Hair drying routines.

[einna]

Hi. What do you guys do with your hair after you wash it?

I put it up in a towel (carefully, dont twist), then use leave in conditioner. Just started experimenting with coconut oil. Let it air dry loose. Comb when dry.
Any tips to how I can improve my routine?
Thinking of buying a softer towel (microfiber?) for my hair.

And: Can I use both leave in conditioner (when wet) and coconut oil (when dry)? Does it have to be one or the other? My hair is naturally dry and needs a lot of moisture (CWC helps a lot though).

Please share your routines with me :)

[milagro]

I'm interested, too. I squeeze and scrunch it gently to remove excess of water, towel dry a bit with a big cotton wrap, add some mousse and then let it air dry. I try not to touch or shake it hard and generally treat it like a ticking bomb (or rotten egg :D) else it gets frizzy. This part is incredibly difficult because my hair dries like ages and I am constantly tempted to get it away from my face, flip onto the back etc or ruffle the roots to make it dry faster.
If I wash at night I wait till it's damp and go to bed. I place it all around my head on the pillow. It gets rather messy this way usually but still fit for an updo or half-up.

Maybe someone will come with some magic recipe of no-heat, no-frizz fast dry? :pray:

ETA Did you notice oil makes drying longer than usual? I don't put oils on my hair after wash, so I don't know.

[tinti]

I just squish the water out of it and leave the bathroom without brushing it etc. I only brush the front a bit to make a decent part. Then I put coconut oil in it when it is 90% dry.

[CaityBear]

I squeeze out the water and then put it up in a towel (one of the methods that was outlined in an article...not sure who by or when it was though) then I get out of the shower. I always put hair up first or else I drip all over my body while I try to dry my body...kind of counterproductive.

I leave it in the towel for a couple minutes to help get out as much water as possible. Then use a wide tooth comb and gently comb it. I usually then use my homemade leave-in conditioner. And then I let it air dry for a while until it's about half dry then I'll apply my hair cream or coconut oil.

I've used leave-in conditioner and coconut oil in my hair at the same time before and have never had a problem with it.

[erika_d]

squeeze out excess water

blot withe towel

wrap up in towel turban-style

take hair out of towel after 5 minutes or so

apply leave-in conditioner (John Freida something-or-other in a green bottle that smells SO good (minty))

Comb (my hair NEVER tangles...we shall see as it gets longer but as of now-never

Let air dry

Coconut oil when dry

[owlathena]

I like to braid my hair when its still wet so the next day I have great waves

ETA:
Also, I use coconut oil on wet/damp hair. Everyone else uses it on dry hair. Even though its an oil, it seems to work great for me on wet hair. Is it better to wait until hair is dry?

[nytquill]

I squeeze the water out, start to dry off, squeeze the water out again (lol) and then put it up in a towel while I finish getting dressed and stuff. I used to do the towel turban but I find that my hair comes out nicer if I do either the "towel tube wrapped around the head" as described in the articles section or the "princess leia/ram's horns" towel rap that I think it was LittleOrca wrote a thread about? I just discovered that one recently and I have to say I really like it, seems really secure and hair-friendly.

As soon as I'm dressed I take it out of the towel. Basically I hate the feel of wet hair down my back so I use the towel to keep it off me until I have some clothes on and won't feel it :P But I try to leave it in the towel as little as possible to minimize frizz and any friction damage. Then I brush it out once(I know, I know, but it's a wooden brush and the bristles are wide-set and I'm gentle - and if I don't flip my head upside down like with a turban, there are usually no tangles) to make sure it's all evenly separated with no big clumps. And then I let it air dry which takes 3-4 hours, or if I have somewhere I really have to go sooner than that I'll either damp bun/braid it or blow dry it as gently as possible (last resort).

[Kaijah]

I squeeze out the excess water in the shower, then give it another squeeze with the towel once I'm out. I slather on my leave in conditioner (I use Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose - heck yeah moisture) and fingercomb a bit. On top of the conditioner, I work in a mixture of shea butter, coconut oil, and sweet almond oil.

