air dry vs. damp bun?

[Treecrown]

Today I air-dried my hair for the first time in a while (I had been damp-bunning it every time I washed since learning about that on LHC). Air-dried, it is so frizzy and sad-looking. Is this normal? It seems like there's much more damage than I thought, and it's less shiny and healthy. :(

[lora410]

Mine is much poofier when air dried, but damp bunning makes my waves and layers go insane and takes days to dry :-)

[Tangles]

I tried damp bunning my shoulder length hair last night. The result was a bit frizzy. I think damp bunning works better on long hair, and that only for an hour or two, not all night like I tried. Honestly, the only thing that keeps my hair in control is length! Yes, it does get a bit sad and frizzy at times, but at least it doesn't POOF when its long.

[Guenever]

I'd prefer damp bunning any time!
Air drying makes my hair dry, piece-y etc.. bun damp bunning really improves the condition of my ends.. they're just less dry and tangly when they get to dry slowly in a (non twisted) bun..

[florenonite]

I tend to damp bun for a few hours because otherwise my hair seems to drip down my back and get in my face (I hate tucking it behind my ears when it's wet as it feels horrible). I don't see any difference in how it actually dries, though I've never really paid attention.

[zift]

I couldn't do damp buns because I cannot adjust the weight like others do but I do damp braiding a lot. My waves form more orderly and my hair is much more shiny and mositured than when I leave it loose to dry. But ofcourse it takes a lot of time to dry like that.

[Isilya]

I rarely damp bun because my hair simply refuses to dry when bunned. Luckily my hair turns out nice, soft and frizz-less with air-drying.

[SweetPea88]

I usually prefer to let my hair air dry while down, although it does cause a little bit of poufyness and frizz.

When I damp bun it does look more moisturized, but it also looks more piece-y and has less volume.

I just can't win! :wink:

ETA: maybe I should give damp braiding a try?

[Faepirate]

Damp bunning has been very bad in my experience. My hair ends up with huge kinks and because it doesn't dry fully, it somehow seems to thicken tenfold when I do let it down and it dries the rest of the way. It's like it's trying to compensate for being squished up.

Maybe my problem is that I twist it though?
With my volume, I don't actually know how to bun without twisting. Do you think this would improve the kinky problems? Any tips?

[Anje]

I rarely damp bun. I think my scalp doesn't like having the moisture against it for so long, plus I've never figured out how to not get that "bun kink" where the hair is first folded. From the times I've tried it, I haven't really noticed a difference in moisture retention, either, so I just let it dry loose, which is much quicker.

[jastark84]

I damp bun my hair, if I don't I look like a poodle and all my fly-aways come out to play. It also keeps my hair in(ends inparticualr) in good shape. Considering I wear my hair in a twist bun or braided all the time. I love buns!

[lady_hero]

I ALWAYS damp bun. My hair looks super dry and straight as a pin without some bun waves. It gives me a bit of body, too. I usually wash before bed, so it stays in all night and I use a scrunci to hold it up.

[CalamityCupcake]

Oh, I always clip mine up to dry. The waves look more princess-y that way.

[granitbaby]

Damp buns here!
Unfortunately my hair doesn't want to dry at all in this style, but I can't stand the poof and the frizz if it's air dried. I often keep it up in a bun for whole day (or night) in order to give it a chance to dry at all.When it comes to drying fine, thick (well, pretty thick, close to iii) hair can be somewhat of a challenge.

[Firefly]

Today I air-dried my hair for the first time in a while (I had been damp-bunning it every time I washed since learning about that on LHC). Air-dried, it is so frizzy and sad-looking. Is this normal? It seems like there's much more damage than I thought, and it's less shiny and healthy. :(

I don't know if it's normal, but it's something I've experienced as well with air drying. I tend to have a much more noticeable halo, and just is generally frizzier/drier looking when I air dry. I get a lot more wave though. So, if I'm going for a smoother look, I damp bun, if I want waves, I'll air dry. Here's an example:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/scifi-chic/dampvsair.jpg (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/scifi-chic/dampvsair.jpg)

You can see a definite "fuzziness" to the picture on the right on the top of my head and an overall dryer look. It seems I have to sacrifice a bit of a healthier look with air drying. :shrug:

Firefly

[Tangles]

Wait, I'm not sure I even damp-bunned properly last night. What I did was split my hair in half and did two dorky little buns behind my ears and slept like that. As I said, it came out a bit dry and piec-y looking. Does anyone have a link to a db'ing tutorial?!

