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View Full Version : Soggy Bun = Massive Frustration



Renbirde
September 7th, 2009, 06:52 PM
Like most of us here, I rarely (read never) blowdry my hair. It's around TB now, and pretty thick. I live in a humid climate. The result? My hair takes hours to dry! On an arid day, it can be as few as three, but often it'll still be clammy after twice that long. This wouldn't bother me too much, except that I leave my hair down to dry, so it drips all over and chills me. If I'm at home, I can work around this, but I don't always have the luxury of staying home untill my hair is almost dry.

I tried bunning it while it was wet, alternating between a cinnabun and a figure 8 bun, while I was on a trip in a less humid place. I liked it-- it helped a lot with keeping me warm and keeping my hair out of trouble. The thing is, it was still wet two whole days later. It stays wet even longer if I damp bun at home.

Is there any way to solve this problem without resorting to the dreaded* blowfryer? Is there another type of bun I could use that would actually allow my hair to dry?


ETA: I understand that my hair will dry more slowly up than down. I'm okay with that.

It just needs to dry. Period. :D As long as it takes less than a few days, I don't really care that it's slower than having it loose. The way things are now, I'm afraid that it'll start to mold if I put it up wet!
/ETA

*It's not so much the frying, though I dislike that too. It's the wind. I hate the wind. :(

misstwist
September 7th, 2009, 07:04 PM
I'm a little puzzled by this dripping around the house. Do you not towel dry?

I realize my hair likely isn't as thick as yours and certainly not as long, but the only time it drips is right out of the shower. I use a towel to squeeze dry. I don't wring it or rub the towel over my head, I just squeeze.

After that it will dry in a couple hours if it is down. If I put it up it won't be dry until the next morning.

Aurea
September 7th, 2009, 07:06 PM
What I do to speed the process when I need to is to first squeeze as much out into a towel as I can (don't rub or muss, just squeeze and pat firmly). Then I flip my head upside down and run my fingers through my hair a few times to separate the strands, and then sort of "fluff" it for a few minutes to get air in contact with as much of it as possible. I'll repeat this a few more times, maybe once every half hour or so, until it dries. Living in a humid climate it usually doesn't take more than an hour and a half to get completely dry, and it's perfectly comfortable after an hour.

trolleypup
September 7th, 2009, 07:11 PM
What I do to speed the process when I need to is to first squeeze as much out into a towel as I can (don't rub or muss, just squeeze and pat firmly). Then I flip my head upside down and run my fingers through my hair a few times to separate the strands, and then sort of "fluff" it for a few minutes to get air in contact with as much of it as possible. I'll repeat this a few more times, maybe once every half hour or so, until it dries. Living in a humid climate it usually doesn't take more than an hour and a half to get completely dry, and it's perfectly comfortable after an hour.
I couldn't deal with the tangles from flipping it over, but "fluffing" it with a multitined hair fork definitely speeds up the process. I rarely do this, because I am too lazy and not really in a hurry.

My routine is to wrap it in a microfiber towel (which really sucks the loose water out) for 15-30 minutes, then leave it down to dry...this is where fluffing it would help.

Even in damp cool San Francisco, it dries in a few hours...faster if it is fluffed and/or detangled and otherwise manipulated.

Renbirde
September 7th, 2009, 07:20 PM
I'm a little puzzled by this dripping around the house. Do you not towel dry?
:) I towel dry sometimes, but not all the time. Even if I do towel dry-- squeeze, turban for a few minutes-- it starts dripping again within a minute of taking the towel off. My hair acts pretty similarly, towel or no towel. The only difference is the wave pattern.


...Then I flip my head upside down and run my fingers through my hair a few times to separate the strands, and then sort of "fluff" it for a few minutes to get air in contact with as much of it as possible. I'll repeat this a few more times, maybe once every half hour or so, until it dries.

If I fluff, pet, comb, and otherwise handle my hair, the drying time goes down, but it's still at least a little damp 3 hours out.

Flynn
September 7th, 2009, 07:22 PM
I know what you mean. I can wring it in a towel, and it'll still drip.