Since I shower at night, I'm usually just going to be sitting around reading/surfing the net afterward. I either let my hair just hang down my back, or if I'm laying down I'll drape it over my pillows. I'm pretty lazy. :P If my hair's still feeling a little dry/frizzy once it's air dried, I'll smooth a little more of the butter/oil mixture over it.

You can leave in any combination of products/oils, whether you hair is sopping wet, bone dry, or somewhere in between. It just depends on what your hair likes, so experiment and see what works. :) As you can tell, my hair likes all of the above.

[redwoman]

I twist my hair up turban style for 20 minutes or so, then I let hang down. Its winter and snowing outside so I blow fry my scalp only and go outside to do my chores with my length in my coat keeping warm. lots of coconut oil and gentle wide tooth combing only. I hate the blow fryer but december, January, February it seems inescapable in ohio. I tell myself its only 17 times a year and only the scalp. I make excuses....oh well. It could be every day..........

[Night_Kitten]

I made a long "sleeve" out of an old t-shirt, and after i wash and gently squeeze the water out of my hair, I put the "sleeve" on so that my clothes and the couches in the howse don't get soaked from the drips... After about half an hour I take the "sleeve" off and let it airdry without touching, and then comb and oil when it's dry.
I look really funny with that thing on my head (my brother falls over laughing every time), but I don't care :D

[myria]

I blot my hair with a face cloth first - i think it works better than a towel.
If I'm showering during the day, I'll wrap a towel round my shoulders and leave my hair to dry until it's damp then finger comb, add leave in and bun it.
If I'm showering at night I'll drape a towel over my pillow and over the end of the bed put on leave-in and very loosely braid my hair (about 4 bumps in total).
I only oil my hair when it's dry, I find it harder to get the right amount when it's wet.

[Nae]

I'm game. I step out of the shower and squeeze it gently with a towel. Then I put in about a nickle sized dollop of one of my Suave no-cone conditioner, works a bit of coconut oil through the ends and then some Aloe Vera gel. I sometimes leave it alone or finger comb but lately I have run a wide toothed comb through it once while it is still really wet and then I am done. I just let it air dry. I try not to touch it too much while it is drying but other than that I just let it do it's thing.

[Capybara]

I gently squeeze out the excess water while still in the shower, then wrap my hair up into a turban. I leave it like that for about 15-20 minutes while I get dressed, then take it out and let it air dry. I try to wait until it's fully dry before combing but, it's so hard - my hair has no volume as it is, so when freshly showered it's completely plastered to my head - annoying :lol:

[YesitsReal]

I use a white cotton t-shirt (it seems to make it less frizzy). I pull the whole thing over my head, and then pull it back so it stays on my head like a stretchy headband. Then I let the rest of the shirt drop down in the back so that it covers my hair. I twist the whole thing into a big, loose bun, and then tie it off with a hair tie. I leave it up like that until I'm dressed and have my makeup on or whatever, and then I unwrap it and let it air dry before detangling.

[liagibba]

I squeeze the excess out before getting out of the shower, then squeeze some more in the towel. Then I wrap the towel around my head turban style and leave it on for about 5-10 minutes. After taking the towel off and squeezing a little more. I comb through and apply either coconut oil or Nightblooming Panacea to the ends. I comb through once again after it's about 50% dry. I haven't been able to completely stop touching it while it dries, so I'm usually a little frizzy most days.

[DARKMARTIAN]

I just drive through automatic car washes and roll the windows down at the end during the drying process. My routine is fairly simple really. Matter of fact, its a breeze.......

*chuckle chuckle*

[cataphract]

I mostly just gently wring it and then grab my hair through a towel and squeeze it, rotating to drier towel spots right now.

Though... I wonder... does anyone think that those fancy towels in the pet section of Target/Walmart etc would really absorb all that much better? Or is that probably not so great for human hair? My hair doesn't seem to have a fabric preference, though if I let water touch it every day it would never dry entirely between washes.