[somethingwicked]

My experience is the same as fireflys. Sometimes, I get the most *awesome* spirals if I let it air dry down, but too often, I get the frizz halo. Plus, I can't resist picking it out after it's dry, and that breaks up my loffly curls and just makes my hair look crunchy and wild. I'm glad so many other people damp bun to dry; I was halfway wondering if that wasn't the best way to do it, since I sleep in my bun most of the time, too.

[epiphanee]

Air-dry for me.

Wet hair is weak hair so why keep it in a prolonged state of weakness?

[somethingwicked]

Wait, I'm not sure I even damp-bunned properly last night. What I did was split my hair in half and did two dorky little buns behind my ears and slept like that. As I said, it came out a bit dry and piec-y looking. Does anyone have a link to a db'ing tutorial?!

I don't know if this is what everyone else means, but when I say I damp bun, this is what I do. First, I comb through my wet hair and get it detangled. Then, I grab it at the base and twist the length loosely. Then I sort of twist it around itself (again, loosely) until I've got a big knob of hair. Then I just take a scrunchie and wrap it a couple of times around the whole thing. I don't do it up tight, too tenderheaded for that, just sort of contain it in a loose, smooth wad.

[Tangles]

Gotcha. And how long do you leave it like that for? Do you comb it once more when you take out the scrunchy?

[CatPower]

Like you, I have been damp bunning forever, but have just recently for an experiment let it air dry. It was not good. Some parts of my hair are wavy, some are straight, and some curly. Damp bunning makes my hair smooth everywhere with natural wave and I like that. Recently though, I've been damp ropebraiding, four strand braiding and three strand braiding. I like this way a lot better because my waves are more defined and my hair dries much faster :).

[Treecrown]

Firefly, I wish I had your lovely waves!

Here is my poor hair air-dried:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2042/2449770023_ee5eb2a584.jpg

And here it is damp-bunned:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2243/2429518469_ae078bdb73_m.jpg

still a bit frizzy, but much less so...

PS: have I typed my hair correctly (2a)? or is that wishful thinking? My hair gets insanely wavy, almost curly, under certain conditions (like a day out in misty, damp weather)

[somethingwicked]

Gotcha. And how long do you leave it like that for? Do you comb it once more when you take out the scrunchy?

I usually leave mine up all night after I wash it, on work days, then take it down and comb through it, then put it back up for the drive. When I get to work, scrunchie comes out and goes around the shift lever, and I truck on into the office :) I usually keep my hair down at work, offices are too darn cold, and it's like my natural neck and back insulation. If I'm going out and wash it in the morning or afternoon, usually just a couple of hours. Once it's just slightly damp, it's usually good to hang loose without frizzing up, unless it's extraordinarily humid.

[Angellen]

Damp bunning has not worked for me so far. My hair takes eons to dry, and is very heavy and stubborn when wet. :shrug:

[ajr]

Damp bunning is the only time my hair is up for an entire day. I usually wear it down at least part of the day. Cannot stand wet hair soaking into my shirt plus now that I'm in the desert I think it keeps my ends from drying out.

[young&reckless]

I put my hair up, I take it down, comb, put it back up,take it down comb out, wait then maybe back up. I never stick to one, down makes it frizzy, up it will never dry. So I go back and forth for about 3 hours until its almost dry and silky.

See the bend in my sig pic, thats from my constant changing on my mind on up or down.

[Carolyn]

When I damp bun, I let my hair air dry part way if I have the time to do that. I love damp bunning. I get nice smooth waves. It's my go-to summer style. It's nice and cool while it's damp and it's off my back and neck. It's one of my favorite styles for wash day hair. I don't like to braid it while damp because I am not a fan of braid waves in my hair. If I braid it the day I wash it, then I braid it until next wash day. I also find the hair toys stay in damp hair better. It has more "grip".

[Tabitha]

I've started doing as Carolyn says - I wrap my hair in towels twice over to absorb as much water as possible, then oil the ends lightly and allow to airdry for at least a couple of hours then do a fairly loosely twisted cinnabun to finish, tucking the ends in well. It brings out the waves in my ends and seems to help keep them moisturised - as I've got beyond BSL the ends have seemed drier.

[Gothic Lolita]

I'm having my hair drying loose, because my hair is awfully thick and even when it's loose it takes over 3 hours to fully dry.
But I'm recently thinking about swithing my routine in the summer. Maybe then I'll wash in the morning (not in the evening like I do know because it takes so long to dry) an then damp bun it. I image it nice and cooling

[alys]

I also hate air-drying my hair. In fact I never really do this at all, it's always damp bunning and down just about never. If I let my hair air dry it would be a puffy mess. Taking it down after a damp bun and its nice and smooth...I WISH I could just air dry like many others

[Kazazi]

so how long does it take for your hair to dry when you wait for it to do so completely whilst in a bun?

