idea?

[Nyghtingale]

Oh, that sounds toasty WelshLocks.

[Heidi_234]

Going outside with wet hair doesn't necessarily make you get sick, but it does chill you, which supresses your immune system, so you actually are more likely to get sick.

(by the way, I know you meant 'sore throat' but... 'sour trout' made me giggle anyway. Sorry. :) I wonder if whenever I get sick from now on, I can convince DBF to make me lemon and pepper fish... Dang. Now I'm hungry! :D)
LOL! my speller have had a laugh on my expanse. :o:p I didn't even see that!

[RetroKitten]

I always wonder if microfiber towels won't dry the hair out?
Like taking too much of the moisture away? Silly question :confused:

[Fluffy01]

Well I recently started doing the "no-poo" method and took it a bit to the extreme but it works for my hair type.....and in the process cuts waaaaaaaaay down on drying time. :D

Ok so here it is....I wash with nothing besides Apple Cider Vinegar diluted. I have an 8 oz squirt bottle. Put in 1 oz of ACV then 7 oz of water. Since doing that my hair has started drying super fast. I believe it has something to do with the fact that now my sebum can build up and protect my hair which somehow makes it dry faster.

I don't use any conditioner anymore...don't need it...the ACV does everything I need. And I haven't experienced any weird detoxing time but I'm sure that does happen to people with oilier hair than mine to begin with....mine is super super dry curls (well not anymore haha).

HTH! Let me know if you have any questions! :)

[Locke]

Just want to add my voice that slightly brushing speeds up the drying process for me.

[ericthegreat]

I usually let my hair completely air-dry. This actually takes quite a few hours, 3 or so to be exact for my hair to totally dry. Actually, I've had plenty of times when I would CO rinse my hair late at night and that morning my hair would STILL be very damp. As to any tricks to having it dry faster, you could first squeeze out as much water from your hair as you can after washing/COing and then wrap it in a towel for over an hour like I sometimes do. But usually I'll actually let my hair slowly drip on the floor(I know, bad, bad!) while I go about eating dinner, watching TV, that sort of thing.