[Kristin]

I squeeze (not twist) out excess water and put up in a towel. I actually prefer regular bath towels; microfiber ones don't soak up enough water. If I have time, I'll leave the towel on for 15-20 minutes, then detangle and blowdry my bangs. I oil the ends with either avocado oil or Nightblooming's Triple Moon Oil (don't use coconut for daily oiling since it's freezing out). If I want it really straight, I'll blowdry it when it's about 80% dry already. Most days I don't care and my hair is pretty straight already, so I just sleep with it damp on a satin pillowcase. It's still a little damp in the morning, but not dripping.

[cataphract]

Hrm, maybe I'll pass on the microfiber doggie towels then, lol, my hair has a tendency to hold a ton of water. They're not exactly the cheapest thing in the world anyhow.

[einna]

Thanks for all the answers! Very interesting to read about what people do =) Ok, maybe not very interesting, but moderatly at least ;) Haha.
Maybe I`ll try the t-shirts...

[feralnature]

My hair air dries very fast. Or if it is late, I put it in a braid and go to bed wet.

[ArienEllariel]

I let my hair airdry.

After I finger comb with conditioner in the shower, I rinse my hair, squeegee the water out of it and add a little light conditioner through the length as a leave-in. Then I gently pat my hair with a towel (no rubbing of course) and wrap it around my hair. I kinda look like Mary from a Christmas play.. lol I find this keeps my hair from ending a tangled mess much better than the turban style I did for the longest time. After that, combing is a breeze!

[DARKMARTIAN]

My hair air dries very fast. Or if it is late, I put it in a braid and go to bed wet.

I dont see how you do it....
Ive fallen asleep accidentally with a wet braid and totally regretted it upon awakening. It wreaks havoc on my scalp. I very rarely dry my hair in braids anymore though......ive come to realize that I love my natural wave pattern much more than the "synthetic" look of my braid waves.....

[kyraninse]

I used to just air-dry or braid and leave it, but now I find that I get horrific headaches if I got to bed with wet hair -- *slumps* so I try to dry the scalp only and then braid it so the wet length doesn't soak my clothing. Even using a towel and turbaning until it's dry doesn't help with the headaches. Oh well. :( At least the damage isn't apparent because I have really coarse Asian hair.

[Tiina]

I step out of the shower and let it hang until it is dry. If I am going to go to bed soon afterwards I wait until it is damp and then comb and braid/bun. WO makes my hair dry faster and the more my virgin hair grows in, the less porous it gets. My drying time (unbraided/bunned) is about an hour to two hours. No oils or leave-ins for me.

Maybe when my hair gets longer I will start using a turban towel but so far I don't mind having wet hair.

Also, combing my hair damp/wet has a straightening effect on me but I don't do that much these days.

[redneckprincess]

squeeze all the water out, comb it and either put it up or (try to) leave it alone

[milagro]

Though... I wonder... does anyone think that those fancy towels in the pet section of Target/Walmart etc would really absorb all that much better? Or is that probably not so great for human hair? My hair doesn't seem to have a fabric preference, though if I let water touch it every day it would never dry entirely between washes.
I am hesitant about microfiber... is it good to get moisture forced off the hair so fast? I know that it's awful for my skin, I tried a special face MF towel and got some tiny blood vessels visible on my nostrils and cheeks in just few days :(
I guess it depends and for people with thick skin and straight, non-porous hair it may be good. I prefer to play safe and use soft cotton.

[Fadedbluedreams]

I just comb it afterward and let it air dry. Usually I put it in a ponytail or braid if I'm going to bed afterward.

[Jeno86]

I'll squeeze it with a towel to get the water out and then let it air dry. I have gotten into the habbit of brushing it when it is wet, my hair is very easy to brush dry or wet.

[rena]

I squeeze the excess water out, brush it flat against my head and secure it with either barrets or bands. I leave it that way until its dry. This is the only way my hair will dry right :(

[fairy_ends_girl]

i always air dry my curls with a leave in conditioner. Lately i've been on a braid kick so i will either braid it or leave it down.