[Tabitha]

so how long does it take for your hair to dry when you wait for it to do so completely whilst in a bun?

Once I damp bunned my hair in a high bun overnight right after wrapping in towels to get most of the water off. It was still not dry in the morning and had a very slightly not nice, musty-ish smell to it ... so I never did that again!

But it's bound to be infinitely variable ... winter or summer? indoors or outside? how thick or long is your hair?

[KaeleyAnne]

so how long does it take for your hair to dry when you wait for it to do so completely whilst in a bun?

It depends on the temperature and humidity. If I damp bun during winter and leave my hair in the bun, it will still be damp 2-3 days later. Which is why I've been air drying my hair recently. Once summer comes, I might damp bun again. Even in the summer time, though, my bun can stay damp for more than 24 hours if I don't let my hair down to air dry some.

Sometimes I damp bun, sometimes I air dry, and sometimes I do a mix, depending on my mood and how quickly I go to bed after washing my hair.

[Riot Crrl]

I can't mix and match, at all. When I damp bun, it is with the intention of leaving it that way for as long as I am in public. The middle is still damp when I get home, then I can take it down and let it dry. 2% of the time it dries into an awesome wavy pageboy thing this way, and the other 98% it's just weird looking.

Air drying is OK, but I can only really do that on weekends or something. And it is not as good as the gel + evil diffuser.

[alys]

It takes my hair ALL DAY to dry in a bun. I'll put it up at 8 in the morning and when I get home around 8-9 pm that night and take my bun out, the inner layers are still damp...
Not a biggie for me, because really I dont wear my hair down, so a damp bun is just the same as a dry one to me:)
I really wish, and hopefully this will come true, than one day I can just let my hair air dry after the shower. Just walk out with it wet and down and have it look good when dry. My hair is too poufy to even dream...

[Sillage]

I never damp bun. My scalp does not like to be wet any longer than it has too, and it doesn't seem to make much difference in my hair except for making bun waves.

[Haith]

My hair takes all day (and night, etc) to dry if I put it up when its too damp, however I absolutely love the silky bun curls that I get from damp bunning. The key for me is to put my hair up when it is almost dry into a not too tight bun, and let it stay for an hour or two. When I take it down, it's dry and wurly.

[ajr]

If I damp bun all day by that night it'll still be damp, but then I sleep with it loose and in the morning I have great wavy shiny hair.

[Firefly]

Thank you for your kind words, Treecrown! As for the hair typing, I'm not very good at it myself, but I would guess a 1c for you. Your hair is gorgeous BTW-- so thick and a beautiful color!

Firefly

[Hella]

Like some, I also let my hair dry till it's almost dry and only then put it up. Otherwise I end up with wonky hair that hasn't dried properly in two days in the worst case, and that doesn't do good to my hair. I always put my hair up in the end though, because air-drying results in a bit dry-looking hair on me as well. It's gotten a lot better with better care though, as I could actually imagine leaving my hair to dry down completely, but I still prefer the results from damp bunning.

[Irishred]

I'm an down air-dryer most of the time. I will damp bun on occasion in the heat of the summer (yes it is cooling) but bun drying time from a fresh wash just takes to long normally.

I will damp bun my ends :) I dampen the last 6-8 inches and ad a leave-in/oil then bun. That will soak into my entire bun and still dry leaving ,y hair nice and soft.

[Islandgrrl]

Damp bunning is my friend. My hair dries much smoother and with lovely bun waves. If I air dry my hair (which I did last night) it's very odd. It's VERY poofy and I noticed these funky loose spiral curls toward the front of my head and this kind of disorganized wave pattern through the rest of it. I've always had really straight hair, but it's never been smooth looking (like Emichiee's gorgeous locks). Actually my avatar does it justice in terms of what it looks like air dried.

I vote for damp bunning and pretty bun waves any day!

[CaityBear]

I do the damp buns because I usually shower before school then put my hair up for school and I have no time to air dry. And I like the waves I get :D Or else I'll twist it like a bun, but tie it like a ponytail with a scrunchie. Or something with twisting and tucking the ends in.

[Melisande]

I dampbun a lot, both with misting and postwash. I love what it does for my hair. My only problem is that a damp bun pulls at my front hair and the crown gets very very flat which I dislike.