Wrapping the length loosely in a microfibre towel, though, and gently squeezing down the length a couple of times, (warning: do this over a sink or bathtub; you should get a fair amount of water out!) squeezing the water out of the towel in-between, works magic for me. If I do that, it has been reducing drying time when loose from six hours or more down to more like two.

Renbirde
September 7th, 2009, 07:30 PM
I know what you mean. I can wring it in a towel, and it'll still drip.

Wrapping the length loosely in a microfibre towel, though, and gently squeezing down the length a couple of times, (warning: do this over a sink or bathtub; you should get a fair amount of water out!) squeezing the water out of the towel in-between, works magic for me. If I do that, it has been reducing drying time when loose from six hours or more down to more like two.
:D I wrung my hair out, pre-LHC. (And it dripped. XD ) Ok-- I'll try that method next Wash Day.

Flynn
September 7th, 2009, 07:36 PM
:D I wrung my hair out, pre-LHC. (And it dripped. XD ) Ok-- I'll try that method next Wash Day.

I usually didn't bother: it never made a difference. *Laughs*

The key is the microfibre towel, not just a normal one. You can probably get one in a sports shop for about $5 from a swimwear company. Mine's Speedo, and cost something like AUD8.

misstwist
September 7th, 2009, 07:44 PM
I have a biggish microfiber towel from the car care section at Wal-Mart that I use sometimes. It was less than $5.

ericthegreat
September 7th, 2009, 07:46 PM
Is using a blowdryer completely not an acceptable option for you Renbirde? I blowdry my hair all the time but especially during the autumn and winter. I won't even try to air-dry my hair unless the temperature outside is at least 70 degrees or higher.

Unless I am purposely blowing out my hair pin straight(in which I thoroughly dry it completely section by section with a round brush), I will only blow dry my hair halfway. Leaving it slightly damp cuts my drying time down to just 15 minutes.

ericthegreat
September 7th, 2009, 07:52 PM
I should add that blowdrying halfway and leaving my hair slightly damp allows my hair to keep its moisture. I haven't damaged my hair at all by doing this and I've been blowdrying my hair ever since I could remember even as a young child when my hair was short. All the years I've been growing it out I have also blown it dry, and never has it been damaged.

Are you sure you can't try maybe just blowdrying halfway and setting it on low heat? :p

Renbirde
September 7th, 2009, 07:53 PM
Is using a blowdryer completely not an acceptable option for you Renbirde?
Pretty much. My hair isn't very heat-tolerant, and I'm not very tollerant of my hair trying to strangle me or climb up my nose. I'm not very good at blowdrying, but even the few times a professional has done it for me were unpleasant.

Renbirde
September 7th, 2009, 07:55 PM
I usually didn't bother: it never made a difference. *Laughs*

The key is the microfibre towel, not just a normal one. You can probably get one in a sports shop for about $5 from a swimwear company. Mine's Speedo, and cost something like AUD8.
My mother has a few, I think... I'll try to pinch one. :)

Hey! We're hair twins. Fancy that. :D

Flynn
September 7th, 2009, 08:37 PM
My mother has a few, I think... I'll try to pinch one. :)

Hey! We're hair twins. Fancy that. :D


Yay! XD

[8 9 10]

Melisande
September 7th, 2009, 11:15 PM
In winter, I have a similar problem (although my hair is not very thick). I use warm towels that I change often (one goes around my hair, the other one on the radiator). Warm-towel-rotation. After a while, I don't wrap the towel any more, I spread it over my shoulders and spread the hair.

If you need a hairstyle that speeds up drying - what about pinning up your hair in sections? If you have hair talons (that's what I call them in German - you know these plastic thingies that grab at huge bunches of hair), take three of them and pin up three sections of canopy hair, leaving the rest to dry. Change the lifted sections from time to time. My daughter with the enormous amount of heavy thick curls does that when she wants to speed drying time. It looks funny but helps. Well, her hair is only waist so it's possible. For longer hair, it might not work.

FWIW, I don't think some gentle blowdrying on cool settings is damaging. Don't dry the hair completely, just help a bit and stop when it's merely damp.