So when I'm at home I do two buns, one above the forehead and one on the back of my head. I cover it with a silk scarf.

This is not a look I can sport outside the house, so I resort to one bun, trying not to pull it too hard...

I keep a little spritzer with rose water in my handbag at all times because I love the way my hair feels when damp. A tiny spritz goes a long way.

[Kiraela]

I've found that I can't really damp bun, braid, etc... my hair takes far too long to dry as it is, and even two days after damp bunning, it still feels wet and sort of gunky. I also end up with MORE frizz that way. Air dryed, it's softer, silkier, and my waves don't go wonky quite so badly.

[Medvssa]

If I damp bun, braid, put half up, put the hair over the pillow to sleep, etc. I have to keep my hair like that until I make it wet again, since it dries in that shape, defying gravity if necessary :shrug:

[tiny_teesha]

as you are in the 2 category, i think 2s and ups are suseptable to frizz with humidity....

I like the frizz as it makes hair look fuller

But you may prefer to do a acid (WV or ACV) rinse to your hair after you condition so that it lies the scales flat- you get better shine.

[Les]

I air-dry. If I do anything else it just takes forever to dry. I also desire straighter hair and damp bun introduces more waves that I'd rather avoid.

[amaiaisabella]

I tried damp bunning for the first time last night, and ended up with a greasy mess! Where did I go wrong?

I had done CO, then lightly oiled my hair with coconut oil. When it was still very wet, I wrapped it in a bun. I left it about 6 hours before I went to sleep, and left it in overnight. Instead of forming waves like it usually does when I put my (dry) hair in a bun, I got this weird, kinky wave at the bottom, and all the hair was greasy! Did I leave the bun in too long or is damp bunning not for me? :confused:

[jojo]

i bun mine when it is 80% dry and it looks better than just 100% air drying, i get a lot less frizz too this way.

[Ms Monnie]

(I hate tucking it behind my ears when it's wet as it feels horrible).
I just had to day - it gets much worse when it starts dripping down your arse!

ETA: Ho ho ho, I started a new page with that. I thought I'd add that that's exactly why I damp-bun, also to reduce frizz and increase wavies.

[UrbanEast]

For those who do damp bunning, what kind of bun do you do? People have mentioned that they use non-twisted buns, but are there any specific ones that work best?

[FrannyG]

My hair looks best when air-dried. I do sometimes dampen my hair before a bun to get some bun waves, or even just a bit of volume, but only when the weather is warm. I hate the feeling of a damp bun in cold weather. I guess I'm a wimp.

[KaeleyAnne]

For those who do damp bunning, what kind of bun do you do? People have mentioned that they use non-twisted buns, but are there any specific ones that work best?

When I damp bun, I usually do a scrunchie bun. I just twist the bun into a cinnamon/bee-but bun and wrap a scrunchie around the base to secure it.

[Katurday]

When I tie my hair back, I get very silky, kinky (well, probably wavy eventually) hair.

When I let it air dry, I get a slightly less silky and way less kinky effect.

Considering that my hair takes a good 3 hours to air dry at just past chin level, damp bunning is just not even possible.

I don't actually know how I will dry my hair when it gets longer. It takes a day to dry naturally, if I remember, at mid back.
:(

[Flutterbee]

Air-dry for me.

Wet hair is weak hair so why keep it in a prolonged state of weakness?

This is me as well. I used to damp bun all the time and eventually my hair got weaker and the ends became brittle. Even oiling didn't help. I air dry now and bun when totally dry.

[nomadhome]

If I wash at night, it (mostly) air dries loose while I sleep. If I wash during the day I generally let it dry a bit loose, damp bun and then let it down to dry completely. The hybrid daytime drying gives a better result, but nighttime is more convenient.

[1nuitblanche]

I usually put if up when it's damp, either because I showered at night and wearing it down when I sleep leads to a mess and having to sort it out while half asleep in order to roll over, or else because I showered in the morning and then had to go to work where I'm not allowed to wear it down.

[Rae~]

For those who do damp bunning, what kind of bun do you do? People have mentioned that they use non-twisted buns, but are there any specific ones that work best?

I mainly use a cinnabun, but I like the results much better if I twist as little as possible - just enough to hold the ends in. I also damp-bun, not wet-bun, if I want to get nice bun waves, otherwise my hair never dries. In fact, my hair has to have already dried quite a bit before I bun it up, otherwise it will still be wet/damp when I take it down, and the bun waves don't "take". If I've just washed, I usually smooth a little jojoba oil throughout before I put it up, too.