Wavelength
September 7th, 2009, 11:54 PM
Have you tried braiding your hair while waiting for it to dry?

I braid my hair in a single English braid when it's damp (i.e. towel-dried) and it works for me. The braid is technically "up" in that your hair stays out of your way, but your hair still gets some exposure to air, at least on the outside of the braid. It won't dry all the way, of course, but it gets my hair from pretty wet to slightly damp in a couple of hours.

After that, I just comb it out and that dries it off a bit more. Then I put it back in a braid overnight. Gives me nice braid waves and almost dry, smooth hair in the morning.

You could divide your hair into two braids as well -- might speed up drying time.

Heidi_234
September 8th, 2009, 12:49 AM
My hair used to dry for hours too. I find that placing a towel (a dry one is better) on the back and over the shoulder and let your hair hang down over it helps. My hair still drips after regular towel-drying too, but the towel on your back soaks dripping water coming down from your roots to your ends, and it speeds up. I noticed it helped alot when drying.

I also ruffle my hair slightly with my finger (just inserting them in the length and moving in fast little movements left and right), this helps separate locks of hair and make the water evaporate faster than if you try to dry it in one big clump. If you're okay with brushing wet hair, do it from time to time, just few strokes to declump the hair, and then ruffle it abit.

HTH :flower:

Calista
September 8th, 2009, 01:04 AM
If your hair drips after some minutes of towel-drying, why don´t you just towel-dry for longer? :confused: I towel-dry for about half an hour, then finger comb and put it up. I take it down and rearrange it several times throughout the day. It´ll still be slightly damp after one day, though.

Fethenwen
September 8th, 2009, 01:05 AM
Second what others have said. I also would suggest using a high absorbant towel, and also have it on your head for like half an hour, under this time take the towel off a few times and shake your hair a bit, then flip the towel. You can also change the towel a few times.

Milui Elenath
September 8th, 2009, 01:08 AM
You could try the lazy wrap bun, that's what I use, I find because the bulk of the hair is not as tightly wound as a cinnabun it dries faster, I also don't get many / any bun waves.

I also use a turbie towel but not in the conventional way - no flipping hair over. After squeezing my hair gently with a regular towel, I fold my hair in half and lightly twist it, like a equilibrium bun or like a french roll then hold it and put the turbie towel on. The heat from my head helps keep me warm, stops the drips and dries the hair faster - sometimes I have to use two towels changing them when they get too wet/cold. I don't get tangles and touch the hair as little and as gently as possible but I have fine straight hair. Of course you need to be at home for this method, unless you like wearing a turbie towel out.

Another at home method is sitting in a sunny window. - I really hate having wet hair in winter and am always looking for the best method.

Flynn
September 8th, 2009, 03:24 AM
If your hair drips after some minutes of towel-drying, why donīt you just towel-dry for longer? :confused: I towel-dry for about half an hour, then finger comb and put it up. I take it down and rearrange it several times throughout the day. Itīll still be slightly damp after one day, though.

I can speak for myself only here, and I experience about the same as the OP seems to describe. Towel-drying with a normal towel doesn't help much. Leaving it in a normal towel for longer ends up taking longer for drying than leaving it out and letting it drip.

Also, I have five minutes to shower, five minutes to dry, five minutes to dress, then breakfast and out the door. I get up at six as it is, I'm sure as hell not getting up half an hour or more earlier to dry my stupid hair! If my hair is going to dominate my time that badly, I'll pay for it to be short again!

Olivia23
September 8th, 2009, 05:43 AM
I just wrap my head in a loose towel and leave it on about 30 minutes or so. When I take it off it's still wet but no drips!

Calista
September 8th, 2009, 05:57 AM
Also, I have five minutes to shower, five minutes to dry, five minutes to dress, then breakfast and out the door. I get up at six as it is, I'm sure as hell not getting up half an hour or more earlier to dry my stupid hair! If my hair is going to dominate my time that badly, I'll pay for it to be short again!
How about washing at night then? :rolleyes:

Armelle
September 8th, 2009, 06:37 AM
I have thick hair and live in a very humid climate. Here's what I do/deal with:

The water takes a while to get to the ends of my hair to drip off, even after towel drying repeatedly. I will keep a towel nearby to squeeze the ends as they drip. This usually stops after 10 minutes.

I either single braid my hair which makes my shirt catch the remaining water, or do a simple bun up which keeps the hair wet longer.

However, I have noticed that leaving my hair up in a bun (and keeping it wet longer) does lead to a damp smell. Bleh! It is worse if I wash my hair just before bed.

I try to wash my hair in the evening and towel dry well. Since I'm done with my out-of-the-house stuff by this time, I just keep the towel handy and dry the drips as they come. I usually drape my hair over the back of the chair or sofa to encourage some air circulation. It's not much faster to dry...but it's still something. :)

Bunnyhare
September 8th, 2009, 07:15 AM
My hair takes days to dry too if i bun it while wet..i don't know why, it is not especially thick or coarse,,,so i wrap and old t-shirt around my hair out of the shower then change it about 30 minutes in and let a dry one start over..i like the idea of the microfiber towel, i will have to try that. But i just got a blowdryer and decided to start blowdrying again since fall is around the corner and i get sick easily..i have often wondered about mold in a damp bun, is it something anyone ever heard of?

JamieLeigh
September 8th, 2009, 07:41 AM
I'm definitely another fan of the microfiber towel. My Turbie Twist is awesome, and when I can't use that, I use a regular microfiber towel, and just triple up my length in that. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, and it helps tremendously towards the overall drying time of my hair, whether down or up. I must say, though, I feel like an idiot for not thinking to wring out the towel after about five minutes and then reapply. :p I shall try that in the future, I bet it helps a lot. Lol.

Sheltie_Momma
September 8th, 2009, 07:49 AM
My hair takes days to dry too if i bun it while wet..i don't know why, it is not especially thick or coarse,,,so i wrap and old t-shirt around my hair out of the shower then change it about 30 minutes in and let a dry one start over..i like the idea of the microfiber towel, i will have to try that. But i just got a blowdryer and decided to start blowdrying again since fall is around the corner and i get sick easily..i have often wondered about mold in a damp bun, is it something anyone ever heard of?

I do the t-shirt thing too, I wash it at night, squeeze the drips, wrap it in a t-shirt and push it up above my head (above the pillow) for sleeping. In the morning it is damp and I can bun it to finish drying. By the next evening when I take it down for bed, it will still be damp but by morning of day 2 it is all the way dry.

Teakafrog
September 8th, 2009, 07:57 AM
Mine will stay drippy for a long time too, unless I keep it wrapped in a microfiber towel for quite a while after washing. Also, I usually just don't wash it in the morning. I wash at night, put it up and go to bed. Wake up to slightly damp hair that can be styled easily and doesn't take long to dry in the morning.

lora410
September 8th, 2009, 08:26 AM
This is why I wash my hair at night and let it dry while I sleep :)

halo_tightens
September 8th, 2009, 09:39 AM
Mine's not so long yet, but it's so thick that it takes a long time to dry. I've always just left it wrapped in a towel for a long time, sometimes even a couple of hours, before letting it down to dry. It still takes a while, but at least I don't have to worry about ANY dripping after being wrapped for that long.

Gulbahar
September 8th, 2009, 10:07 AM
I keep my hair in a big towel for at least 15min after washing. And if I bun it wet or damp it stays damp forever, so I never do that - and my hair is not even that thick. I think there are a lot of things you can do before resorting to blow drying.

shaybabe8604
September 8th, 2009, 10:16 AM
My hair although still quite short, takes forever to dry. Recently I purchased a bonnet style hair dryer (there is a bonnet that you tie over your head) and I put my hair in big braids and try to let it dry for at least 15-30 minutes on the cool setting. When I do this before bed it's usually completely dry in the morning and the braid waves are set nicely. Ive also done this with twists when I wanted spirals as opposed to waves. I know you dont neccesarily like the wind but the bonnet style dryer isnt so extreme as a traditional handheld one. HTH...

Periwinkle
September 8th, 2009, 10:41 AM
I squeeze all the water out of my hair with first my hand and then a towel, then wear a towel on my head for a while. If I don't, my hair takes several hours more to dry. You could also try using a microfibre towel - they're supposed to soak up more water (so would dry your hair faster) but I can't give you any personal experience.

I also find that it helps if I comb my hair as soon as it's dry enough to do so without pulling - it speeds up the drying time a HUGE amount. I know that combing wet hair can be damaging, but I separate it as much as I can with my fingers first, I'm very careful and I use a wide-toothed comb and I've yet to notice any damage from it.

My hair also dries faster if I leave part of it down - sometimes, I'll bun the top half and leave the rest hanging down. It doesn't come over my shoulders until it's dry, so it doesn't bother me, and it dries a whole lot faster.

Flynn
September 8th, 2009, 05:37 PM
How about washing at night then? :rolleyes:

That eyeroll is rather unnecessary.

Because then I'm sleeping on wet hair, making my pillow wet, and putting kinks in my hair. And it is still wet the next morning because I don't sleep with it loose.

Is that good enough for you?

little_acorn
September 8th, 2009, 05:43 PM
That eyeroll is rather unnecessary.

Because then I'm sleeping on wet hair, making my pillow wet, and putting kinks in my hair. And it is still wet the next morning because I don't sleep with it loose.

Is that good enough for you?


I hate the wet pillow thing too if I wash at night...

Flynn
September 8th, 2009, 05:54 PM
I hate the wet pillow thing too if I wash at night...

Yeah, you roll over onto this icy, soggy patch... yuck.

Also, damp pillows go mouldy, which is an even better motivation not to! (Especially if you have asthma or hayfever...)

Chromis
September 8th, 2009, 06:20 PM
That eyeroll is rather unnecessary.

Because then I'm sleeping on wet hair, making my pillow wet, and putting kinks in my hair. And it is still wet the next morning because I don't sleep with it loose.

Is that good enough for you?

Yep, I get the same problem! I sleep with it in a braid and pull the covers up over my head anyhow. Even back at BSL when I slept with it loose it never dried overnight. Wet pillows are icky, bleh, blech!

Anje
September 8th, 2009, 06:30 PM
My hair can drip sometimes after being combed out, despite having been wrapped in a towel first. So if you really want it dry, why not just wrap it up in a fresh, dry towel afterward?

My usual trick, though, is just to wrap it up for a few minutes until the towel is soggy at the nape, then remove the towel and flip it around so that a dry part ends up against the nape, which tends to be the place where most of the water runs.

My hair is thinner than yours, but usually with a towel flip and then letting it loose, I can usually get it dry in an hour or so.

tangocurl
September 8th, 2009, 06:49 PM
Renbirde, your hair is gorgeous. Mine's not nearly as long but I have the same problem, especially in the winter. I wish I had a solution. I've heard of people drying their hair in the car heater during their morning commute, but I would look like an escapee from an insane asylum if I did that. And, it can't be much better than the blowfryer.

eternallyverdan
September 8th, 2009, 08:22 PM
For those who don't like soggy pillows I sometimes just put a towel or a folded up sheet over mine so that it isn't all gross in the morning. But then I also sleep with my hair down when it's drying, so YMMV.

Chromis
September 8th, 2009, 08:26 PM
For those who don't like soggy pillows I sometimes just put a towel or a folded up sheet over mine so that it isn't all gross in the morning. But then I also sleep with my hair down when it's drying, so YMMV.

When I've done that I just have a soggy towel *and* a soggy pillow! (And that was after being in a microfibre towel four a good twenty minutes and sitting around a couple hours beforehand.)

Really, I just land up letting it airdry as much as I can and then put it up in a bun and let it down again for more drying when I get home. It dries....eventually!

Flynn
September 8th, 2009, 08:46 PM
When I've done that I just have a soggy towel *and* a soggy pillow! (And that was after being in a microfibre towel four a good twenty minutes and sitting around a couple hours beforehand.)

Really, I just land up letting it airdry as much as I can and then put it up in a bun and let it down again for more drying when I get home. It dries....eventually!

Same, and waking up through the night as ear-rings snag on the towel.